ISSUED BY DKC (DE
KOCK COMMUNICATIONS) ON BEHALF OF WINES OF
SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA) ACTING FOR GREAT WINE CAPITALS GLOBAL NETWORK
Vergelegen homestead wtih Camphor trees
Vergelegen has emerged
as the undisputed South African winner of the prestigious Great Wine Capitals
(GWC) Best of Wine Tourism Awards, excelling in nearly all categories in the
international contest. The results were announced yesterday (November 7) at a gala
presentation in California's Napa Valley, attended by wine tourism leaders from
across the world.
Not only did the
famous Helderberg winery win both the Arts and Culture and the Restaurant
categories, but it came second in another four categories as well: Architecture
and Landscapes, Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences, Sustainable Wine Tourism
Practices and Wine Tourism Service.
The only category it
didn't enter was Accommodation, as it doesn't offer this facility to visitors.
"We have never
had a winner before who has made such a clean sweep," said Alderman
Cornelius de Bruyn, mayor of the Cape Winelands District Municipality that
together with the city of Cape Town comprises one of the 10 members of the GWC.
This is the third time
Vergelegen has been judged the South African Best of Wine Tourism winner. The
last time was in 2009.
The GWC is a network
of the world’s leading wine-producing countries that shares international best
practice to advance standards in wine tourism across the world. In addition to
Cape Town-Cape Winelands, its members are Mainz-Rheinhessen (Germany),
Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Porto (Portugal),
San Francisco-Napa (United States), Mendoza (Argentina), Christchurch-South
Island (New Zealand) and newest member, Valparaiso-Casablanca (Chile).
As an international
GWC winner, Vergelegen joins the ranks of the best of best in global wine
tourism. They are Spain's Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco in Rioja, a museum and
winery complex, celebrated for its Enoturismo y Experiencias that offers
a wide range of exhibitions, courses and other innovative experiences; France's
Château de Rouillac that dates back to the 19th century when it belonged to the
famous Baron Haussmann who introduced many urban planning reforms to Paris
under Napoleon III; New Zealand's Brancott Estate Heritage Centre at Brancott
Vineyard, the site of the original Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc plantings;
Italy's Castello di Gabbiano, with its medieval castle that dates back to the
16th century; Germany's Weingut Eppelmann Stadecken-Goslar recognised for its
innovative use of QR codes in communicating with hikers; Chile's Bodega Ruca
Malen at the foot of the Andes and celebrated for its restaurant; Portugal's
The Yeatman, a luxury wine hotel with an award-winning wine cellar, and
Michelin star restaurant acclaimed for its modern interpretation of traditional
Portugal cuisine; and California's famous The Hess Collection Winery in the
Mount Veeder area, renowned for its extensive private collection of
international modern and contemporary paintings and sculpture.
Cape Town mayor,
Alderman Patricia de Lille said Vergelegen was a proud example of Cape tourism
excellence. "The competition is an important benchmark and demonstrates
that our offerings are of an absolutely world-class quality. We have the added
advantage of being located in a wine-growing area of unrivalled beauty."
Alderman De Bruyn said
Cape wine tourism was well placed to benefit from the growth in local
tourism. "Tourist arrivals in emerging economies are expected to
surpass those in advanced economies such as Europe and North America, as early
as 2015. The projected growth rate of tourist arrivals in emerging economy
destinations is expected to double that forecast for advanced economy
destinations. This presents us with an exciting opportunity, particularly given
the importance of tourism to economies in Africa.”
In South Africa, last
year, international tourist arrivals rose year-on-year by 10,2% - more than two
and a half times the global average of 4%.
A newcomer to the
competition, Babylonstoren of Paarl, came second amongst the South African
contenders, winning both the Accommodation and the Architecture and Landscapes
categories and taking third position in the Restaurant category.
Other South African category winners were Spice Route,
another first-time winner, taking the top score in the Innovative Tourism
Experiences; La Motte, that was last year's South African winner (Sustainable
Tourism Practices) and Delaire Graff (Wine Tourism Service).
Dating back to 1685,
Vergelegen is renowned for the preservation of its historic buildings and its
elegant gardens. The estate is highly rated by wine connoisseurs and was ranked
the equivalent of First Growth status by leading UK wine critic Tim Atkin MW
(Master of Wine) in his report on South African wine issued earlier this year.
Vergelegen's winning
restaurant, Camphors, is named after the ancient camphor trees on the farm that
are said to be over 300 years old. The winery's signature eatery, it was
recently revamped with celebrated PJ Vadas appointed as the executive chef.
This year’s judges
included wine tourism specialist Margi Biggs; international tourism consultant
Rick Taylor of the Business Tourism Company, a former CEO of Cape Metropolitan
Tourism and currently a board member of Tourism Business Council of South
Africa; lifestyle and wine journalist Joanne Gibson; Joan Isham, the
Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) extension officer; Marilyn Martin, art
historian, curator and writer; architect Alex Robertson; JP Rossouw, food
critic and author of the annual Rossouw’s Restaurants guide;
and landscaper Johan van Papendorp.
The full list of South
African category winners:
|
ACCOMMODATION
|
|
|
1
|
Babylonstoren
|
|
2
|
Asara
|
|
3
|
Grande Provence
|
|
ARCHITECTURE AND
LANDSCAPES
|
|
|
1
|
Babylonstoren
|
|
2
|
Vergelegen
|
|
3
|
La Motte
|
|
ART & CULTURE
|
|
|
1
|
Vergelegen
|
|
2
|
La Motte
|
|
3
|
Delaire Graff
|
|
INNOVATIVE WINE
TOURISM EXPERIENCES
|
|
|
1
|
Spice Route
|
|
2
|
Vergelegen
|
|
3
|
La Motte
|
|
SUSTAINABLE WINE
TOURISM PRACTICES
|
|
|
1
|
La Motte
|
|
2
|
Vergelegen
|
|
3
|
Waterkloof
|
|
|
|
|
WINE TOURISM
RESTAURANTS
|
|
|
1
|
Vergelegen -
Camphors
|
|
2
|
Rust en Vrede
|
|
3
|
Babel -
Babylonstoren
|
|
WINE TOURISM SERVICE
|
|
|
1
|
Delaire Graff
|
|
2
|
Vergelegen
|
|
3
|
Waterkloof
|
