Cape Town - A number of Western Cape wine estates scooped top honours at a global wine tourism awards competition recently.
Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, on Wednesday congratulated Val Du Charron, La Motte, Spier Wine Farm and Stellenbosch Wine Routes for their achievements at the Wine Tourism Awards, hosted by leading wine and beer journal Drinks International.
This year’s entries were drawn from countries including Spain, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Chile and New Zealand.
The winners included Val Du Charron Wines in Wellington for most innovative tourism experience. Judges commended the venue for transforming its cellar into a theatre during winter, with actors educating and entertaining visitors.
La Motte in Franschhoek was recognised for best educational experience with judges praising the estate’s use of social media and use of a cookbook, describing their approach as “focused with a lot of thought and detail”.
The well-known Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch won in the best wine event category with the estate’s secret courtyard which creates a space for guests to socialise being praised.
The Stellenbosch Wine Route also won in the Best Promotional Body category in recognition of the body’s wine festival which attracted 30 000 people over 10 days. The SWR represents over 150 wine estates in the area.
Winde said the establishments had beaten out strong competition from entrants in the United Kingdom, Argentina, Chile, Greece, Italy and Portugal to win the awards in their respective categories and said the awards would offer a boost for the Western Cape’s wine tourism sector.
“In 2013, wine tourism generated R6 billion nationally. The industry is an important economic driver in the province,” Winde said. “Of the 289 151 jobs in the national wine industry, 167 494 are in the Western Cape.
“Of all the wine tourists visiting the Western Cape, 43 percent went to the Cape Winelands. These awards show why the region is so popular with visitors. This is excellent promotion for our region’s wineries and will encourage more international visitors to explore our award-wining wine estates,” Winde added.
ANA