Wine Tours strikes gold with its very first award

Press release from Appellation Central Wine Tours
29 September 2010

Appellation Central Wine Tours strikes gold with its very first award

Central Otago wine tourism is going global with the help of premier wine tour company Appellation Central Wine Tours, which was won the award for Wine Tourism Services at the Great Wine Capital Global Network’s Best of Wine Awards last week (22 September).

The Queenstown-based wine tour experts were one of four winners in the inaugural Christchurch/South Island Best of Wine Tourism Awards. The winners will go on to represent New Zealand in the Great Wine Capitals Global Network International awards.

Managing director and co- owner Philip Green said he and co-director Wendy Johnston were delighted to win the award.

“We think this award will be significant in raising the international profile of the wonderful wines of this region through Great Wine Capitals of the World. It aligns Central Otago with Bordeaux, Rioja, Napa Valley and other well established global wine regions.”

“The wines of Central Otago are world class, award winners, our scenery is awe inspiring – this, combined with our consistent efforts to provide each and every guest with an outstanding experience, has allowed us to build a great wine tourism business which in turn helps promote the region and the wines. This award is also testament to our amazingly passionate and dedicated guides, and to the huge support we get from vineyards, suppliers and activities booking agents both locally and internationally.”

“It’s personally rewarding for us too For judges to single us out as one of the finalists from dozens of regional entries was pretty staggering, we’re very excited to go on to represent New Zealand at an international level,” he said.

The Great Wine Capitals ‘Best of Wine Tourism’ recognises excellence on a global level among the various wine tourism activities including the wineries, restaurants, museums and wine tours of a specific region.

The winners were decided after judges visited each of the finalists’ during September. Judges said this year’s winners stood out because “they all shared a passion for wine and a commitment to providing their customers with the highest level of service and a complete experience. Their enthusiasm and knowledge about wine-making made them great ambassadors for the wine producing regions of the South Island.”

Appellation Central Wine Tours will be formally recognized as the winner of their category at the Great Wine Capital Global Network’s AGM and International Wine Conference to be held in Christchurch from October 31 to November 4. The overall international winners of each category will be announced on November 2

ENDS

About Appellation Central Wine Tours
Appellation Central Wine Tours is one of New Zealand’s leading boutique wine tours. Operating all through the year it takes clients on a discovery to taste, smell, see, hear and feel Central Otago vineyards in Queenstown, Gibbston, Bannockburn and Cromwell. The company first opened in 1999 under the name of Central Otago Wine Tours and later re-branded in 2005 as Appellation Central Wine Tours to reflect the development and growing recognition of the wine region and their wine tours. Appellation Central Wine Tours is the only wine tour company in Queenstown to keep tour group sizes to a maximum of 11 adults per guide in order to ensure plenty of time to interact with guides, vineyard staff, others in the group as well as ample opportunity to taste the great wines. The company has a Qualmark Enviro-Silver Status to its name and was recently ranked 14th out of 65 attractions in Queenstown by customers on the independent customer feedback website tripadvisor.com.

About the Best of the Wine Tourism Awards
The Best of the Wine Tourism Awards celebrates the great wine capitals from around the world, including Cape Town, Bordeaux, Bilbao/Rioja, Firenze, Mainz/Rheinhessen, San Francisco/Nape Valley, Mendoza, Porto and Christchurch/South Island.
The Best of Wine Tourism Awards, created by Great Wine Capitals Global Network in 2004, recognises excellence and encourages wider participation in wine tourism initiatives in the cities and wine regions of the network.
Awards are given to categories in Accommodation, Architecture, Parks and Gardens, Arts and Culture, Innovative Experiences in Wine Tourism, Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices and Wine Tourism Services.
A local contest takes place in each member city and region, with winners on the national level competing on international level and being awarded during the annual general meeting of the network.

© Scoop Media