The Great Wine Capitals (GWC) Best of Wine Tourism Awards is a prestigious event attended by wine tourism leaders from across the world. The results were announced at a gala presentation in California’s Napa Valley on Thursday, 7 November 2013, and we are proud to say that Vergelegen Estate emerged as the undisputed South African winner for the Best of Wine Tourism; excelling in nearly all categories in the international contest.

This is the third time Vergelegen has been judged the South African Best of Wine Tourism winner. The famous Helderberg winery won both the Restaurant and the Arts and Culture categories, and claimed second place for another 4 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 – but that’s not surprising considering they don’t offer this facility. “We have never had a winner before who has made such a clean sweep,” said Mayor of the Cape Winelands District Municipality, Cornelius de Bruyn.

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, members include 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, namely:

• Spain’s Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco in Rioja. This museum and winery complex is 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, 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 Portuguese cuisine.
• 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.

Winners in the South African categories:

Accommodation

1. Babylonstoren
2. Asara
3. Grande Provence

Architecture & 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

Visit Vergelegen

Dating back to 1685, Vergelegen is renowned for the preservation of its historic buildings and 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). Attractions at Vergelegen include:

• Wine Tasting Centre: wine tours and samples of the finest Vergelegen wines.
• Camphors Restaurant: named after the ancient camphor trees on the farm that are said to be over 300 years old, the signature eatery was recently revamped and celebrated PJ Vadas was appointed as executive chef. Camphors has also been placed in South Africa’s Top 10 Restaurants in the 2013 Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards.
• Vergelegen Gardens: Established in the 1700s, there are now today 17 exquisitely themed gardens are on display.
• Vergelegen Heritage Sites: Visit the ancient camphor trees, magnificent homestead, and grand library.
• Special events: Vergelegen has special events scheduled in the different seasons. Visitors can enjoy Adventurous Dining, Sunset Vineyard Tours, and Sunset Environmental Safari Tours, and more this summer (until April 2014).

Vergelegen is open daily, from 09h30-17h00 (last entry 16h00) with the exception of 25 December, Good Friday, and Workers Day (1 May).

Have you visited this award-winning estate?