The 2015 winners of the Great Wine Capitals' International Best Of Wine Tourism awards were celebrated at the Bodega Los Toneles in Mendoza, Argentina.
The GWC is a Network of some of the world’s leading wine-producing areas created to share and promote international best practices in wine tourism, one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry.
Its Best Of Wine Tourism judges are drawn from amongst the world's leading tourism, food, hospitality, architectural, landscape gardening and cultural experts.
The eight international winners were chosen by a multi-national panel of leading tourism experts from 50 local ‘Best Of‘ winners from eight Great Wine Capitals. In all, 343 applications were received this year.
The international winners for 2015 are:
• Rioja's historic Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta; for its splendid restoration of Ygay Castle founded in 1852 and built by Luciano Murrieta, the first owner and driving force of this iconic winery.
• The St Emilion estate, Château La Croizille, for the eye-catching architecture of its new cellar and magnificent reception room in the stylish modern building can accommodate up to 100 people.
• Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, famed for service excellence, in a destination estate, offering a variety of informative, authentic, fun and innovative tasting options.
• The 17th-generation at Weingut Dr Hinkel in Framershein; for its most innovative approach where the winery regularly offers color-wine tasting in its specifically equipped wine event room.
• Trapiche, which is Argentina's biggest wine producer and a multi-award winner as well as one of the first Argentine wineries to enter the international scene.
• The highly rated Museu do Douro - Museu de Território in Portugal whose objective is to represent the Douro Demarcated Region’s natural and cultural heritage designated World Heritage by UNESCO.
• The acclaimed HALL Wines of the Napa Valley where visitors are invited to explore the Gold Leed Certified state-of-the-art hospitality center and winery, the renovated historic Bergfeld Winery, and expansive art collection.
• Chile's Casablanca Valley Restaurant Macerado at Viñamar aiming at creating an intense and enjoyable harmony between cuisine and sparkling wine, a careful task that embodies the Viñamar spirit!
