The awards provide an opportunity for wineries and other visitor-serving businesses in each region to gain exposure and recognition for their commitment to present leading wine tourism options, while giving visitors a one-stop list of the best places to experience.
Celebrating innovation and excellence in wine tourism throughout the eleven greatest wine regions of the world, the Bowta is designed to reward the wineries in each of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network’s member cities for their excellence in seven different categories, including accommodation, wine tourism restaurant, sustainable wine tourism practice, architecture and landscape, art and culture, innovative wine tourism experiences as well as wine tourism services.
Now in their 24th year, the 2023 Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards and its local Ambassador Awards saw a combined total of 119 entries.
The judges reviewed the applications received and scored them based on standard criteria. Seven expert judges and three Wine Tourism Ambassador Award judges conducted "ghost visits" to the wineries within each of their assigned categories. The judges then attended a final adjudication review, where each expert judge presented their findings, and a winner was selected for each category.
The winners are:
Winner: Babylonstoren
Winner: Creation Wines
Winner: Vergelegen
Winner: Bosman Hermanus
Winner: Weltevrede
Winner: Creation Wines
Winner: Weltevrede
Additional awards celebrated include The Wine Tourism Diversity Award, the WWF Pioneer Award and the Authentic South African Experience Award - all celebrate culture and heritage, as well as those leaders making innovative efforts to ensure sustainability and conservation in the field.
The WWF Conservation Award is sponsored by WWF South Africa with funding provided by Pamela and Neville Isdell.
The Ambassador Award winners for 2023 are:
Winner: Paardenkloof Wines
Winner: Klein Goederust
Winner: Tanagra
Western Cape minister of finance and economic opportunities, Mireille Wenger, said: "On behalf of the Western Cape Government, I extend my congratulations to all the winners of the Great Wine Capital Best Of Wine Tourism Awards for 2023. During my tourism month tour, I was fortunate enough to have visited some of these winners, and I can attest to their excellent service, quality products and warm hospitality.
"Wine tourism is a cornerstone of the Western Cape’s remarkable offer to visitors from across South Africa and the world, and I am so proud that these businesses are once again helping put our province on the map.”
"Our Great Wine Capital’s membership speaks to our province being ranked as one of the leading wine regions in the world. I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the winners of the 2023 Best Of Wine Tourism & Ambassador Awards. We look forward to collaborating and working with the industry to continue positioning Cape Town & the Western Cape as a premier wine tourism destination," commented Wrenelle Stander, Wesgro CEO.
Wesgro’s chief destination marketing officer and Bowta ambassador, Monika Iuel, added: "Once again, we are truly honoured to have worked closely with industry stakeholders to recognise the wineries and wine tourism-related businesses for their excellence and innovation.
"This year, we received a whopping 119 entries, and we can confidently look forward to the Best Of Wine Tourism & Ambassador awards growing year after year. I would like to convey my sincere congratulations to all the winners and thank the industry for continuing to see the value in the Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards.”
