Twinning of Great Wine Capitals

Two members of the Great Wine Capitals, Franschhoek and St Helena in the Napa Valley, California, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding accepting a proposal for a twinning relationship that promises to be a mutually beneficial relationship, as they are both prominent new world wine regions. This follows a visit to the US towards the end of 2009 by representatives of the Franschhoek Wine Valley.

They both offer prime location with shared reputations as gourmet destination towns, shared niche speciality shops and art galleries, similar accommodation offerings as well as similar business profiles, with a shared focus on wellness tourism. Furthermore, they share a similar demographic profile and similar high-end real estate offerings.

“We aim to generate further awareness for both of these premier wine and culinary regions. We are of the opinion that it will result in increased understanding of the different countries and their cultures, encouraging community building and affording us endless opportunities,” says Jenny Prinsloo, CEO, Franschhoek Wine Valley.

One of the key objectives will be to exchange marketing information and ideas, relating to festivals and events. Both parties have agreed to enter into wine estate and restaurant wine exchange programmes, as well as educational exchange programmes. The winemaker exchange programme, in particular, will allow for environmentally sustainable initiatives for the wine estates to be applied in Franschhoek, from the experience gained in St Helena and vice versa.