Wine & Food Tourism Conference extends award nomination deadline

"We have so much in our favour in South Africa. We have physical beauty, we have critically acclaimed wines that have captured the attention of leading tastemakers. Our restaurants and gastronomy are renowned. Once again, we feature on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2018. Our ingredients are fresh, traceable and delicious. Our food markets routinely star on social media. We are globally known for our friendly hospitality. These are all massive drawcards," says Margi Biggs, wine and gourmet tourism specialist and convenor of the Wine & Food Tourism Conference.

"Fortunately, tourism in the Western Cape is the region’s fastest-growing sector, employing over 200 000 people and generating R17bn for the economy each year. We believe the potential is there to grow the number of jobs to 300,000. All of us can help to make that happen. My view is that the new Wine & Food Tourism Awards could play a definite role in doing so."

"We are also delighted to announce that Jean-Pierre Rossouw will serve as the awards programme chairperson, overseeing the judging panel. Publisher of Platter’s South African Wine Guide, the country most authoritative guide on local wines, as well as of Rossouw’s Restaurant Guide, an independently-minded guide on the South African dining landscape, Rossouw is a well-known and respected personality in the country’s wine and food industry," explains Biggs.

The judging categories of the Wine & Food Tourism Awards 2019 are:

• Innovation, recognising outstanding and original innovation in concepts, products and/or services that make a valuable contribution, offer unique experiences, and/or boost food and/or wine tourism in South Africa;

• Service Excellence, highlighting those in South Africa’s wine and food industries who excel in service, consistently providing memorable customer experiences; and

• The Authentic South African Experience, acknowledging initiatives that create experiences true to the South African culture in which consumers can fully immerse themselves, at the same time promoting the country’s cultural heritage through wine and food.

The Innovation category will be judged by marketing thought-leader Steve Massey, strategic marketing expert Mac Mabidilala as well as tourism professional and co-founder of the Oranjezicht City Farm Sheryl Ozinsky; while Service Excellence will see tourism and hospitality expert Horst Frehse, conferencing specialist Gwynneth Matthews, and wine industry marketing and communications consultant André Morgenthal as judges.

Wine.co.za founder and owner Judy Brower, hospitality entrepreneur Janet Pillai, and wine marketing fundi Su Birch will serve as judges in The Authentic South African Experience category.

There will be a maximum of three honorees in each category, and each of them will get the opportunity to include the Wine & Food Tourism Awards 2019 logo on all their marketing material for the following year. Individuals or teams who have been named as honorees for three years in a row will receive membership to the elite Wine & Food Tourism Honourees Club. Thereafter they will not be eligible to be nominated for the same award again.

Participants may nominate as many wine and/or food establishments as they wish, in any or all of the categories. Nominations can be submitted via the website. The closing date for participants to submit their nominations is 30 June 2019.

The honorees per category will be announced at the Wine & Food Tourism Conference 2019.