South Africa winner of Great Wine Capitals is La Motte

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The estate, with a history dating back over three centuries, was declared the winner in the Arts and Culture category for its impressive art museum that houses the Rupert family's extensive collection of artworks by 20th century South African master Pierneef and other artists. However, what clinched the overall win for the winery was its consistently high performance across other categories it had also entered.

GWC's members, in addition to Cape Town-Cape Winelands, include Mainz-Rheinhessen (Germany), Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal), San Francisco-Napa (US) and New Zealand's Christchurch.

Coming a very close second in South Africa was Biodiversity & Wine (BWI) champion Waterkloof of Stellenbosch that won in the Architecture and Landscapes category and scored highly across a number of other categories.

Speaking on behalf of the Cape Town and Cape Winelands chapter of GWC, André Morgenthal, who is also communications manager for Wines of South Africa (WOSA) confirmed that both the number and quality of this year's entries had been higher than last year's. This was despite the protracted downturn, which could have left producers feeling apathetic. "We are heartened by the growing support for the competition and the confidence and optimism this reflects amongst local wineries about what they have to offer visitors and wine lovers.

"There is an increasing recognition that wine tourism is a powerful tool in deepening the relationships established with consumers and not only on a face-to-face basis. It adds value, greater meaning and continuity to their engagement with wine lovers, particularly via social media channels.

"Wine lovers thirst for information that tells them what makes each winery unique. It helps them plan their visits and share their experiences with others. They want to understand what sets one producer apart from the next, not only in terms of their wines but also the ethos and lifestyle that lies behind each winery."

Morgenthal said a recent online analysis conducted by Acceleration Media, showed that South Africa enjoyed a positive online reputation among international internet users. Many of the conversations focused on the country as a tourist destination.

Judges

This year's judges included:

• wine tourism specialist Margi Biggs;
  
• lifestyle and wine journalist Joanne Gibson;
  
• Joan Isham, the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) extension officer;
  
• Marilyn Martin, former head of the SA National Art Gallery;
  
• architect Alex Robertson;
  
• food, wine and lifestyle journalist Myrna Robins;
  
• JP Rossouw, food critic and author of the annual Rossouw's Restaurants guide
  
• landscaper Johan van Papendorp

Winners

Winners and first and second runners-up in each category were:

Accommodation

1. Delaire
   
2. Grande Provence
   
3. Steenberg Hotel
   

Architecture and landscapes

1. Waterkloof
   
2. La Motte
   
3. Tokara
   

Art & culture

1. La Motte
   
2. Delaire
   
3. Solms Delta
   

Innovative wine tourism experiences

1. Solms Delta
   
2. Spier
   
3. La Motte
   

Sustainable wine tourism practices

1. Waverley Hills
   
2. La Motte
   
3. Waterkloof
   

Wine tourism restaurants

1. Tokara Restaurant
   
2. Rust en Vrede
   
3. Waterkloof
   

Wine tourism services

1. Waterford
   
2. Steenberg Vineyards
   
3. Grande Provence
   

For more information, go to www.greatwinecapitals.com.