7/2/2010 - NAPA,CA--One of the globally recognized "Great Wine Capitals", San Francisco/Napa Valley is home to the founders of America's fine wine industry--where legendary entrepreneurs with a pioneering spirit, passion for winemaking, commitment to preservation and casual wine country lifestyle have made The Napa Valley the highly acclaimed wine, food, arts and wellness destination that it is today. The region's wine and tourism businesses continue to follow in this tradition by creating exceptional and innovative offerings for visitors. Now San Francisco/Napa Valley innovators have the opportunity to share these achievements with the world--with the 2011 Best of Wine Tourism Awards.
With San Francisco's close proximity to the Napa Valley, the destination provides visitors with the rare opportunity to explore and experience one of the best wine regions in the world. San Francisco is repeatedly named one of the top food and wine destinations in the world and many of San Francisco's restaurants showcase Napa Valley wineries on their wine lists. To encourage visitors to explore the city's vast and diverse culinary offerings, The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) features a dedicated micro site "TasteSF" which includes a calendar listing of food and wine-related events, a highlight of San Francisco's hottest restaurants and Foodie 411, a weekly insider's blog.
Wine tourism in The Napa Valley has been carefully grown into Napa County's second largest industry--while still supporting the conservation and protection of The Napa Valley as one of the most treasured agricultural preserves on the earth.
As part of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWCGN), San Francisco/Napa Valley wine and hospitality leaders are afforded the unique opportunity to showcase their best practices through the GWCGN's annual Best of Wine Tourism Awards. Celebrating excellence among wine tourism businesses, awards are presented in seven categories--accommodation; restaurants; architecture, parks and gardens; arts and culture; innovative wine tourism experiences; wine tourism services; and sustainable wine tourism practices. The awards are open to all San Francisco/Napa Valley wine and tourism industry partners. Participants submitting entries in the categories of wine tourism services, accommodations and restaurants do not have to be to be a winery, but should have a strong wine tourism presence.
"We have an extraordinary combination of wine and tourism partners here in the San Francisco/Napa Valley region," notes Clay Gregory, president and CEO of The Napa Valley Destination Council. "The 2011 Best of Wine Tourism Awards offers a wonderful opportunity for local business to shine and showcase the region's unique and diverse offerings on an international level. It’s a marvelous program to get involved in!"
"Visitors to San Francisco may experience the best of both worlds--a world-class city that is also just an hour from world-class winemakers," said Joe D'Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We are proud to be part of Great Wine Capitals Global Network and encourage our members to submit their entry for the 2011 Best of Wine Tourism Awards."
Best of Wine Tourism Awards are presented for each of the seven categories on both a regional and international level. The 2011 San Francisco/Napa Valley Best of Wine Tourism Award winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held in early Fall 2011. Adjudicated by an international panel of respected wine tourism professionals, the 2011 "Global Best Of" winners will be announced at the 12th annual general meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, to be held in Christchurch, New Zealand this November.
To submit your entry online for the 2011 Best of Wine Tourism Awards, please go to the Napa Valley Vintners Association website at http://www.napavintners.com/account/home.asp and setup a trade account. Once you have created your trade account, or are logged in, you can access the award submission form and materials. Entries must be submitted by July 31, 2010. For more information, please contact: Emilie Wyrick at (707) 968-4225.
About Great Wine Capitals Global Network
Founded in 1999, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network is an alliance of nine internationally renowned wine regions--Bordeaux, France; Cape Town, South Africa; Christchurch-South Island, New Zealand; Florence, Italy; Mainz-Rhienhessen, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Porto, Portugal; Bilbao/Rioja, Spain and San Francisco/Napa Valley, USA. The international "Best Of" Wine Tourism awards serves as an industry benchmark for excellence and recognizes leading wineries and wine-tourism related businesses within each Great Wine Capital that have distinguished themselves in areas such as innovation, service and sustainable practices. For more information visit http://www.greatwinecapitals.com.
The San Francisco/Napa Valley 2010 winners were:
Accommodations
Auberge du Soleil
Wine Tourism Restaurants
The Napa Valley Wine Train
Architecture, Parks & Gardens
Chateau Montelena
Art & Culture
Clos Pegase
Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences
St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery
Wine Tourism Services
California Wine Tours
Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices
Quintessa
Contact:
Katherine Zimmer
GWCGN San Francisco/Napa Valley Regional CommunicationsCoordinator
707.254.1144
katherine@napachamber.com
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Contact: Terry Hall, Communications Director 707-968-4217 thall@napavintners.com
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