September 08, 2009

 

Great Wine Capitals Global Network is an alliance of eight major global cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres, which share a key economic and cultural asset – they are internationally renowned wine tourism regions.

GWC is the only such network to encompass the so-called ‘Old’ and ‘New’ worlds of wine regions, and exists to encourage travel, education, best practices and business exchange between the global centers of Bordeaux, France; Cape Town, South Africa; Florence, Italy; Mainz, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Porto, Portugal; Bilbao-Rioja, Spain and San Francisco-Napa Valley, USA.

“Napa Valley is recognized as a wine-growing region second to none in the world. We need to actively participate in respected global organizations like GWC,” said Rex Stults, committee member and industry relations director for Napa Valley Vintners. Great Wine Capitals aims to heighten the wine experience for everyone who visits these cities, and to help the cities themselves make the most of their extraordinary culture, heritage and geographical locations.

For more information and to subscribe to the enewsletter, please visit www.greatwinecapitals.com.

The Napa Valley is home to the founders of America’s fine wine industry - legendary entrepreneurs whose passion for winemaking and desire to create truly memorable hospitality experiences have resulted in The Napa Valley being acknowledged the world over as North America’s Great Wine Capital.
From humble beginnings, wine tourism in The Napa Valley has been carefully grown into Napa County’s second largest industry – hosting over 4.5 million guests a year, employing 17,500 hospitality professionals, and contributing over $1.3 Billion annually to the local economy – all while supporting the preservation and protection of The Napa Valley as one of the most unique agricultural regions in the world.

GWCGN Programs:

"BEST OF" Wine Tourism Awards

Each year, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network’s “Best Of” Wine Tourism Awards, offers hospitality leaders throughout San Francisco and Napa Counties the unique opportunity to showcase their best practices for awards in the seven categories of restaurants; accommodation; architecture, parks and gardens; arts and culture; innovative wine tourism experiences; wine tourism services; and sustainable wine tourism practices. Three of the categories (wine tourism services, accommodation and restaurants) do not require the business to be a winery, but should have a strong wine tourism presence.

“We have an incredibly special combination of guest serving businesses here in The Napa Valley”, says Clay Gregory, president & CEO of The Napa Valley Destination Council. “The “Best Of” Wine Tourism Awards is a very important opportunity for local businesses to gain much deserved recognition and elevate their images even further on the international stage. What a marvelous program to take advantage of!”

The Napa County Chambers of Commerce, The Napa Valley Destination Council, Napa Valley Vintners, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Golden Gate Restaurants Association coordinate application entries for the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWCGN) 2010 "Best of Wine Tourism" awards. A panel of local judges select the San Francisco-Napa Valley winners who will then be entered in the international contest happening in November at the GWCGN Annual General Meeting in Bordeaux, France.

Click here for Press Release

The San Francisco-Napa Valley 2010 winners are:

Accommodations: Auberge du Soleil
Wine Tourism Restaurants: The Napa Valley Wine Train
Architecture, Parks & Gardens: Chateau Montelena
Art & Culture: Clos Pegase (Also, the global winner in this category, read more...)
Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences: St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery
Wine Tourism Services: California Wine Tours
Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices: Quintessa
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International Student Grant Program

Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWC) is pleased to announce the launch of the first Great Wine Capitals International Student Grant program. The purpose of this educational grant is to promote excellence and innovation in academic research in areas related to wine tourism among the cities in the network. Studying and promoting wine tourism is essential to wine marketing. Two cash prizes of € 4,500 each (or the equivalent in local currency) will be awarded to the students from the Great Wine Capitals regions who will offer the best reports related to wine tourism.

 

The objective of the program is to promote the GWC concept of its internationally renowned wine regions within the scientific, academic and educational communities and to cultivate research, development and education in area of wine tourism.

“The Great Wine Capitals International Student Grant will enable the successful candidate to conduct studies in the areas of wine tourism. Wine is not merely in the bottle; wine is a culture and lifestyle,” commented Barry Wiss, VP of Communications and Trade Relations for Trinchero Family Estates and the Education Chair for the local GWC committee.
Read full Press Release HERE

Napa Local Wins Great Wine Capitals Education Grant for Research into Wine Tourism
For the Press Release on the 2009 Grant Winners, click HERE

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A recent edition of the Global Flash newsletter, click HERE to download PDF.