Waterford wins international tourism award for the third time

Yet again, Waterford Wine Estate has come out on top when judged in the International Great Wine Capitals Competition for the Best in Wine Tourism Services Award.
Waterford Estate, owned by Dimension Data's Jeremy Ord and acclaimed Wine Maker and Cellar Master, Kevin Arnold, won the International award for Excellence at Cellar Door in 2006 and subsequently the National awards in 2010 and 2012. This makes Waterford Estate's tasting room / cellar door experience, the best in South Africa and certainly a fore runner in the rest of the world!

What sets Waterford Estate apart? "We continually strive to create a truly unique and memorable experience for guests when they visit our winery. Through the creation of the Wine and Chocolate pairing, which we are best known for, and our 2 ½ hour wine drive into the vineyards to taste our wines off the soil where the grapes are grown, we have shaped an environment and an experience that many return to year after year".

With over 22 000 visitors a year to the winery, Waterford Estate not only produces world class wines but focuses on what Kevin Arnold refers to as the "outside the bottle" experience which celebrates prosperity, life, wine, family and friends.

Every guest to the farm is made to feel a part of the Waterford Way, and those who have visited are drawn back, often not only to the sumptuous wines, but to the heart and soul of Waterford Estate.

The announcement was made on October 27 in Mainz, Germany at a gala dinner attended by leading wine tourism practitioners from around the world.

The event was hosted by the GWC, a network of the world's leading wine-producing countries that shares international best practice in the name of advancing standards in wine tourism across the world. GWC's members, in addition to Cape Town-Cape Wine lands, include Mainz-Rheinhessen (Germany), Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal), San Francisco-Napa (United States) and New Zealand's Christchurch.

"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."