Cape Town: Wesgro celebrated excellence at the 2025 Best of Wine Tourism & Wine Tourism Ambassador Awards. The event was hosted especially for the custodians of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network membership for the wine regions of Western Cape.
Wesgro hosted the 2025 edition of Best of Wine Tourism & Wine Tourism Ambassador Awards on October 16, 2024 at Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch.
It is for the 4th time that Wesgro hosted the local awards and along with this they celebrated the 26th year worldwide. Organising this event was a great initiative that recognises the wine tourism industry of Western Cape as a substantial contributor to the economy of the region.
CEO of Wesgro – Wrenelle Stander commented on the factors that impacted the tourism sector and said that the wine tourism is a vital part of South Africa’s economy. It attracts the visitors from across the globe to experience the vineyards, wineries and wine culture.
According to the South Africa Wine, earlier in the year 2022, the tourism sector generated more than R9.3 billion revenue on annual basis with the Western Cape as key contributor.
Reportedly, the region produced more than 1.3 million tonnes of wine and contributed amount of R50.9 billion to the economy.
Considering this growth, Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism – Dr. Ivan Meyer highlighted the significance of the awards and marked his statement that these awards showcase the creativity and dedication of the wine producers.
Minister Meyer acknowledged the wine producers and added further that many of them are setting the benchmark for the excellence and sustainability in wine tourism.
As per the sources, the Wine Tourism Ambassador Awards recognised mainly the wineries that go beyond excellence in winemaking by highlighting their commitment to sustainability, innovation, and also offering unique, authentic experiences for visitors.
The rigorous judging process of the award function involved a panel of expert judges, who conducted ghost site visits and ensured an impartial evaluation of the selected wineries.
Therefore, the criteria for selecting winners included the quality of wine offerings, visitors experiences, sustainability initiatives and the overall excellence in wine tourism.
Furthermore, winners of the 2025 Best of Wine Tourism and Wine Tourism Ambassador Awards represented the innovation and commitment towards propelling the wine tourism industry to new heights, by further solidifying the status of Western Cape as a premier wine destination.