We are pleased to announce that the Cape Town and the Cape Winelands have officially joined the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) global network - the leading global club of major world city regions with internationally-renowned wine offerings.
Founded in 1999, the Great Wine Capitals global network is the only wine body encompassing the so-called “old” and “new” worlds of wine. It exists to encourage of best practice around travel and tourism, education and wine business between the regions of Adelaide (South Australia), Bilbao (Rioja), Bordeaux, Lausanne, Mainz (Rheinhessen), Mendoza, Porto, San Francisco (Napa Valley), Valparaiso (Casablanca Valley), Verona and now Cape Town’s Winelands in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Cape Town and the Cape Winelands consist of ten wine routes that spread across the regions of the province, including; Constantia Wine Route and Durbanville Wine Route in Cape Town, as well as Breedekloof Wine Valley, Franschhoek Wine Valley, Paarl Wine Route, Robertson Wine Valley, Stellenbosch Wine Routes, Tulbagh Wine Route, Wellington Wine Route and Worcester Wine and Olive Route.
Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier says: “The inclusion of Cape Town and the Cape Winelands as members of the Great Wine Capitals global network reinforces the fact that this region is world-class and is internationally comparable with the best in wine tourism and business. We will continue to work hard to maintain these standards and look forward to showcasing them to the world when we can once again open our doors to visitors.”
After Wesgro - the Official Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape - applied for Cape Town and the Cape Winelands to be entered into the Great Wine Capitals global network on the 8th of May this year, its members unanimously voted and accepted Cape Town/Cape Winelands’ candidature earlier this week.
The value of being a member of the GWC include:
- Being a member of the only global wine tourism organisation
- Getting ranked on the top ten wine regions in the world
- Building out our wine tourism offer by networking with other international wine tourism organisations and regions
- Sharing expertise and know-how with other countries and wine regions, as well as
- Participating in international programs such as the “Best of Wine Tourism” contest
“Our province is one of the top wine producers in the world, and we welcome relationships that will assist us in increasing the global footprint of our quality wines. Furthermore, there are a breadth and depth of unique wine experiences to be enjoyed across the Western Cape once travel resumes. We look forward to featuring alongside the world’s leading wine regions as a must-visit destination,” commented Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris.
The GWC network also links universities and business schools in member regions to strengthen intelligence and data practices. Wesgro will work the broader set of wine industry stakeholders in the Cape - including Vinpro and WOSA - to leverage these, and other, benefits as a region.
Jacques Faurens, President of Great Wine Capital, announced from Bordeaux: “I’m more than happy to welcome back the beautiful City of Cape Town and the wine regions of the Western Cape in our Network.
Their wine, history and wine tourism industry are world-class, and we will all benefit from the knowledge-sharing that will result from their membership.
Thanks to this unanimous return, the African continent is superbly represented in our international organization, thus reinforcing the legitimacy and prestige of the Great Wine Capitals entity. In the very particular context we are going through these days, this is a very positive piece of news to share with the world!”