The organisation is a network of large global cities in the northern and southern hemispheres, which share a fundamental economic and cultural asset: their internationally renowned wine regions, according to Publituris.
This year, the global awards were given to Quinta do Bomfim (in the Architecture & Landscape category) and Quinta do Soalheiro (People's Choice in the Wine Tourism Services category).
In the regional awards, Caves Graham's (Wine Tourism Services category), Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Accommodation category), Caves Cockburn's (Art & Culture category), Six Senses Douro Valley (Sustainable Practices in Wine Tourism) and Restaurante Seixo by Vasco Coelho Santos (Wine Tourism Restaurants category).
This is the only network of its kind that unites the so-called 'Old' and 'New' worlds of wine and aims to encourage travel, training and business exchanges between the prestigious wine regions of Adelaide (South Australia), Bilbao/Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Cape Town/Cape Winelands (South Africa), Hawke's Bay (New Zealand), Lausanne (Switzerland), Mainz/Rheinhessen (Germany), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal), San Francisco/Napa Valley (USA), Valparaíso/Casablanca Valley (Chile) and Verona (Italy).
The ‘Best Of Wine Tourism’ awards are awarded in a highly regarded annual competition. This international competition aims to reward wineries from each city and wine region that are members of the network that have distinguished themselves for the excellence of their facilities in various categories, from art and culture to sustainable wine tourism, and for providing quality experiences to the public.
Founded in 1999, this network has been developing several projects, initiatives and programs with the aim of achieving excellence in tourism, business services and education within the scope of the global alliance of its renowned wine regions.