2015
For immediate Release: GREAT WINE CAPITALS GLOBAL NETWORK ANNOUNCES THE SAN FRANCISCO | NAPA VALLEY 2015 REGIONAL BEST OF WINE TOURISM AWARD WINNERS NORTH AMERICAN INNOVATORS RECEIVE ACCOLADES FOR EXCELLENCE IN WINE TOURISM NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (October 24, 2014) – As one of ten recognized Great Wine Capitals, San Francisco | Napa Valley has awarded its hospitality leaders the 2015 Best Of Wine Tourism regional designations in seven categories. The seven categories in which regional Best Of awards are presented include accommodation, restaurants, architecture & landscape, art & culture, innovative wine tourism experiences, wine tourism services, and sustainable wine tourism practices. An international Best Of award is bestowed upon one wine tourism business within each region that is deemed best in class across all ten Great Wine Capitals by an international jury. An additional level of recognition – The Regional Wine Tourism Award of Merit – has been awarded to two businesses as an honorable mention recognizing a high level of commitment to wine tourism. All regional Best Of award winners will now move forward to compete for the global awards, which will be judged by an international panel of respected wine tourism professionals and presented at the annual general meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, to be held in early November in Mendoza, Argentina. The international judges choose one overall winner for each region, selecting from the seven regional Best Of title-­‐holders. This year’s regional judges include the following esteemed colleagues: editor of Mutineer magazine, Brian Kropf; social media consultant, Andrew Healy; CEO of the Arts Council Napa Valley, Olivia Everett; and Executive Director and Founder of Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma, Colby Smith. The 2014 Best Of regional San Francisco | Napa Valley winners are: Accommodation – Andaz Napa (Napa Valley) Wine Tourism Restaurants – Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch (Napa Valley) Architecture & Landscape – Charles Krug Winery (Napa Valley) Art and Culture – HALL Wines (Napa Valley) Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences – Winemaker Studios (San Francisco) Award of Merit – Jessup Cellars Wine Tourism Services – Beau Wine Tours (Napa Valley) Award of Merit – Bike Tours of Napa and Sonoma Valley Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices – HALL Wines (Napa Valley) # # # About the Napa Valley Napa Valley is home to the founders of North America’s fine wine industry – legendary entrepreneurs who showed the world that the art of winemaking had crossed continents – and is prized for its natural beauty, culinary scene, hotel accommodations, arts community and wellness experiences. In partnership with San Francisco, the Napa Valley is internationally recognized as one of ten Great Wine Capitals. More details are available at www.visitnapavalley.com. Visit Napa Valley is the official tourism marketing organization for the Napa Valley, with a mission to promote, protect, and enhance the destination's position as the world's premier wine, food, arts, and wellness region. The area is internationally recognized as one of only ten "Great Wine Capitals," and its restaurants have earned more Michelin Stars than any other wine region. Go to www.visitnapavalley.com for more information, join "The Napa Valley" on Facebook, and follow @VisitNapaValley on Twitter. About Great Wine Capitals Global Network Founded in 1999, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network is an alliance of ten internationally renowned wine regions -­‐ Bordeaux, France; Cape Town, South Africa; Christchurch-­‐South Island, New Zealand; Florence, Italy; Mainz-­‐Rheinhessen, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Porto, Portugal; Bilbao-­‐Rioja, Spain; San Francisco-­‐Napa Valley, USA; and Valparaiso-­‐Casablanca Valley, Chile. The international Best Of Wine Tourism awards serves as an industry benchmark for excellence and recognizes leading wineries and wine-­‐tourism related businesses within each Great Wine Capital that have distinguished themselves in areas such as innovation, service and sustainable practices. For more information visit www.greatwinecapitals.com. About San Francisco Travel The San Francisco Travel Association is the official tourism marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. For information on reservations, activities and more, visit www.sanfrancisco.travel or call 415-­‐391-­‐2000. The Visitor Information Center is located at 900 Market St. in Hallidie Plaza, lower level, near the Powell Street cable car turnaround. For an insider’s perspective, join the more than 530,000 people who follow San Francisco Travel on Facebook at www.facebook.com/onlyinsf and the more than 100,000 who follow “OnlyinSF” on Twitter at http://twitter.com/onlyinsf. American Express® is the official Card partner of the San Francisco Travel Association.