Consumers KLINK their Glasses for Wine Tourism
Friday, 2 November, 2012
Wine Tourism SA
Earlier this year, Wine Tourism South Africa invited foodies, wine
lovers, outdoor adventurers and wine farm visitors to show their love
for South Africa’s winelands by voting for their favourite nominees in
the country’s first ever, consumer-driven, interactive wine tourism
awards - the #KLINK Awards.
The nominees were shortlisted by a panel of industry-related professionals across a variety of categories and, for the first time, voting was opened to the public to see who they felt were the best of the best. Since then, thousands of enthusiastic consumers have provided instantaneous feedback on their wineland experiences via Facebook, twitter and email. Their social media voices have been heard and tonight the cream of the winelands crop has been revealed.
The winners in each category were as follows:
• The ‘Crowd Pleaser’ Award for Best Wine Route Event: Durbanville Wine Valley’s Seasons of Sauvignon
• The ‘Happy Times’ Award for Most Memorable Wine Route: Franschhoek Wine Valley
• The ‘Wild Card’ Award for Most Unusual Attraction on a Wine Route: Cape Heritage Museum at Solms-Delta
• The ‘Family Day Out’ Award for Best Child-Friendly Venue on a Wine Farm: Blaauwklippen Vineyards
• The ‘Connoisseur’ Award for Best Cellar Tasting Experience: Fairview
• The ‘Warm Family Welcome’ Award for Best Cellar Door Experience: Delheim
• The 'Tread Gently’ Award for Most Green Wine Farm: Villiera
• The ‘Delicious Deli’ Award for Best Deli on a Wine Farm: Fairview Deli
• The ‘Comfort Zone’ Award for Best Bistro or Café on a Wine Farm: Harvest at Laborie
• The ‘Beyond Expectations’ Award for Great Food and Excellent Value: Haute Cabrière
• The 'Gourmand’ Award for Best Gourmet Restaurant at the Cellar Door: Pierneef á La Motte
• The 'The ‘Yin and Yang’ Award for Best Food and Wine Pairing on a Wine Farm: Creation canapé platter pairing
• The ‘Percale’ Award for Best Accommodation on a Wine Route: Majeka House
• The ‘Country Comfort’ Award for Boutique Accommodation on a Wine Estate: Doolhof Grand Dédale
Inspired by the marketing and consumer engagement efforts of the nominees, an additional award was specifically created for the #KLINK nominee with the most votes overall. The ‘Supernova’ Award was presented to Blaauwklippen.
Wine Tourism South Africa and #KLINK Awards Founder, Monika Elias, says, “Thank you to the thousands of domestic and international wine tourists who visited, voted for and provided feedback on their favourite nominees. The inaugural #KLINK Awards achieved our aims of using social media as a core marketing driver and important means of building relationships and engaging with potential and existing clients. Through the viral nature of these platforms, we have been able to reach a broad base of consumers. Congratulations to the winners. We hope that this encourages even more people to visit our winelands and give feedback on their experiences.”
In celebration of South African wine tourism, visitors to the Wine Tourism South Africa website will be able to download digital chapters of the Wine Tourism Handbook, free of charge, during the month of November. While they are there, they can also see how the nominees fared in comparison to the consumer-voted champions.