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I was intrigued when I met the representative of the great Wine Capitals Global Network at the 8th International Wine Tourism Conference on April 5-6 at the Barcelona Golf Hotel, near Barcelona. Popularly dubbed as IWINETC, the Conference also has a Workshop (that lasted till April 7) and Exhibition component where I met the gentleman. I wanted to know what it was all about, who defined whether a Wine Capital was Great. Surely, the Nashik wine producers think they are Great!
As he explained to me, it is actually a network of eight major global cities (and regions) in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Though the IWINETC catalogue obviously did not mention – it was joined last month by Adelaide, Capital of South Australia as the ninth member. Nashik will not become the tenth member but it ought to start dreaming about joining the network one day.
Adelaide joins as ninth member
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia accepted the Great Wine Capitals Global Network’s invitation to become the network’s ninth member, joining Bilbao/ Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Cape Town / Cape Winelands (South Africa), Mainz/Rheinhessen (Germany), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal), and Valparaiso/ Casablanca Valley (Chile). Adelaide is also home of the National Wine Centre and the country’s major industry representative and research organizations. It is a gateway to over 200 wineries in the 18 wine regions of South Australia, most of which are within a couple of hours drive from the city.
Viticulture and winemaking have been practiced in the region practically since the founding of the colony. Vineyards were first planted in the 1840s in the area north of Adelaide which came to be known as the Barossa Valley. South Australian wineries claim to produce almost 80 per cent of the country’s premium wine and half of Australia’s bottled wine.
Announcing at the acceptance speech, no less than the South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill had stated last month, “South Australia excels in producing premium wine and providing exceptional wine tourism. These industries are crucial for our economic growth and creating jobs in our regions. Being a member of the Great Wine Capitals will ensure these industries continue to grow.” There could be an implicit message for the government of India and more specifically, the government of Maharashtra.
Membership to the Network which encompasses both the ‘Old World’ and the ‘New World’ and aims to encourage travel, business and education exchange between the prestigious wine regions is by invitation only. Juan María Sáenz de Buruaga, president of the Great Wine Capitals says, “I am sure Adelaide’s commitment to producing quality wine, supporting wine tourism and promoting education and research in the wine sector will be a great contribution to the continued success of the Network.”
Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago said Adelaide deserved to be a Great Wine Capital. “It’s very exciting and timely to witness Adelaide joining such a well-respected global wine network. I believe our South Australian wine and food industries and culture will benefit greatly from the opportunities this will create – now and into the future,” he said.
The Network was founded in 1999 and has since developed and introduced several projects, initiatives and programs with the objective of achieving excellence in tourism, business services and education within the global alliance of its renowned regions.
Organised by the Barcelona-based Wine Pleasures, IWINETC brings together wine and culinary tourism operators from across the globe every year. Knowledge, Business & Networking was the theme this year for around 300 delegates from 32 countries attending.“The wine tourism industry is clearly on the rise and can no longer be called a small niche market with so many wine regions around the world investing significantly in this kind of tourism. The future is bright for all who understand that wine tourism is a sustainable business opportunity” said Anthony Swift, owner of Wine Pleasures that organises IWINETC.
Moving from Champagne to Catalonia this year, next stop is Italy (Sicily, Calabria or Lombardy) in April 2017. Nashik Region could perhaps mull over participating in the Conference though it is a bit early at the moment, with the limited resources and the industry waking up only recently to the direct benefits of wine tourism, with Sula being the sole and very successful exception.
For details, please visit www.greatwinecapitals.com
Subhash Arora |