La Motte of Franschhoek has been voted the South African winner of the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) Best Of Wine Tourism Awards for 2012.

The event was hosted by the GWC, a network of the world’s leading wine-producing countries that shares international best practice in the name of advancing standards in wine tourism across the world. La Motte, with a history dating back over three centuries, was declared the winner in the Arts and Culture category for its impressive art museum that houses the Rupert family’s extensive collection of artworks by 20th century South African master Pierneef and other artists. However, what clinched the overall win for the winery was its consistently high performance across other categories it had also entered.

As the Best of Wine Tourism title holder for 2012, La Motte joins such iconic names in wine, such as Spain’s Bodegas Campo Viejo of Rioja, acclaimed for its wine and architecture; the famous 13th century Château d´Agassac of Bordeaux in France; the 900 year-old Dievole of Florence, Italy; Vinothek Bingen am Rhein in Germany that serves as a special visitor centre at the gateway to the Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Quinta do Portal, representing four estates in the Douro, Portugal; the lofty Bodega Atamisque, 1 300 metres above sea level at the entrance to the Uco Valley in Mendoza, Argentina; luxury resort, Meadowood of California’s Napa Valley, which boasts a three-star Michelin restaurant; and specialty boutique guides, Appellation Central Wine Tours of Christchurch, New Zealand.

GWC’s members, in addition to Cape Town-Cape Winelands, include Mainz-Rheinhessen (Germany), Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal), San Francisco-Napa (United States) and New Zealand’s Christchurch.

Coming a very close second in South Africa was Biodiversity & Wine (BWI) champion Waterkloof of Stellenbosch that won in the Architecture and Landscapes category but also scored highly across a number of other categories. Other regional winners were Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa, situated on Helshoogte Pass near Stellenbosch, for offering the best accommodation for the second consecutive year; Waverley Hills, between Tulbagh and Wolseley (Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, also for the second consecutive year); Tokara of Stellenbosch (Wine Tourism Restaurant) Solms-Delta of Franschhoek (Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences) and Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch (Wine Tourism Services). Waterford is a previous Wine Tourism Services winner.

Winners and first and second runners-up in each category were:

ACCOMMODATION

1. Delaire
2. Grande Provence
3. Steenberg Hotel

ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPES

1. Waterkloof
2. La Motte
3. Tokara

ART & CULTURE

1. La Motte
2. Delaire
3. Solms Delta

INNOVATIVE WINE TOURISM EXPERIENCES

1. Solms Delta
2. Spier
3. La Motte

SUSTAINABLE WINE TOURISM PRACTICES

1. Waverley Hills
2. La Motte
3. Waterkloof

WINE TOURISM RESTAURANTS

1. Tokara Restaurant
2. Rust en Vrede
3. Waterkloof

WINE TOURISM SERVICES

1. Waterford
2. Steenberg Vineyards
3. Grande Provence