Yealands Estate wins International "Best of Wine Tourism Award"

Yealands Estate is the first New Zealand business to win a prestigious international award from the Great Wine Capitals Global Wine Network.

Yealands Winery was named the winner of the global award for Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices.  The award recognises the role Yealands Estate has played in pioneering several world-leading environmental initiatives.

Yealands Estate founder, Peter Yealands, was on hand to accept the award from the Hon. Gerry Brownlee, Minister for Economic Development, at a gala dinner held last night in Christchurch.

“We set out with a vision of best practice from the vine to the bottle and we’re delighted to have our commitment to sustainability acknowledged. We enjoy sharing our story, and what makes us different, with visitors to our winery”, says Peter Yealands.

The international panel of nine judges, with a representative from each Network member city, applauded Yealands Estate for creating their original ‘sustainability tours’ while also commenting on the winery’s passion for innovation and their ongoing commitment to educating tourists on the importance of sustainable practices in the wine industry.

The judges said the deep-rooted commitment Yealands Estate have made to the future of winemaking makes them a great ambassador for the wine producing regions of the South Island.

The sustainability tours include a short film in the Yealands Estate Cellar Door theatre, a full winery tour, complimentary tasting and an optional outdoor vineyard tour which allows visitors to make the most of the picturesque views across the vineyard and Cook Strait.

Yealands Estate’s Cellar Door Manager, Brydie Morrison, says “we wanted to create a unique experience which showcases our passion for making quality wine and our innovative sustainable practices.”

Yealands faced stiff competition from wineries from Spain, Italy, France, South Africa, United States and Argentina. The finalists in the Sustainable Wine Tourism Awards include; Waverly Hills Organic Wines, Bodega Norton, Hall Wines, Chateau Grand Corbin-d'Espagne, Villa di Petriolo and Bodegas Murillo Viteri.

The Great Wine Capitals is a Network of nine major global cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres, which share a key economic and cultural asset; their internationally renowned wine regions.

Yealands was the only New Zealand entry to win an international award from the Great Wine Capital Global Network.