Pioneering Marlborough winery wins international award

A pioneering Marlborough winery has become the first New Zealand business to win a prestigious international award from the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.

Yealands Winery was last night named as the winner of the Network’s international award for Sustainable Wine Tourism Practises at a gala dinner held at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

The coveted awards honour outstanding wineries and other tourism related businesses in the Network’s member cities and regions.

Christchurch | South Island, which includes the Waipara Valley, Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and Central Otago wine regions, was welcomed as the newest member of the Network in November 2009. Other members of the network include Bordeaux, Cape Town, Florence, Mainz, Mendoza, Porto, Bilbao-Rioja and San Francisco-Napa Valley.

The award given to Yealands Estate Wines last night recognises its role in pioneering several world-leading environmental initiatives.

The winery, started by entrepreneur Peter Yealands, is the only purpose-built sustainable winery in Marlborough. It is CarboNZero certified and features advanced green technology in every aspect of its design and function.

The privately owned winery also runs sustainability tours for visitors as part of its ongoing commitment to educating tourists on the importance of sustainable practices in the wine industry.

Judges said the deep-rooted commitment Yealands Estate has made to the future of winemaking made it a great ambassador for the wine producing regions of the South Island.

Yealands was the only New Zealand entry to win an international award from the Great Wine Capital Global Network, which has been holding its AGM and international wine conference, Wine Discovery NZ 2010, in Christchurch this week.

The Old Glenmark Vicarage, Allan Scott Family Winemakers, and Appellation Central Wine Tours, won regional awards for which they received Best of Wine Tourism trophies and plaques.

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www.southislandwine.co.nz/awards.asp