Mainz and Rheinhessen honored its 2017 ‘Best Of Wine Tourism’ award winners at a ceremony held at the Mainz City Hall on September 29...
Mainz & Rheinhessen Best of Wine Tourism awards
The award in the category Wine Tourism Services goes to the wine store (Vinothek) at the Proviantamt Mainz. This wine store in the historic ambience of the listed Proviant-Warehouse offers a particularly broad selection of wine products from Rheinhessen, which can be sampled, enjoyed and bought here. Numerous wine events, wine tastings, trainings, talks with winemakers and cultural events are rounded off by an attractive range of regional foods. The store also offers an in-depth consultancy service, either face to face or via digital media.
With its seasonal offerings regarding wine, Eva Vollmer’s winery at Mainz-Ebersheim convinced the jury to bestow the award in the category Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences. Events such as wine picnics, wine and yoga, or blind wine tastings in the dark create new opportunities for any kind of taste to experience the wines of Rheinhessen in their place of origin.
With the award in the category Wine Tourism Restaurants, the jury honored the restaurant Vis-à-Vis in Osthofen for its successful combination of fine regionally inspired cuisine, a comprehensive wine list dominated by wines from Rheinhessen and the tasteful conversion of the cow chapel of a former wine trading house with a homestead. Alongside wines from their own wine estate Spieß, the wine list also features products of other award-wining wineries as well as a selection from winemakers that are friends of the hosts.
This year’s award for Art & Culture goes to the winery Weingut Wilmshof in Selzen. The winery Weingut Binzel has been family-run for generations and – apart from a commitment to winegrowing and a comprehensive offering of dining experiences centered around wine – is characterized by its holistic approach to the motto “Wein ist Kunst” (wine is art). The dedication to design of art lecturer and master winemaker Tobias Mohr is reflected by the extraordinary wine store and works of art. Lattice boxes that have been converted into wine racks provide the room with highly unusual, innovative aesthetics.
The prize for Architecture & Landscape is awarded to the winery Weinhut Pauser at Flonheim. The jury was convinced by the comprehensive architectural approach, which does not merely include the main building, wine store and panoramic terrace, but the production and storage facilities as well. The excellent wine store allows for views of the red wine barrique barrels stored behind it. And the restaurant Pausers Quartier creates a contemporary ambience for dining experiences as well as events of any kind and for all the senses.
The award in the category Accommodation is conferred on the Landhotel im Klostereck, run by the Strubel-Roos family of winemakers at Flonheim. This town-center hotel offers great variety through its three different buildings: main building, contemporary new building and historic day laborers’ cottage. Germany’s hotel and restaurant association DEHOGA has certified this 23-bedroom hotel as a 3-Star Superior accommodation, and its affinity towards wine pervades throughout: In the hotel’s Sektlounge (sparkling wine lounge) or Weinbistro (wine bistro) guests may participate in tastings of wines and sparkling wines from the hosts’ own winery, accompanied by daughter Veronika’s homemade cakes and gateaus.
The award for Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices goes to the Restaurant Eppard in der 100 Guldenmühle at Appenheim. In a picturesque setting, a historic flour mill, over 150 years old, is nestled within a reconstructed old mill complex. At the convergence of no fewer than eight regional hiking and bicycle trails, this restaurant offers local and Mediterranean cuisine to accompany wines from Appenheim and the region. Sustainability and quality are not merely pervasive in the restaurant’s choice of produce, but also in the preservation of the basic building structure and its regional Rheinhessen character. Reason enough for the jury to honor Eva Eppard’s commitment with a Best Of Award.
About the Great Wine Capitals Global Network
Founded in 1999, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network is an alliance of eight internationally renowned wine regions – Adelaide, South Australia; Bordeaux, France; Cape Town, South Africa; Mainz|Rheinhessen, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Porto, Portugal; Bilbao|Rioja, Spain and San Francisco|Napa Valley, USA. The Best Of Wine Tourism awards are an industry benchmark for excellence, recognising leading wineries and wine-tourism related businesses within each Great Wine Capital that have distinguished themselves in areas such as innovation, service and sustainable practices. For more information visit www.greatwinecapitals.com.
