The Riojaforum Congress Centre in Logroño was the venue for the 2012 ‘Best Of’ Wine Tourism awards ceremony on October 6 organized by Bilbao/Rioja. Over 250 representatives of the wine trade and elected officials from La Rioja, Álava and Bilbao attended the event.
The 2012 winners are:
Accommodation: Hospedería de los Los Parajes (Laguardia)
http://hospederiadelosparajes.com/
Los Parajes, located on the main square of the picturesque walled hilltop village of Laguardia, offers visitors a wine therapy centre, a well-stocked wine shop, and a 16th century wine cellar. Each room is named after a famous vineyard in the area.
Architecture, Parks and Gardens: Finca Valpiedra (Fuenmayor)
http://www.familiamartinezbujanda.com/valpiedra/?idc=20
Located on a bend in the Ebro river surrounded by exceptionally beautiful terraced vineyards filled with stones, Finca Valpiedra is a special place, not only because of the design of the winery but also for the Mediterranean forest and other vegetation on the banks of the nearby river.
Art and Culture: Fundación Dinastía Vivanco (Briones)
http://www.dinastiavivanco.com/fundacion/fundacion.asp
The Dinastía Vivanco Foundation, located on the grounds of the Dinastía Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture, is devoted to spreading wine culture through research, with extensive resources at the disposal of scholars. The Foundation publishes numerous articles and books related to the fascinating world of wine.
Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences: Bodegas Valdelana (Elciego)
http://www.bodegasvaldelana.com/
Valdelana has created an ethnographic wine museum, a ‘tunnel of the senses’ and a grape varietal balcony where visitors can participate in night-time wine and food pairings.
Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices: Bodegas Campo Viejo (Logroño)
http://www.campoviejo.com/
Campo Viejo is located on a hilltop just outside Logroño. Most of the winery is underground, and what is above ground has been designed to blend in harmoniously with the surroundings. Inside, grapes and wine flow through the winery by gravity.
Wine Tourism Restaurant: Boroa Jatetxea (Amorebieta – Bilbao)
http://www.boroa.com/
Boroa is located in a 15th century Basque caserío (country house), specializing in traditional Basque cuisine with an emphasis on local raw materials. The wine cellar has a wide selection of Spain’s best appellations of origin as well as a number of wines from regions all over the world.
Wine Tourism Services: Centro Temático del Vino Villa Lucía (Laguardia)
http://www.villa-lucia.com/
Villa Lucía, located on the grounds of the country retreat of the fable writer Samaniego, Spain’s Lafontaine, is not a wine museum, but rather a thematic centre devoted to wine. Here, visitors can not only experience wine with their five senses but also watch an award-winning animated 3-D movie about wine and the Alavesa region of Rioja.
About the Great Wine Capitals Global Network
Founded in 1999, the Great Wine Capitals Global Network is an alliance of nine internationally renowned wine regions – Bordeaux, France; Cape Town, South Africa; Christchurch-South Island, New Zealand; Florence, Italy; Mainz-Rheinhessen, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Porto, Portugal; Bilbao-Rioja, Spain and San Francisco-Napa Valley, USA. The Best Of Wine Tourism awards serve as an industry benchmark for excellence and recognize 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 http://www.greatwinecapitals.com.
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