Tuesday, 01 October 2024 15:25

Best of Wine Tourism

Written by  Staff Reporters
Smith & Sheth wine lounge Smith & Sheth wine lounge

Four Hawke’s Bay wine tourism operations have been celebrated in the inaugural Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism awards.

Judge Anna King Shahab praised the impressive calibre of entries, with “multiple strong contenders” in each category. The winners were:

  • Accommodation: Black Barn Vineyards
  •  Architecture and Landscape: Craggy Range Giants Winery
  • Art and Culture: Black Barn Vineyards
  • Culinary Experiences: Craggy Range Restaurant
  • Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences: Smith & Sheth Heretaunga Wine Studio
  • Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices: Church Road
  • Wine Tourism Services: Smith & Sheth Oenothèque

The category winners will represent Hawke’s Bay at the Best Of Wine Tourism international awards at a gala dinner in Italy in October. Steve Smith MW, co-founder of Smith & Sheth, which opened its Oenothèque and Heretaunga Wine Studio in 2019, says the awards are a significant milestone, “demonstrating our commitment to excellence and innovation in our wine experiences”.

Anna described Smith & Sheth as “a master touch in crafting a wide range of experiences suited to all wine lovers. Its Oenothèque offers an array of opportunities to enjoy and learn about wine, from themed workshops to casual evenings in the wine lounge listening to live music.” She says there are some exceptional wine tourism operators in Hawke’s Bay, “which made our job very challenging”.

More like this

Scanning data at your fingertips

A partnership between two technology companies in Hawke's Bay is making orchard data more easily accessible to growers using new interactive online heat maps.

Farmer woes

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says things are still not back to normal for farmers in his district and they are still suffering from problems caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Popular Reads

Marlborough's Small Town Winery

Marlborough’s 2024 vintage was “a return to form for Marlborough summers”, says Astrolabe General Manager Libby Levett.

Light year impacts profits

A combination of lower grape yields, lower price per tonne, and increasing vineyard operating costs, is hitting Marlborough grapegrowers in…