The Great Wine Capitals Global Network’s Best Of Wine Tourism Awards is an esteemed recognition program that celebrates excellence and innovation in the wine tourism industry in the top wine regions around the world.
Best Of Wine Tourism Awards 2026
Key dates
Entries open in May 2025 and close on 30 June 2025.
Eligibility
The Awards are open to South Australian wineries or wine tourism businesses.
You can enter one Award category only.
2025 category winners are not eligible to enter the same category this year – but you are welcome to enter in a different category.
Award categories
The Awards highlight the dedication and creativity of the South Australian wine industry across a number of categories:
- Accommodation
- Architecture and Landscape
- Art and Culture
- Culinary Experiences
- Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences
- Wine Tourism Services
Find out more about the Award categories.
All shortlisted entries will be considered for the Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices Award.
How to apply
- Read the 2026 Best Of Wine Tourism Awards guide ()
- Read the online entry form guide ()
- Gather your entry information
- Enter online
Note: Once you start your online entry, you will need to complete it in one sitting as entries cannot be saved. We recommend you draft your answers in a word doc or similar, and then copy and paste into the online form when you are ready to do so.
Why enter the Awards?
Entering the Awards helps wineries and wine tourism operators in South Australia to build their reputation for excellence and innovation, and gain international recognition and visibility.
- Build international visibility
- Enhance your reputation
- Showcase innovation
- Network with industry leaders
In addition to being recognised as a Best Of Wine Tourism Award winner, category winners will receive:
- Automatic entry into the global Award competition, and the People’s Choice Award
- Trophy presented at the Awards event
- Significant state-wide and international media and industry recognition and exposure
- Opportunities to be showcased as an award winner at SA premium wine and food events
- Marketing toolkit and support
- Networking opportunities
Best Of Wine Tourism Awards 2025
The 2025 Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners for Adelaide, South Australia were:
- Accommodation - Beresford Estate
- Architecture and Landscape - Dandelion Vineyards
- Culinary Experiences - Sidewood Estate
- Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences - McLaren Vale Distillery
- Wine Tourism Services - (joint winners) Kimbolton Wines and Watervale Hotel
- Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices - Sidewood Estate
Winners of the South Australian awards competed for a Global Best Of Wine Tourism Award. Dandelion Vineyards took out the award, which was presented at the Great Wine Capitals Gala Dinner and Global Best Of Wine Tourism Awards Ceremony in Verona, Italy.
Dandelion Vineyard’s Wonder Room was also recognised on the world stage, with the McLaren Vale winery winning a 2025 Great Wine Capitals Global Best Of Wine Tourism Award for Architecture and Landscape. The Award was presented at the Great Wine Capitals Gala Dinner and Global Best Of Wine Tourism Awards Ceremony in Verona, Italy in October 2024.
Find out more about the 2025 Award winners.
Discover Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners from South Australia and around the world.
Benefits
Entering the awards helps wineries and wine tourism operators in South Australia to build their reputation for excellence and innovation. It provides the opportunity for businesses to reflect on the difference they make to the wine tourism industry.
In addition to being recognised as a Best Of Wine Tourism Award winner in a particular category, award winners will receive:
- a certificate and trophy presented at the SA Wine Industry Dinner
- significant media exposure including international coverage
- opportunities to be showcased as an award winner at SA premium wine and food events such as CheeseFest, National Wine Centre events, and more – this might involve masterclasses, interviews, wine tasting, or other activities
- a marketing toolkit and support – including a special award logo to use on your website and in your email signature to help you fully leverage your win and promote your business
- networking opportunities.
Testimonial
Alkina Wine Estate won the 2024 Global Best Of Wine Tourism Award for Accommodation. Managing Director and Winemaker Amelia Nolan says:
The Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards have provided us with an incredible sense of acknowledgment as a global player in one of the most exciting wine regions in the world.
We were incredibly excited to receive global recognition for excellence in Winery Accommodation last year. The award, alongside the immense support from Great Wine Capitals team and local bodies, has allowed us to better communicate our small-scale terroir project to the world, both in the accommodation offering and wine philosophy. The recognition off the back of this award, whilst providing a plethora of media, has also enabled us to attract a global community of luxury accommodation lovers, bringing in guests from far and wide, who can then experience not only Alkina, but the Barossa as a whole.
Any winery, whether it be with accommodation, architecture or wine tourism services should consider entering into the awards to not only test themselves against others in their region, but also to project and benchmark their offering on a global scale.
