Best Of Wine Tourism Awards - The best offer a unique wine experience
Best Of Wine Tourism Award 2026
The winners of the 2026 Best Of Wine Tourism Awards were honored on October 2, 2025, at a festive awards ceremony held at Wiengut Guntrum in Oppenheim.
Once a year, the so-called “Best Of” Awards are announced in each member country of the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) network. Wine producers, as well as companies in the tourism, restaurant, hospitality, and cultural and events sectors that are closely tied to the wine industry in the member regions, then compete for these awards. The Best Of Awards are then announced in each member country.
The first stage of the “Best Of” competition begins at the regional level. The national winners then compete in the second, international round against the other winners in the category in which they won the award. Traditionally, the international awards are presented at the closing gala of the annual general meeting in one of the member countries.
Categories
The awards are presented in the following seven categories:
- Wine gastronomy
- Innovative wine tourism experiences
- Wine tourism service
- Accommodation
- Sustainability in wine tourism
- Art and culture
- Architecture, parks, and gardens
The application is open not only to wine producers, but also to hotels, restaurants, and all businesses with a special wine tourism offering.
Learning from the best
The goal of the competition is to learn from the best: by comparing quality standards, showcasing innovations at individual wineries, promoting creative ideas, improving standards, and fostering the exchange of knowledge, experience, and information among wine-growing regions. Participation in the Best Of Awards is free of charge.
The Best Of Awards are a central initiative within the network’s mission: Winners are featured on the GWC website (regionally and internationally) and are included in an annual Best Of brochure published in English and the respective local language. They are promoted at the network’s wine and tourism events as well as in specialized tourism and wine publications.
In addition, they receive invitations to training events and wine tourism conferences hosted by the participating GWC cities and automatically become members of the Mainz/Rheinhessen Best Of Club, which meets regularly at one of the winning establishments to exchange ideas.