KWV’s Wine Emporium in Paarl has won the award as Regional Winner of Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences in the 2015 Great Wines Capitals Best of Wine Tourism. The awards were presented on November 6th to wine estates from across the wine-growing regions of the world at a ceremony in Mendoza, Argentina.The Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Awards celebrate innovation and excellence in  wine tourism throughout the ten greatest wine regions in the world. Cape Town represents South Africa, and other members come from Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, the United States, Argentina and Chile, Italy and New Zealand.Commenting on the win Maya Friederich, manager of the KWV Wine Emporium, said, “The team is thrilled and excited to win this recognition. The award is the result of 12 years of research into new food & wine combinations to give visitors an innovative and sometime exhilarating experience. I’d like to think we offer the widest range of food pairing options in the Cape Winelands.”Since opening in 2001 the KWV Wine Emporium has hosted over 350,000 visitors who enjoy multi-lingual guided tours of the KWV cellar complex, which, spread over 22 hectares, is one of the largest in the world. The KWV Wine Emporium offers a broad portfolio of products, including  sparkling wines, natural wines, fortified wines, liqueurs and brandies. The complex includes the world renowned Cathedral Cellar, a breathtaking space containing carved wooden vats with the history of wine in South Africa and the Five Largest Wine Vats in the World under one roof.André Morgenthal of WOSA said the Best of Wine Tourism Awards had over the years become an important incentive for wine producers to develop world-class connoisseur experiences for visitors.Cape Town recently reaffirmed its global popularity as a travel destination, moving from 11th to fourth position in last month’s Condé Nast Traveler’s annual reader choice awards and the offerings of the Cape Winelands were a significant contributor to public perceptions. GREAT WINE CAPITALS NETWORKCape Town has been a member of the network since 2003.  The others are Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Melbourne (Australia) , Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal) and San Francisco-Napa Valley (US).  The network promotes wine tourism and provides a platform for the exchange of ideas.  Its other areas of operation are education, business and investment, and communication.