the heart of the harvest

After receiving over forty applications from all across Switzerland, seventeen were nominated at the 2023 Best Of Wine Tourism event. The winners in the different categories are set to be announced on Thursday 26 October on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Great Wine Capitals network, being held in Lausanne for the first time. The jury, chaired by Robert Cramer, is delighted with the projects that have been submitted and is looking forward to the awards ceremony that will take place in the presence of an international audience.In 2018, the City of Lausanne joined the international Great Wine Capitals (GWC) network, which brings together major cities renowned for the quality of their wine regions and their wine tourism development: Adelaide, Bilbao (Rioja), Bordeaux, Cape Town, Lausanne, Mainz (Rheinhessen), Mendoza, Porto, San Francisco (Napa Valley), Valparaiso (Casablanca Valley) and Verona.The GWC is the only network encompassing both the new and old wine worlds. It has developed and sustained a number of initiatives, including the ‘Best Of Wine Tourism’ awards, a prestigious distinction for individuals working in the wine industry in each of the major wine capitals and who stand out in terms of innovation, hospitality and sustainable development. There are seven award categories: architecture/landscape, art/culture, discovery/innovation, environment, catering/hospitality, services/organization and crafts.This year, the Swiss jury received more than forty applications from more than twelve cantons. This year even broke the record for applications received from German-speaking Switzerland. "We are delighted to see wine tourism offers developing throughout Switzerland," commented Nicolas Joss, Director of Swiss Wine Promotion. "As well as increasing in numbers, they are also increasing in quality! " he continued. The President of the Jury, Robert Cramer, is delighted to discover innovative new offers involving cross-sectoral and cross-regional potential every year.The winners will be announced on Thursday 26 October at the Best Of Wine Tourism Awards Ceremony. During the evening, the ‘Global Best Of Wine Tourism’ will also be revealed. These are rewards for the best international projects presented by member cities. "We are proud to present the wine tourism treasures of our countries to professionals from internationally renowned destinations in the field," enthused Steeve Pasche, Director of Lausanne Tourism and responsible for the organisation of this general meeting of the network. "Another great opportunity to place Switzerland on the world map of prestigious wine and wine tourism destinations".The nominees for the "Regional Best Of Wine Tourism" 2023 competition are:ValaisCastel de Daval - Sierre (VS) http://www.collinededaval.ch/Domaine Mont d’Or – Sion (VS) http://www.montdor.ch/Fernand Cina - Salgesch (VS) http://www.fernand-cina.ch/Valais Wine Tours – Lens (VS) http://www.valaiswinetours.com/Visite notre cave en famille – Sion (VS) https://gilliard.ch/fr/vins/activites/visite-de-cave-en-famille/Wine Bus Grand Cru – Ville de Sion (VS) https://www.sionwine.ch/ VaudBAM La Voie des Sens – Morges (VD) https://www.lavoiedessens.ch/Happy Wine Flon – Lausanne (VD) https://www.flon.chHummus & Wine – Lausanne (VD) http://www.hummusandwine.chGerman-speaking SwitzerlandKunst & Wine am Iselisberg – Uesslingen (TG) https://kunstundwein-iselisberg.ch/Tapas Wein & Sein – Schafis am Bielersee (BE) http://www.andreyschafis.ch/Thurgauer Gourmetwanderung – Schlatt (TG) http://www.thurgau-bodensee.ch/gourmetwanderungWine Tours Switzerland – Maienfeld (GR) http://www.wine-tours.ch/Winzerfest Dottingen (AG) https://www.winzerfest.ch/groesstes-winzerfest-in-der-deutschschweiz TicinoVino, Cultura & dolce vita Ticinese – Giornico (TI) https://www.settemaggio.ch/ Three Lakes regionCave Couronne 1669 – Morat (FR) https://murtenhof.ch/Train du Terroir – La Chaux de Fonds (NE) https://www.neuchatel-vins-terroir.ch/

Swiss Wine Promotion (SWP), the national body for the promotion of Swiss wines, is organising for the weekends of 23-24 September and 30 September/1 October, the 3rd "At the heart of the harvest" autumnal event. Taking place over four days, the event will be able to meet the enthusiasm of the participants, while providing wineries with greater flexibility. Tickets are on sale on www.attheheartoftheharvest.ch !Established in 2018 by Swiss Wine Valais, "At the Heart of the Harvest" was an innovative project for Swiss wines, presenting a lot of potential. In 2021, the project was taken over by Swiss Wine and regional promotion offices throughout Switzerland. The first two events (2021 and 2022) were very successful and saw the participation of more than 60 wineries and more than 800 wine-making enthusiasts. The passionate commitment of winemakers, the media coverage and the positive response from both the cellars and the participants encouraged Swiss Wine to renew this event in 2023 for the third time."At the heart of the harvest" comes at a time when summer is coming to an end, the grapes are filled with sugar and the vines are adorned with subtle golden touches: harvest time! This event, which takes place throughout Switzerland, offers consumers the unique opportunity to discover the wine-making process, from the vineyard to the cellar. It rewards the hard work done throughout the year by winemakers.For half a day, visitors will be immersed in the heart of the grape harvesting process alongside passionate producers, experiencing memorable moments in their company. Harvest enthusiasts will have the opportunity to discover the demands and complexity of this work, in harmony with nature and within a genuine community.In order to meet the enthusiasm generated by this event, SWP has extended the event over two weekends: 23-24 September and 30 September-1 October. Tickets are available on www.attheheartoftheharvest.ch"At the heart of the harvest", a unique opportunity to experience the excitement of the harvest directly from the heart of Swiss vineyards. Information and tickets on www.attheheartoftheharvest.ch