South Australian wine tourism operators and wine producers can now enter the 2027 Best Of Wine Tourism Awards, which recognise wine tourism businesses across the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.
The awards are part of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWCGN), which includes 11 wine regions around the world. South Australia has been a member of the network for 10 years.
The 2027 awards will recognise businesses across seven categories:
- Accommodation.
- Architecture and landscape.
- Art and culture.
- Culinary experiences.
- Innovative wine tourism experiences.
- Wine tourism services.
- Sustainable wine tourism practices.
Category winners from each member region will progress to the 2027 Global Best Of Wine Tourism Awards, to be held in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
In 2026, McLaren Vale winery Maxwell Wines won the global culinary experiences award.
Applications have also opened for the Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursary Program, which supports South Australian wine industry professionals, researchers and academics to visit other Great Wine Capitals regions and learn from international industry peers.
An additional bursary, supported by the Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference (AWITC), focuses on technical innovation in grape growing and winemaking.
The South Australian Best Of Wine Tourism Awards and bursary program are coordinated by the Great Wine Capitals South Australian steering committee, which includes representatives from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, the South Australian Tourism Commission, the South Australian Wine Industry Association and Adelaide University.
Entries for the Best Of Wine Tourism Awards close on 10 July 2026. Applications for the Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursary Program close on 3 July 2026.
“These events and opportunities are of particular importance for the wine industry at a time when it continues to diversify and seek new business and trade opportunities,” said minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven.
Jeremy Maxwell, general manager of Maxwell Wines, said the awards provide recognition for wine tourism initiatives and an opportunity to compete internationally.
“The awards program provides an opportunity to be recognised for creative wine tourism initiatives and, as a category winner, to represent your country on an international stage at the Global Best Of Wine Tourism Awards,” said Maxwell.
