Premier hands over trophy to Creation Wines after it won 10th best wine farm

Today, I was joined by the Provincial Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, and the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier, in handing over a trophy to Hermanus-based Creation Wines, who has won 10th place in the prestigious World’s Best Vineyards competition.

Not only has Creation Wines been voted as the best vineyard in South Africa and the continent, but it has also achieved the highest spot a South African wine farm has ever reached on the list.

It is heartwarming to see our wine industry doing so well in this prestigious competition, putting our vineyards and cellars on the map. I congratulate Creation Wines on their achievement, and I want to commend the many other South African wine farms that were listed for their achievements. You are all playing an important role in reviving our economy and creating work opportunities.

I will also be writing to Delaire Graff Estate, Klein Constantia Winery, Spier Wine Farm, Babylonstoren, Steenberg, Groot Constantia, Waterford Estate, Tokara Winery, and Haute Cabrière wine farms to further congratulate them in placing in the World’s Best Vineyard competition.

Speaking to the important role played by the province’s wine industry in supporting the economy, Minister David Maynier said: “The tourism and hospitality sector has been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are working hard to support the sector, ensuring that where it was safe to do so the tourism sector was able to open and keep operating. And we will continue to do everything we can to ensure the most successful summer season possible by tackling barriers to growth for the tourism sector, increasing connectivity to the region and running our award-winning destination marketing campaigns that showcase the best that Cape Town and the Western Cape has to offer.”

The list of competitors was first published in 2019 and aims to highlight the many world-class wineries that are open to the public to increase their profile and promote Wine Tourism. Voting focuses on the overall experience of the visitor to the farm, not only the wine.

Minister Maynier explained: “The list of the World’s Best Vineyards is created after the nominations of nearly 600 wine, travel and wine tourism experts from across the globe are counted and collated. This list is then voted on by an expert panel with the adjudication based on various criteria such as the ambience, cuisine, activities, views and staff. Importantly, the vote is not just about the wine, but the overall experience of the farm. The results are then collated and converted into a final Top 50 list.”

The wineries that have appeared on the World’s Best Vineyards list have seen a significant increase in visitors as a result. Many have reported that they have had to increase their opening hours to cope with the demand, once placing in the competition.

The Provincial Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, said: “Wine is the third biggest export product of the Western Cape and contributes 6.5% to exports from the Province. The Department estimates that 45 610 people work in the primary production side of the industry and supports the livelihoods of 228 053 people.

Minister Meyer added: “The average wine farm has three main streams of revenue: Wine sales, some form of restaurant/tasting centre and tourism activities. Creation Wines is succeeding because they pay attention to all three streams of revenue. As a result, it is a world-class estate. By doing so, they are playing a pivotal role in focusing global attention on the Western Cape's Wine Industry – the quality of our wines, food and accommodation.”

Minister Meyer concluded: “We also urge the national government to urgently lift those elements of the current COVID-19 regulations that impact the sale of wine and liquor served in restaurants, and wine tasting facilities for on-site consumption as this will support the recovery of the Wine Industry and the economy of the Western Cape.”