Germany enters the promotional network of Great Wine Capitals

27 August, 2008
Page 6 
German city Mainz is set to join the likes of Bordeaux and Cape Town as one of the world's Great Wine Capitals.

Mainz, located on the Rhine and at the heart of Germany's vineyards, has been accepted by the Great Wine Capital (GWC) network following a visit by officials in April.

GWC includes the cities Bordeaux, Cape Town, Florence, Mendoza, Mel-bourne, Oporto, Bilbao-Rioja and San Francisco-Napa Valley, and encourages and promotes wine tourism, education and business exchanges.

Mainz lord major Jens Beutel said: "Mainz is the capital of the German state Rheinland-Pfalz, the most famous wine region in Germany. It is home to the German Wine Institute, the German Wine Fund and the Verband Deutscher Prädikats-und Qualitätsweingüter Wine Bourse, which brings together the top winemakers of Germany with the wine merchants of the world."

He added that six out of Germany's 13 quality wine regions (Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Mosel, Nahe, Mittelrhein and Ahr) are located near Mainz. The region is also the only one in Germany to have appointed a wine minister.

Mainz will now be eligible for 2009 Best Of Wine Tourism awards, which for 2008 saw more than 320 properties from five continents competing for the titles. This year's ceremony will be held in Cape Town in November.