International visitors from the great wine regions of the world which are members of the network travelled from their annual meeting and conference in Christchurch to Central Otago, Nelson, Marlborough and the Waipara Valley keen to discover the secrets behind New Zealand's premium wine.
Guests from the prestigious wine-making regions of Bordeaux, Cape Town, Florence, Mainz, Mendoza, Porto, Bilbao-Rioja and San Francisco-Napa Valley were bused to Gibbston on November 2.
The group went to Amisfield Winery for an overview of the Gibbston sub-region from Christopher Keys, winemaker at Gibbston Valley Wines.
Mr Keys was their guide for the day and hosted them for lunch, featuring a range of wines from the valley and Central Otago, at Gibbston Valley Wines.
The group tasted pinot noir and enjoyed a wine cave tour, then strolled around the officially sustainable Chard Farm vineyard with a viticulturist before flying back to Christchurch.
The wine experts gathered in the Garden City for the remaining two days of their conference last week to hear addresses from New Zealand and international specialists on the business and scientific aspects of the wine industry.
The finale was a gala dinner where Yealand's Winery, of Marlborough, was named winner of the networks international award for Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices.
Queenstown company Appellation Central Wine Tours, along with the Old Glenmark Vicarage and Allan Scott Family Winemakers, won Best of Wine Tourism trophies and plaques.
Central Otago is under the umbrella of "Christchurch/South Island", which has been a member of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, a travel, education and business exchange, since November 2009.
The membership also covers the Waipara Valley, Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough Nelson.
