NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (October 24, 2014) – As one of ten recognized Great Wine Capitals, San Francisco | Napa Valley has awarded its hospitality leaders the 2015 Best Of Wine Tourism regional designations in seven categories.

The seven categories in which regional Best Of awards are presented include accommodation, restaurants, architecture & landscape, art & culture, innovative wine tourism experiences, wine tourism services, and sustainable wine tourism practices. An international Best Of award is bestowed upon one wine tourism business within each region that is deemed best in class across all ten Great Wine Capitals by an international jury. An additional level of recognition – The Regional Wine Tourism Award of Merit – has been awarded to two businesses as an honorable mention recognizing a high level of commitment to wine tourism.

All regional Best Of award winners will now move forward to compete for the global awards, which will be judged by an international panel of respected wine tourism professionals and presented at the annual general meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, to be held in early November in Mendoza, Argentina. The international judges choose one overall winner for each region, selecting from the seven regional Best Of title-­-holders.

This year’s regional judges include the following esteemed colleagues: editor of Mutineer magazine, Brian Kropf; social media consultant, Andrew Healy; CEO of the Arts Council Napa Valley, Olivia Everett; and Executive Director and Founder of Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma, Colby Smith.

The 2014 Best Of regional San Francisco | Napa Valley winners are:

Accommodation – Andaz Napa (Napa Valley)

Wine Tourism Restaurants – Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch (Napa Valley)

Architecture & Landscape – Charles Krug Winery (Napa Valley)

Art and Culture – HALL Wines (Napa Valley)

Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences – Winemaker Studios (San Francisco)
Award of Merit – Jessup Cellars

Wine Tourism Services – Beau Wine Tours (Napa Valley)
Award of Merit – Bike Tours of Napa and Sonoma Valley

Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices – HALL Wines (Napa Valley)