McLaren Vale and South Australian wine were on the global stage this week, with Australia’s wine capital represented at a world wine tourism fair in Portugal.

Held in Porto, the inaugural Wine & Travel Week event brought together industry professionals, buyers and media from across the globe for a two-day forum and a trade show with a focus on sustainable and innovative wine tourism experiences.

The Vale’s Gemtree Wines, celebrated for its sustainability credentials and crowned Global Best of Wine Tourism Award winner in the category in 2022, presented at the forum on the topic of sustainable wine tourism and biodynamics.

Co-owner and viticulturalist Melissa Brown also participates in meetings with buyers, wine industry colleagues and international media to sell South Australia as a destination and one of the 11 Great Wine Capitals of the World. 

Through the state’s membership of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, the South Australian Tourism Commission exhibited at the trade show to target international buyers such as travel agents and tour companies to ensure South Australia is built into the itineraries they sell around the world.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison says with international tourism still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic  it is incredibly important to put the state on the world map at every chance.

“South Australia’s wine is a key driver of visitors to our state, and it is operators like Gemtree play an integral role in offering incredible tourism experiences and boosting wine regions like the McLaren Vale.”

Mawson MP Leon Bignell says it is fitting that this week Melissa Brown and other SA wine and tourism representatives will be in Portugal flying our flag alongside friends from Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Verona and other leading regions. 

“Our stunning, laid back, premium quality wine regions are some of SA’s biggest drawcards and it has been sensational to see the return of international visitors in McLaren Vale in recent months.”

Melissa Brown says while she is proud of Gemtree’s achievements, they are part of an SA wine collective.

“We missed out on international tourists for more than two years, so it’s really important to have opportunities like this to get South Australia and South Australian wine in front of a global audience. 

“Our wines in SA are world-renowned and this provides a great platform to also promote what else South Australia has to offer and how it differs to the rest of the world.“

Wine is a significant contributor to the state’s economy and a key tourism drawcard.

There are 340 cellar doors in South Australia, 200 of which are within an hour’s drive from Adelaide. South Australia produces 50 per cent of Australia’s bottled wine, and around 80 per cent of Australia’s premium wine.

Prior to the pandemic, 36 per cent of international tourists to South Australia visited a winery during their trip, and latest data shows that one fifth of all interstate visitors (in the 12 months to September 2022) visited a winery during their trip.

The local membership of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network includes the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australian Tourism Commission, South Australian Wine Industry Association, University of Adelaide, and University of South Australia.