National Winetourism Award will be held in Alentejo

The second edition of the APENO / Ageas Seguros National Wine Tourism Award (2023) will take place this year on the 26th of May, starting at 6.30 pm, at the Hotel Convento de São Paulo, Aldeia da Serra, in Redondo. The best companies dedicated to Enotourism will be voted by a jury composed of more than 250 personalities and official bodies linked to the Wine and Tourism sector.

APENO – Associação Portuguesa de Enoturismo, organizes for the second time the National Wine Tourism Award APENO / Ageas Seguros which, as the name implies, has the well-known insurance company as its Main Sponsor. The event also has the institutional support of Vinha e do Vinho, and the sponsorship of the Regional Tourism Entity of Alentejo, with other entities such as the Municipality of Redondo and CVR Alentejo, and renowned companies such as Grupo Amorim, Schott Zwiesel; Alug’Aqui, Gifts 4 Wine, Biosphere, Abreu Advogados and YonWine. EXAME magazine will be the Media Partner of the event.

APENO is the only association exclusively dedicated to Portuguese wine tourism and, since the first edition, the National Wine Tourism Award event has proved to be a success. «There are some wine tourism awards given by other entities in tourism or wine events, but none focused exclusively on wine tourism, giving it the importance it deserves. The panel of judges is very diverse, involving journalists, official wine and tourism entities, Chefs and Sommeliers, and even our associates», reveals Maria João de Almeida, President of APENO. «As last year the Best Wine Tourism in Portugal was Herdade da Malhadinha, we thought that the Alentejo would be the ideal setting to organize the second edition. Therefore, it was with great joy and in a natural way, that the Regional Tourism Entity of Alentejo joined us in organizing this great party that will have many novelties and surprises. It will be an event outside the box!”, adds Maria João de Almeida.

Ageas Seguros, which since the beginning has supported APENO in this adventure of organizing wine tourism, reveals how enriching it has been to work in a sector where there is still so much to do. «It has been a pleasure to get to know national wine tourism through APENO. A sector to which we want to contribute so that it grows safely. The prevention of companies is one of our big bets and wine tourism companies are no exception to the rule», says Gustavo Barreto, Member of the Executive Committee of the Ageas Portugal Group. For this to happen, Ageas Seguros has promoted the PAR (Risk Prevention and Analysis) service to APENO associates, with the aim of making Portuguese wine tourism more protected and safer places. As Gustavo Barreto explains, «PAR – Prevention and Risk Analysis is a free service that assesses the risks to which companies are exposed, as well as the possible consequences, acting in their prevention. This assessment includes the preparation of a report with preventive measures and recommendations to reduce the risks inherent in the companies’ activity», he concludes.

The Alentejo Regional Tourism Entity, which this year joins APENO in this event, has invested heavily in the promotion of its wine tourism, which has stood out in recent years, both nationally and internationally: «We can be proud of having some of the best national wine tourism in our territory. The awards achieved by the region in recent years are proof of this. We will continue to work and make a joint effort to make this reality increasingly solid and visible», says Vitor silva, President of the Alentejo Regional Entity.

Fourteen awarded categories

The APENO / Ageas Seguros 2023 National Wine Tourism Award will thus reward Portuguese businesses/projects that stand out as successful cases, within the following fourteen categories: Best Wine Tourism in Portugal; Best Professional; Best Stay; Best Restaurant; Best Chef; Best Sommelier; Best Tasting Room; Best Tourist Company; Best Inclusive Project; Best Sustainable Project; Best Store; Best Art and Culture; Best Innovation and Culture; Best Hospitality.

See categories and judges here: https://enoturismodeportugal.pt/premio-nacional-de-enoturismo-2023/

Voting is carried out online and will take place from the 1st to the 19th of May through an online platform, designed especially for this purpose, with each juror simply voting in each of the existing categories.

The panel of more than 250 judges includes renowned wine and tourism journalists, official wine and tourism organizations (Regional Wine Commissions and Regional Tourism Entities), chefs and sommeliers, and even APENO associates (Regional officials voted in different regions of their own, and sector professionals and associates in people and other projects): «In this type of event it is essential to involve recognized personalities from all sectors related to Wine Tourism because only those who are there and know the terrain are able to evaluate the existing offer. We believe in joint work, which is intended to be dynamic, exciting and transparent», reinforces the President of APENO, Maria João de Almeida. The nominees and winners will be announced during the event, in Alentejo.

It should be remembered that APENO was born in February 2021, with the aim of organizing and supporting the dynamization of Enotourism, a sector without an official definition, without legislation and without numbers; and which, since its constitution, has worked to alert the government to this need. Its already wide range of members includes some of the largest wine producing companies (which already represent more than 80% of national production), travel and tourist entertainment agencies, hotels and wine restaurants. As a non-profit business association, it has the support of several companies that, from the very beginning, believed in the existing potential.