Mendoza’s 8 Gold Wine-Tourism Winners Head to Global Final
Wine: Mendoza
Key Facts
—Event. Mendoza handed out its 21st Best of Mendoza’s Wine Tourism awards, held at the Auditorio Ángel Bustelo in early August 2026.
—Winners. Eight projects took Gold, among them Bodega Kaiken (sustainable practices) and Autores por los Caminos del Vino (art and culture).
—Categories. Prizes spanned lodging, architecture, gastronomy, innovative experiences, sustainability, tourism services and small wineries.
—Scale. Some 86 projects entered and 75 reached judging by a 12-member panel of academics, business and media figures.
—Next stage. The Gold winners will represent Mendoza at the Great Wine Capitals global final in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, in October.
Mendoza has crowned the winners of its 21st Best of Wine Tourism awards, sending eight Gold-medal wineries and projects on to the Great Wine Capitals global final in New Zealand this October.
What the Best of Wine Tourism Awards Are
The Best of Mendoza’s Wine Tourism awards are the local round of a global competition run by the Great Wine Capitals network, a group of leading wine regions that Mendoza has belonged to since 2005. The 21st edition was staged at the Auditorio Ángel Bustelo.
For a foreign reader, the geography matters. This is Mendoza, the Argentine province at the foot of the Andes that produces most of the country’s Malbec, not a similarly named place elsewhere. Wine tourism, or enoturismo, is central to its economy.
The awards judge the experiences built around wine rather than the wine itself: how a winery welcomes visitors, its architecture, its food, its sustainability and its cultural programming. That focus makes them a useful map of where Mendoza’s tourism is heading.
The Eight Gold Winners
Eight projects took the top Gold distinction across the competing categories. La María Hotel Boutique won for Lodging, Casa Drummond by Bodega Trivento for Architecture and Landscape, and Autores por los Caminos del Vino for Art and Culture.
Experiencia Raíces, from Finca El Paraíso de Luigi Bosca, won Innovative Experiences; Bodega Kaiken took Sustainable Practices; and Savia Cocina, at Casarena, won Restaurants or Culinary Experiences. HelicopTour won the Wine Tourism Services category.
The eighth Gold went to Escala Humana Wines in Small Wineries, a locally judged category that does not advance to the international stage. Together, the winners span luxury lodging, fine dining, sustainability and even literature paired with wine.
How the Judging Worked
Organizers said 86 projects entered this year, of which 75 advanced to the evaluation stage. A jury of twelve specialists drawn from academic institutions, business bodies and Mendoza media assessed the entries.
Beyond the Gold winners, the ceremony awarded Silver and Bronze across each category. In Art and Culture, for example, the city government’s “San Martín y el Vino” took Silver and Terrazas de los Andes earned Bronze.
The tiered structure lets the awards recognize a broad field while still singling out one project per category to carry Mendoza’s name abroad. That balance between breadth and a clear winner is part of what keeps the competition credible.
Why Enoturismo Matters to Mendoza
Wine tourism is a pillar of Mendoza’s economy, drawing visitors who stay longer and spend more than the average traveller. The province markets itself as one of the world’s Great Wine Capitals, and the awards are part of that branding.
At the ceremony, Governor Alfredo Cornejo framed the sector’s growth as a joint effort between private investment and the state, arguing that government’s role is to create conditions for businesses to develop. He tied the industry to jobs and investment.
Gabriela Testa, who heads the provincial tourism board Emetur, pointed to the steady rise in the competition’s quality as evidence that Mendoza continues to lead regional wine tourism. Both remarks underline how the awards double as economic policy signalling.
From Mendoza to Hawke’s Bay
The seven Gold winners in the internationally eligible categories will represent Mendoza at the Great Wine Capitals global final, whose gala is set for October in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The Small Wineries award stays local.
Competing on that stage places Mendoza’s projects alongside entries from wine regions across Europe, North America and beyond. A strong showing raises the province’s profile with international travellers and the trade press that shapes their choices.
For the wineries themselves, the recognition is a marketing asset that outlasts the ceremony. A Best of Wine Tourism medal is the kind of credential that tour operators and guidebooks cite when steering visitors toward a particular estate.
What It Means for Visiting Wine Tourists
For an expat or foreign visitor planning a trip, the winners’ list works as a curated itinerary. It flags standout options for where to stay, where to eat and which wineries offer the most distinctive experiences.
The spread of categories also signals how varied Mendoza tourism has become. Beyond tastings, the province now sells architecture, fine dining, sustainability tours and cultural programming that pairs literature and wine, as the Art and Culture winner shows.
Most of the winning estates lie within easy reach of Mendoza city, in areas such as Luján de Cuyo, Maipú and the Uco Valley. That concentration makes it feasible to sample several award winners over a long weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Best of Mendoza’s Wine Tourism awards?
They are the local round of the Great Wine Capitals network’s international competition, recognizing the best wine-tourism experiences in Mendoza, Argentina. The 21st edition was held at the Auditorio Ángel Bustelo.
Who won Gold in 2026?
Eight projects took Gold: La María Hotel Boutique, Casa Drummond by Trivento, Autores por los Caminos del Vino, Experiencia Raíces (Luigi Bosca), Bodega Kaiken, Savia Cocina (Casarena), HelicopTour and Escala Humana Wines.
What happens to the winners next?
The Gold winners in the international categories will represent Mendoza at the Great Wine Capitals global final in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, in October. The Small Wineries award is judged only locally.
Sources
Connected Coverage
More culture and travel guides for foreign residents across the region.
Sources: Prensa Gobierno de Mendoza; MendoVoz; El Descorche Diario.
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