The ceremony for the first edition of the APENO / Ageas Seguros 2022 National Wine Tourism Award took place on June 17, in Lisbon, at the Altis Grand Hotel. An event that distinguished the best wine tourism companies, practices and projects in Portugal, with Ageas Seguros as main sponsor, the institutional support of IVV and the Amorim Group sponsoring the awards, in addition to other companies involved in the most diverse ways, such as Altis Grand Hotel, Schott Zwiesel; Alug’Aqui, CRITEC and Gifts 4 Wine.Ao longo do evento foram sendo divulgados os grandes vencedores das 10 categorias: Melhor Enoturismo de Portugal (Herdade da Malhadinha Nova); Melhor Profissional (Beatriz Machado); Melhor Estadia (Herdade da Malhadinha Nova); Melhor Restaurante (Torre de Palma by Miguel Laffan); Melhor Chefe de Cozinha (Pedro Lemos – Symington); Melhor Sommelier (Sérgio David Marques – Madeira Wine Company); Melhor Sala de Provas (Taboadella); Melhor Empresa Turística (Winen’Route); Melhor Projecto Inclusivo (Adega Mayor); Melhor Projecto Sustentável (Casa da Passarella).
The panel of more than 250 judges included renowned wine and tourism journalists, official wine and tourism entities, chefs and sommeliers, and even APENO members (official bodies voted in different regions of their own, and professionals of the sector and associated in people and projects of others). «This was the first edition of this Award and we are very happy with the result, it was a success. It was also the first time that we brought together the players of Wine and Tourism in a fair vote, and in a very special event that unites the two worlds», says Maria João de Almeida, Executive President of APENO. As she further explained, “APENO is the only association dedicated exclusively to Portuguese wine tourism and, to date, there was no such initiative, only the attribution of some wine tourism awards through other entities somehow linked directly or indirectly to the sector, but none focused only on wine tourism. For that reason, someday this event would have to arise», she concludes.
