Black Barn Vineyards has been named the global winner representing Hawke’s Bay in the 2027 International Best Of Wine Tourism Awards.
The award was announced during the Great Wine Capitals International Conference, held for the first time in Hawke’s Bay.
Presented by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, the award places Black Barn alongside the world’s leading wine tourism experiences from Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Porto, Mendoza and the network’s other member capitals.
The international judging panel of representatives from each of the Great Wine Capitals assessed entries on five key criteria: quality of services and facilities; originality and innovation; customer service and hospitality; commitment to sustainability and global wine tourism; and the ability to communicate and promote the award.
Judges said that Black Barn stood out for the breadth and quality of its offering as a destination where wine, food, art and landscape come together in one place, with its vineyard accommodation, restaurant, 2,000-seat amphitheatre set into a north-facing vineyard slope, and growers market.
Jo Collins, President of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, said this year’s conference had been a resounding success, and a fitting stage for Black Barn’s win.
“Hawke’s Bay has been an exceptional host. Over the past five days, our delegates have experienced the warmth, creativity and world-class wine tourism that make this region so special, and they will take those stories home to every corner of our network. It has been a conference that has inspired us all.
“To be named a global Best Of Wine Tourism winner is to be recognised as the best of the best. Black Barn has been judged against the finest wine tourism experiences in the world, and it has shown that it belongs in that company.”
The 2027 global winners include:
Adelaide, South Australia – Paulett Wines
Bilbao | Rioja, Spain – Maga Foundation by Muriel Wines
Bordeaux, France – Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand – Black Barn Vineyards
Lausanne, Switzerland – Le Chemin des Capites (Autour du Vin)
Mainz | Rheinhessen, Germany – Wein vom Roten Hang eV.
Mendoza, Argentina – Cada Drummond by Bodega Trivento
Porto, Portugal – Quinta de Vacaria
San Francisco | Napa Valley, United States – Beaulieu Vineyard
Valparaíso | Casablanca Valley, Chile – Palacio Astoreca
Verona, Italy – Monteleone21
