The Abrau-Durso resort received the main award at the GWTO international summit in China

From 3 to 5 July 2025, the Chinese city of Yantai (Shandong Province) — China's largest wine-producing region — hosted the 2nd Global Summit of the Global Wine Tourism Organization (GWTO). The event was attended by experts from 20 countries, including representatives of diplomatic missions, heads of tourism ministries, heads of wine tourism destinations, winery owners, and marketing directors. The key theme of the summit was responsible wine tourism. At this prestigious international event, Russia was represented by the Abrau-Durso resort, which won the top Award for Best Responsible Wine Tourism Experience. The delegation was headed by Irina Goncharova, Vice President for Tourism and Special Projects at Abrau-Durso Group.

The Abrau-Durso Tourism Center has been a member of the GWTO since 2022. The debut participation in the international event of this level — among the flagships of global wine tourism from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Armenia, and China — was a triumph. This is the first time Russia has received such high recognition in the field of wine tourism from a reputable international organization, and Abrau-Durso has become the first Russian laureate of this award.

The Award for Best Responsible Wine Tourism Experience was unanimously awarded to Abrau-Durso for demonstrating the best practices of responsible wine tourism in line with the GWTO key principles. The jury members highly appreciated the conscious approach to the natural environment and cultural heritage in the creation of infrastructure, the contribution to the socio-economic development of the wine-growing region, ensuring the sustainability and accessibility of wine tourism for future generations of tourists and residents, as well as the coopetition practice — the creation of joint tourism products with other market participants on a mutually beneficial basis. Experts particularly noted the new Abrau-Durso brand platform, which combines the resort's three key cultural codes: Eno - Eco - Ethno.

The delegation at the summit was headed by Irina Goncharova, Vice President for Tourism and Special Projects of the Abrau-Durso Group. At the summit, she presented the Abrau-Durso case along with projects from Italy, Portugal, Argentina, and Chile - the world's leading wine-producing countries.

Russia remains terra incognita in the field of wine tourism at the global level. Participation in the large-scale international summit of the Global Wine Tourism Organization highlights the country's significant potential for development at the international level. The victory is the result of a long-term strategy that has always included key vectors: preserving the region's natural wealth, stimulating the local economy, and creating a unique experience for every visitor to the resort. But the key factor for success remains our large team of professionals," emphasized Irina Goncharova, Vice President for Tourism and Special Projects at Abrau-Durso Group.

Yantai is an important location on China's wine map, as it was in this city that the country's first winery, Changyu, was founded in 1892. There are currently more than 60 wineries operating in the region, producing more than 40% of all wine in China. The Yantai Summit brought together delegations from more than 20 countries. Representatives of wine companies, tour operators, research centers, and marketing spoke at the event. Among the topics of the conference are wine tourism in the MICE sector, promotion, and education in the field of wine tourism.

The conference featured speeches by José Antonio Vidal, President of GWTO, Yu Yongxin, Director of the Yantai Wine Industry Association, Yu Bo, President of the Yantai Tourism Association, Alejandra Cabrera (Uruguayan Ministry of Tourism), Gabriela Testa, President of the Mendoza Province Tourism Board (Argentina), and the heads of wine tourism associations from Spain, Portugal, Armenia, Romania, Argentina, and Uruguay. The next GWTO summit will be held in Portugal in 2026.

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The Global Wine Tourism Organization (GWTO) is a global association that brings together public and private organizations, associations and academic institutions. The GWTO's mission is to develop responsible wine tourism practices for both travelers and locals, as well as to promote responsible wine tourism on the global map.