Consumers and Travel Professionals Name Best Destinations and Tasting Rooms
ST. HELENA, CA
Once the voting ended and the results tallied, it was revealed that four Napa Valley wineries and one from Sonoma County swept the inaugural CellarPass Destination Awards competition, earning accolades for their stellar visitor experiences and customer service excellence. The Awards competition was created by CellarPass, the leading reservations referral service and ticketing platform, to honor their destination partners.
More than 150,000 travelers and industry professionals were invited to vote between March 18 and June 1st, and more than 150 destinations were nominated in six categories: Best Unique Tasting Experience; Most Friendly & Knowledgeable Staff; Best Food & Wine Pairing; Best Wine Education Experience; Best Hidden Gem; and Best Romantic Destination. While most of the categories were very close calls, the winner of Best Food & Wine Pairing, J Vineyards and Winery, came out on top and won the category for a 3rd year in a row. Iconic Robert Mondavi Winery also won for a 3rd year in a row for the Most Friendly & Knowledgeable Staff category.
“Early on we learned that peer-to-peer reviews significantly influence which of our member destinations travelers book reservations with,” explained CellarPass co-founder Sarah Elliman. “The annual CellarPass Destination Awards program takes those guest reviews a step further, allowing our guests to recognize our destinations that raise the bar when it comes to providing the best hospitality experience.”
Overall, female voters weighed in for 62.1% of the votes; ales cast 37.9% of the total. As expected, the majority of the voting –40.9%-- came in from the influential 35-54 age group. 25-34-year-olds cast 24.1% of votes and 29.9% came from those older than 54.
And the 2016 CellarPass Destination Awards winners are:
Best Unique Tasting Experience
Robert Mondavi Winery
Most Friendly & Knowledgeable Staff
Jessup Cellars
Best Wine Education Experience
Robert Mondavi Winery (3rd Year in a Row)
Best Food & Wine Experience
J Vineyards & Winery (3rd Year in a Row)
Best Hidden Gem
Vezer Family Vineyard (2nd Year in a Row)
Best Romantic Destination
Handwritten Wines
About CellarPass
Launched in 2010, CellarPass is the leading real-time tour and tasting reservation and ticketing service, offering consumers easy and free, unlimited access to confirmed reservations and tickets which can be booked through their popular mobile iOS app and mobile-friendly website. CellarPass provides a robust guest management platform event producers need to promote events nationwide while connecting with their guests in ways that enhance the visitor experience and build long-lasting relationships.
Follow CellarPass on Facebook at http://facebook.com/cellarpass and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cellarpass. The CellarPass Winery Reservations App is available for download in the Apple App Store, www.cellarpass.com/app or on the company’s mobile-friendly website at www.cellarpass.com/mobile.
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