Representatives from 16 Iter Vitis member countries gathered at Principovac Manor House for an evening dedicated to culture, sustainability, education and international cooperation.
Ilok, Croatia, 10 October 2026
The historic Principovac Manor House in Ilok hosted the 11th edition of the Iter Vitis Awards on 9 October 2026, as part of the Dunav Wine Festival. Representatives from 16 countries belonging to the Iter Vitis network attended the ceremony, bringing together wine destinations, cultural institutions, tourism organisations, educators, researchers and professionals.
The awards celebrated outstanding contributions to the preservation and promotion of wine heritage, recognising initiatives that connect viticulture with culture, innovation, sustainable tourism and community development. Certified as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe in 2009, Iter Vitis promotes the culture of the vine and wine as a shared heritage that crosses national borders. Its work highlights the people, landscapes, traditions and exchanges that have shaped wine-growing territories throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.
Dijana Katica, President of Klub članova Selo, commented:
“Hosting the Iter Vitis Awards in Ilok is an opportunity to show how closely wine tourism is connected to rural life, cultural identity and the people who care for our landscapes. These awards recognise the commitment behind each destination and each experience. For Croatia, welcoming colleagues from 16 member countries also creates valuable opportunities to exchange knowledge, strengthen partnerships and give greater visibility to our rural heritage.”
Marinko Beljo, Croatian State Secretary for Agriculture, added:
“Wine heritage is rooted in agriculture, in the work of winegrowers and in the knowledge passed down through generations. Preserving local grape varieties and vineyard landscapes means safeguarding both biodiversity and cultural identity. Hosting the 11th Iter Vitis Awards in Ilok highlights the contribution of Croatian viticulture to this shared heritage and the importance of international cooperation in supporting producers and rural communities.”
Best Sustainable Wine Tourism Destination Malvasia Myth
Malvasia Myth received the award for an approach to wine tourism that places heritage, landscape and local identity at the centre of the visitor experience. The recognition highlights the importance of developing destinations through their distinctive stories while preserving the cultural and environmental resources on which their appeal depends. A grape variety can be an excellent story teller.
Best Wine Museum Narbo Via
The museum is part of a network of archaeological sites, including Amphoralis, an amphora production site located along the Via Domitia. Accessibility for all audiences has guided its programmes since its opening, and the museum is now celebrating its fifth anniversary.
For 2025–2026, the “LEARNING DIFFERENTLY” initiative focuses on inclusion, young people and knowledge, offering an intercultural approach with the support of the Orange Foundation.
Paolo Benvenuti Special Award for Safeguarding Endemic and Ancient Grape Varieties Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supply, Agriculture Research & Innovation Hub, Marsa, Malta
Named after former Iter Vitis President Paolo Benvenuti, this special award honours the preservation of ancient, endemic and autochthonous grape varieties. The recognition of Malta’s Agriculture Research & Innovation Hub underlines the importance of safeguarding viticultural diversity as both a living agricultural resource and an expression of territorial history.
Best Public Institution Promoting Vine and Wine Heritage and Cultural Tourism Development Município de Vidigueira
The Municipality of Vidigueira was honoured for recognising wine heritage as a resource for cultural tourism and local development especially the commitment in safegarding de tradition of Amphora wines.The award highlights the contribution public institutions can make by connecting heritage preservation with territorial identity, community participation and opportunities for visitors to engage with a destination.
Best Wine Tourism Communication Tool Tourist Board of Osijek-Baranja County
The Tourist Board of Osijek-Baranja County received the award for wine tourism communication. This category recognises the importance of telling a destination’s story clearly and effectively, giving visibility to its producers, landscapes and cultural character, and helping visitors understand the experiences available to them.
Best Wine Tourism Event Herzegovina Wine Route Festival
The Herzegovina Wine Route Festival was recognised for bringing people together through wine and creating an occasion for discovery and exchange. The award celebrates events that go beyond tasting to communicate the identity of a territory, strengthen connections with producers and encourage visitors to explore its broader cultural offer.
Best University Research Università Laguna
The University research award recognised the contribution of academic knowledge to the future of viticulture and wine tourism. Presented to Università Laguna, char of gastro and wine tourism the distinction highlights the importance of research in understanding challenges, informing decisions and developing new approaches that complement the knowledge inherited from previous generations.
Most Innovative Wine Experience Zorba Wine – Kazantzakis Museum
Zorba Wine – Kazantzakis Museum received the award for an experience connecting wine with literature and cultural discovery. The recognition celebrates the potential of creative interpretation to offer visitors new ways of engaging with a place, drawing, with Zorba wine, connections between its wines, stories and artistic heritage.
Best Wine Route Urla Wine Route
Urla Wine Route was honoured for the role of a wine route in connecting wineries with the wider life of a territory. The award recognises a journey that brings together people, landscapes, gastronomy and culture, encouraging visitors to discover a destination through the relationships between its different attractions.
Best Cooperation Project Cucuteni–Trypillia Cultural Route Project
The Cucuteni–Trypillia Cultural Route Project received the cooperation award, highlighting the value of shared work across institutions, disciplines and territories. The distinction celebrates partnerships that open new perspectives on cultural heritage and create opportunities to connect knowledge, communities and visitor experiences, through 3 countries Moldova ,Romania and Ukraine.
Best Wine and Food Experience Malvasia Pop Up
Created by Laura Riolfatto at Docks Cantieri Cucchini in Venice, Malvasia Pop Up was recognised for transforming wine tasting and food pairing into a journey through Italy’s cultural and viticultural diversity. Drawing on her research into the 19 Italian Malvasia varieties, the project combines sensory discovery with storytelling, exploring the landscapes, producers and traditions behind each wine. Venice provides a meaningful starting point, recalling the historic trade routes that spread the name Malvasia across the Mediterranean. Through carefully selected wines, gastronomic pairings and experiences held both in Venice and beyond, Malvasia Pop Up invites participants to discover rare expressions of this diverse grape family, connecting biodiversity, local identity and Mediterranean memory.
Best Educational Experience Related to Viticulture Cépages Student Academy – IDRAC Business School & IGP Pays d’Oc
Cépages Student Academy – IDRAC BUSINESS SCHOOL & IGP PAYS D’OC is an innovative programme launched by a wine industry interprofessional organisation to complement traditional education, deepen students’ understanding of the wine sector through immersive experiences, and encourage the development of practical business tools.
Best Experience Related to Archaeology or Culture Janus Pannonius Múzeum
Janus Pannonius Múzeum was honoured for connecting wine with archaeological and cultural discovery, particularly through its wine-related exhibition. By placing wine at the centre of a museum experience, the exhibition invited audiences to consider its significance beyond the glass and explore its relationship with history, cultural identity and collective memory. The recognition highlights the value of bringing wine heritage into exhibition spaces, where it can reach wider audiences and encourage dialogue between cultural institutions and wine-growing communities. It also celebrates the role of museums in making this heritage accessible, offering visitors a deeper understanding of wine as part of the broader story of people and place.
Best Wine and Culture Package Ancient Wine Guys
Ancient Wine Guys received the award for bringing wine and cultural interpretation into a shared visitor experience. This category celebrates offers that help people discover a destination more deeply, using wine as an entry point into its history, traditions and identity.
Best Resilient Practice in Wine Tourism Jezreel Valley
Jezreel Valley was recognised for resilience in wine tourism. The award honours the commitment required to sustain wine heritage, maintain connections with communities and continue creating opportunities for cultural discovery when circumstances are challenging. Facing challenges from Covid to war Jezreel kept working hard to develop the local wine tourism system gathering ing now many local stakeholder, animating the local community and attracting a raising number of tourists.
Special Award for a Cultural Route Investing in Wine Heritage Initiatives Destination Napoleon
Destination Napoleon received a special award for its investment in initiatives related to wine heritage. The recognition highlights the potential of cooperation between cultural routes to reveal connections between historical narratives, wine-growing territories and the people who have shaped them, Wines of Napoleon by Dwstination Napoleon adn Iter Vitis is a crossborder inititive going on since 3 years now.
Best School Transmitting Wine Heritage to Younger Generations Istituto Garibaldi
Istituto Garibaldi was honoured for its commitment to passing wine heritage on to younger generations. The award recognises the essential role of schools in connecting practical learning with cultural awareness, enabling students to become active participants in the preservation and future development of viticultural traditions.
Iter Vitis Ambassador 2026 Merve Arkas
Merve Arkas was named Iter Vitis Ambassador 2026 in recognition of her commitment to wine culture, heritage and international cooperation, as well as her role as a patron of the arts and a supporter of local communities. By bringing together archaeology, artistic expression and rural heritage, she demonstrates how wine can create meaningful connections between cultural preservation and contemporary creativity. Her support for artists and community initiatives highlights the value of patronage in creating opportunities, nurturing talent and making culture more accessible. The award celebrates her ability to connect people, places and disciplines, advancing a vision of wine heritage that honours the past while contributing to the cultural life of communities today.
Best Urban Wine Route Town of Ilok and Tourist Board of the Town of Ilok
The Town of Ilok and its Tourist Board received the award for investment in culture, bringing the ceremony’s recognition back to the host destination. The distinction highlights the importance of integrating wine heritage into the cultural identity and tourism development of a territory.
Together, the winners of the 11th Iter Vitis Awards demonstrate the many ways in which wine heritage can remain a living resource: through research and education, the preservation of grape varieties, cultural interpretation, creative experiences and cooperation across borders. The gathering at Principovac Manor House reaffirmed the network’s shared commitment to tourism that respects local identity, supports communities and encourages meaningful encounters between visitors and the territories they discover.
About Iter Vitis
Iter Vitis is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, certified in 2009. It connects wine-growing territories across Europe and the Mediterranean, promoting viticultural heritage, sustainable cultural tourism and international cooperation. Through its network and annual awards, Iter Vitis supports the people and institutions working to preserve and transmit the culture of the vine and wine.