Joined Marketing Forces launch "Discover the taste of Germany"

With the tagline, Discover the Taste of Germany, the GNTB and the GWI, along with regional partners of the “Wine Culture and Nature” theme, are initiating a campaign to further promote Germany’s image as a prominent travel destination for culinary art and to initiate further travel to its unique wine regions.

Positive Image Building - “Presenting Germany and its multifaceted wine growing regions internationally as an attractive holiday destination is a common interest of the GNTB and the GWI. A market study shows that consumers develop an intense relationship with our wine when they have the opportunity to visit German wine growing regions and personally get to know the wine makers”, accentuates Monika Reule, Managing Director of the German Wine Institute. “With our cooperation, we would not only like to improve the image of Germany’s exceptional wine culture as a holiday destination, but also increase the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists,” says Petra Hedorfer, chairwoman of the board of directors of the German National Tourism Board.

At www.germany.travel/gemuetlichkeit, extensive, multilingual content helps put wine hotels, wine events, vinotheques, and wine regions at center stage and displays the high point of German wine culture.

Cooperative Events in 2012 - The Netherlands, Great Britain, the USA, and Switzerland are the focus markets of promotional activities with consumers, the tourism industry, and the press serving as target audiences. Next to world wide sales and marketing measures, the GNTB and the GWI are conducting promotional campaigns under the theme “Wine Culture”. In London during the Olympic Games, for example, an evening event for opinion formers from the press and trade under the theme “Wine and Culinary Art” will take place in the Deutsche Haus on July 31, 2012.

Collective Media Campaigns - Likewise, at the focus of the mutual campaign, is a media campaign under the motto, Discover the Taste of Germany. The GNTB’s international website, www.germany.travel, provides information regarding the German wine growing regions, as well as meaningful tourist content, such as wine-hotels, vinotheques, and wine festivals. A Meridian travel guide, Discover Germany’s Wine Regions, available in English and Dutch, puts the subject in print form.

Discover the Taste of Germany - According to Quality Monitor 2010/2011, 44 percent of foreign tourists in Germany simply want to “enjoy”. The theme, Discover the Taste of Germany, places the multifaceted pleasure experience that Germany has to offer its guests in the spotlight. Next to Riesling, Spätburgunder and Co., are also scores of internationally renowned top chefs, who have long ago made a name for themselves.

Weinkulturkalender.de with Event Highlights - Zest for life and enjoyment are traditionally a priority in Germany- especially in the 13, very unique, wine growing regions. In the Ahr, Baden, and Franken, on the Hessischen Bergstraße, in the Mittelrhein, the Mosel, and the Nahe, in the Pfalz, Rheingau, and Rheinhessen, in the Saale-Unstrut, Saxony, and Wüttemburg, not only are tourists making a one of a kind culinary discovery, but also can visit over a thousand wine festivals. A wine culture calendar lists event high points throughout the year.

World wide comprehensive Social Media measures - A central building block of the marketing activities of the GNTB, are the theme related events and educational trips for industry professionals, media and opinion formers. Ads and billboard campaigns are also a main ingredient of the campaign, with the goal of strengthening Germany’s image as a holiday destination for pleasure, enjoyment, and culture oriented tourists. The GNTB also publicizes the idea worldwide with extensive social media activities.

The Most Beautiful Wine Views - For international guests as well as German tourists who increasingly enjoy discovering the wine regions as a free time destination, the GWI will present Germany’s “Most Beautiful Wine Views” for the first time. These spectacular view points are especially for wine lovers who enjoy the outdoors, traveling by foot or biking through our regions.

Wine hiking weekend April 28th & 29th – A highlight for active tourists is this year’s national “Wine Hiking Weekend” on April 28 and 29, 2012. More than 150 activities will be held in coordination with the event, which will be summarized in a separate brochure.

New database with international wine distributors and importers

The data will soon be expanded to 200 addresses and will be made available on the English-DWI website (www.germanwines.de) and will be implemented on the websites of the DWI offices abroad.

The database provides a valuable guide for wine lovers around the world, and provides information on where to find German wine growing regions. Importers can register here to be included in the database.

Through the search icon on the left navigation bar, visitors can research wine distributors and importers in export markets.

"Top Chef" alum Dale Talde has opened up an eponymous eatery --- Talde --- in Brooklyn's Park Slope. The menu is eclectic and pan-Asian. Talde, 369 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11215, 347-916-0031.

Danny Meyer's latest restaurant is North End Grill, located way downtown in the Financial District. Floyd Cardoz, who helmed the kitchen at the late Tabla, is the chef. The menu focuses on steaks, pork chops and other American fare. North End Grill, 104 North End Ave., New York, NY 10282, 646-747-1600.

Chicago

Takashi Yagihashi (Takashi) is drawing the masses to his long-awaited Slurping Turtle, a casual spot for shareable Asian plates, sashimi, dumplings, grilled meats and noodle bowls, like the Tan Tan Men with whole-wheat egg noodles, ground pork and spicy, homemade sausage. Slurping Turtle, 16 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60654, 312-464-0466.

Matthias Merges is behind Yusho, a kushiyaki and yakitori-focused place with a charcoal grill and a global selection of wines, beers and sakés. Yusho, 2853 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL 60618, 773-904-8558.

Former Les Nomades chef Chris Nugent has gone it alone with the opening ofGoosefoot in Lincoln Square, where seasonal ingredients inform eight and 12-course tasting menus, ones that may include dishes like Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese with celery-truffle caponata and almonds. Goosefoot, 2656 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL 60625, 773-942-7547.

San Francisco

Charles Phan's newest restaurant, Wo Hing General Store, has opened in what was The Slanted Door's first location at 584 Valencia Street in the Mission District. (Phan's Slanted Door is now located in the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero.) The long, narrow, two-tiered restaurant boasts a bar made from a reclaimed bowling alley, and features Asian street food with a Chinese bent from Michelle Mah. Cocktails by bar manager Brooke Arthur are also a big draw. Lunch & Dinner daily. Wo Hing General Store, 584 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-552-2510.

Las Vegas

Old Homestead Steakhouse, one of New York City’s most historic restaurants, in operation since 1868, has opened its first West Coast location at Caesars Palace. Located near the Colosseum theater, the space features more than 6,000 square-feet, with a dining room, private dining room, lounge and bar. The extensive menu includes several signature dishes from the New York City menu, including the 32-ounce Gotham rib-eye steak on the bone, the 18-ounce empire cut of prime rib, and colossal crab cake. A raw bar offers chilled Maine lobster cocktail, colossal shrimp cocktail and East and West Coast oysters. More than 15,000 wine bottles are housed on-site, and a large variety of champagnes and red and white wines are available by the glass. Old Homestead Steakhouse, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-731-7110, 877-427-7243.

Please keep the Wines of Germany bureau updated on any relevant news and business developments by writing to info@germanwineusa.com.

Best,
Sherri Poall and Bruce Schneider
Wines of Germany Directors