Certification

The Villány- Siklós Wine Route established its own certification system in 1996. The requirements only concern the service providers of the wine route.

Subject of the certification:
To control the opening hours, the quality of catering facilities, the level of equipment, supply of information, and the conditions of wine tasting and wine sales.

The European wine route certification, consisting of three categories, is being introduced, in cooperation with the South Transdanubian wine routes and also with Spanish and Italian partners, as a result of the “VinTour” INTERREG III.C programme.

Within the framework of the VinTour programme, 10 wine routes from three countries compared their wine route certification systems, i.e. the criteria that wine route members must meet in order to become certified members. Based on the findings from the comparisons and with the leadership of the Italian partner we worked out our joint certification system. This was approved by the presidents of the wine routes participating in the wine tourism conference organised on 4 October 2006 in Siófok, by signing the Common Wine Route Chart. In 2007 a trademark was designed which visitors have been able to see displayed since the spring of 2009 at the service providers of the wine routes of South Transdanubia. We hope that our initiative serving the development of quality wine production will raise the interest of other Hungarian wine routes as well.

For further information see http://www.vintour.info/pages/sub.jsp?id=883

APPLICATION OF THE NEW EUROPEAN CERTIFICATION SYSTEM

Objectives of the certification:

• to ensure that the service providers keep to the standardized requirements
• to encourage the existing and the newly-established businesses to offer and improve quality services, inspiring them to continuous self-development
• to set a minimum level of quality (which may act as a benchmark both for members and those who wish to join the system)
• regulating quality, catching up with European tourism standards is possible in the long run
• to make the label “certified wine route station” a guarantee of quality for guests
• to fensure reliability
• to establish a complex network, with products complementing and mutually reinforcing each other, at a similar level of quality
• the standardized, good quality of services forms the basis for attractive and informative propaganda and a credible marketing activity
• unified promotion on both the Hungarian and the international market

The wine route certification covers the following services:

• Wineries and cellars
• Producers of local products
• Restaurants and catering facilities
• Accommodation
• Shops selling wines and local products
• Tourism offices
• Handicrafts businesses
• Wine museums
• Other wine route services

The range of other services is not specifically defined. To make a decision as to whether a respective service can be featured among the attraction of the wine route is the competency of the leaders of the Association on the basis of recommendations made by the certification committee of the wine route. According to the practice, all offers belonging to viticulture and wine production, traditional handicrafts and professions characteristic of the region and demonstrating its cultural values and traditions (customs and way of life) are unconditionally considered as wine route “services”.  Accordingly, the offer of the wine routes now contains wine museums and local history museums and galleries. Similarly, services related to leisure activities (e.g. handicrafts camps, equestrian services, hiking in nature, hunting etc.) are also seen as wine route services.

Wine Route Chart
This is meant to achieve the commitment of the wine routes operating in the wine regions of Europe ind other to provide an adequate quality of wine route services.

Download the whole content of the Wine Route Chart >>