The Western Cape has a brand new wine region with the birth of Breedekloof at a meeting in Rawsonville on Wednesday May 5, 2004. Breedekloof incorporates the winelands between Paarl and Worcester including the Rawsonville, Slanghoek, Breede River and Goudini areas. The decision to launch Breedekloof was taken by Rawsonville Wine and Tourism, the body representing wineries and tourism businesses in the region after research conducted by Cape Technicon and brand strategists Citigate Optimizm showed that the public perception of the existing Rawsonville wine region was that it was no bigger than the village of Rawsonville. Rawsonville Wine and Tourism will be renamed Breedekloof Wine and Tourism, with winemaker Stanley Louw as chairman of the board of directors. Louw said Breedekloof would be positioned as 'much more than a wine route' in order to encourage people to visit the area to experience its natural beauty, outdoor adventure activities and its award-winning wine. 'The project was initiated and funded by the community. We are very proud of our beautiful region and want to share it with the world and, in turn, benefit all involved. Now we look forward to becoming a major player in the tourism sector of South Africa, and through our work, contributing to the economic and social upliftment of the Breedekloof community,' he said. The roll-out of the branding campaign includes the launch of the Breedekloof Outdoor Festival, a national sport and outdoor lifestyle festival, to be held in October. The festival will combine a series of major competitive sporting events, with activities for the family and an exhibition of outdoor products and services. Existing outdoor activities in the area include trout fishing, mountain biking, 4x4-ing, quad biking, horseriding, hiking and fynbos trails, mountain climbing, abseiling, canyoning, canoeing, and river rafting. The Breedekloof KWV wine district includes the wineries Aufwaertz, Badsberg, Botha, Cape Vineyards, Daschbosch, Deetlefs, Du Toitskloof, Goudini, Groot Eiland, Jason’s Hill, Lateganskop, Merwida, Opstal, Romansrivier, Slanghoek and Waboomsrivier. The decision to launch Breedekloof was also taken in response to discontent among members of the wine and tourism body, who had historically been part of the Breede River or Worcester wine regions and did not feel that the name Rawsonville properly represented them. Louw said the members had been given the opportunity to comment on the proposed name and the enthusiasm with which the new name had been accepted by the wine community and tourism roleplayers was overwhelming. Jurgens Schoeman, CEO of Breedekloof Wine and Tourism, said the new name was part of an effort by community leaders to include wine industry stakeholders in the process of creating a dynamic new tourism destination less than an hour’s drive from Cape Town. 'We wanted to create a unique, impactful and contemporary identity for the greater Rawsonville tourism region. We appointed Citigate Optimizm, who have been successful in repositioning the Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl and Robertson wine regions, to conceptualise a new name and market position for the region.'Criteria for the new name included that it could not be associated with a micro-region, it needed to be relevant to the whole region, it had to be recognisable and attractive to local tourists but sound indigenous to international tourists, and easy to remember. Breedekloof Wine and Tourism will embark on a marketing campaign to introduce Breedekloof to the public. The marketing exercise will be managed by Citigate Optimizm in conjunction with Splash PR and Media Consultants. Breedekloof Wine and Tourism has an information and tasting centre in Rawsonville offering free winetasting of the area’s wines and a selection of maps and brochures for visitors. Email: info@breedekloof.comContact: Jurgens SchoemanTel: +27 (0) 23 349-1791Email: jurgens@breedekloof.com Website: www.breedekloof.comIssued by: Splash PR & Media Consultants on behalf of Breedekloof TourismContact: Kerry SeymourTel: +27 (0) 21 790-9911Email: kerry@splashpr.co.za