dossier

Wine “tourism”

[vc_row full_screen_section_height=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wine “tourism” Today, in Italy, it represents an important opportunity for our territory, through which we can make the activities and products of the Cellars more widely known, while at the same time offering an example of how one can do business while respecting traditions, environmental protection and quality agriculture.


The Tuscany case.

Giving us a glimpse of how the interaction between tourism and winemaking is changing is Lorenzo Scian from Magliano Farm (GR):

“Until 5 years ago, the agritourism activity was quite irrelevant and completely disconnected from our winery, almost as if it were a hotel, so much so that the owners, having evaluated the cost-revenue ratio, thought of suspending it. Then it started to grow. Today the agritourism activity is definitely synergic to the sale of wine and covers 25% of the total. I don't feel like saying which activity is more useful to the other. Certainly, the first approach is always of a tourist type, then, at a later stage, the customers discover with pleasure that there is an important winery attached to the agritourism and often end up buying the so-called "wine cellar packages" (visits to the vineyards and the winery, tastings, etc.) and therefore the bottles".

However, wine tourism has a changing face, he underlines Scion which notes how at Fattoria di Magliano initiatives such as Cantine Aperte do not take off, unlike what happens in Franciacorta where the Corte Aura company follows.

 

And what happens in the rest of Tuscany, which has always been a major tourist destination?

In Chianti Classico – a very lively area that in May 2017 marked a sales boom with a +58 compared to May 2016 and that in the last 7 years has continued to record a constant growth of over 50%, reaching the highest level in the last 20 years – the data speak of a total turnover of 900 million euros estimated on the complex activities of the wine companies in the area (therefore including both production linked to wine, oil and tourism (overnight stays and catering services).
Total tourist arrivals in 2015 in the company are around 300 thousand compared to a total tourist presence of around one million.

Wine tourism here also accounts for a tenth of the turnover, he says. Manuel Verdelli from Capannelle: “The Wine Resort with 7 rooms reaches 10% of our turnover to which we must add 12% from direct wine sales”.

 

Even in Montalcino, where exports were worth 2016% in 70, wine tourism plays a strong role. Thomas Squarcia di Castello Tricerchi says that, after only two years, wine tourism accounts for almost 25% of the company's turnover and underlines the importance of the experience and word of mouth of tourists once they return home.

Richard Bogi of Cantina Argiano underlines the investments that they are making in this direction in the company, having noted the almost 10% of value brought by wine tourism.

The virtuous mechanism between company visits, hospitality and sales is also underlined by the Fanti Family of La Palazzetta, while Francesca Vallone of Terre Nere speaks of an average purchase value of the visitor of 250 euros per person.

The combination of sea and wine is the basis of the hospitality of the Maremma, which can also enjoy the suggestive traces of Etruscan culture.
“A significant portion of tourists choose their destination based on culture and gastronomic offerings” are the words used by Luke Sani on the occasion of the opening conference of MaremmaCheVini, last June 11th and 12th.

A winery like La Biagiola, which offers the possibility of visiting the ancient Etruscan-Roman villa discovered in the vineyards of the property, is just one of the examples that can be given. Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana where the wine production is grafted into a context of great landscape-archaeological suggestion, are other examples of realities that can attract a lot, also thanks to the current curiosity for volcanic wines.

 

+31,7% for arrivals in the cellar.

The current wine tourism data released by the Movimento Turismo Vino and relating to 2015 (those for 2016 will be announced shortly) show a growth of +32% for wine tourism expenditure, with a +31,7% for arrivals at the winery and +13% for the company turnover deriving from these arrivals.

However, there are still several factors that hinder its development, including for example the lack of aggregation in the territory.

“A limit – specifies Carlo Giovanni Pietrasanta – which could be overcome by strengthening the dialogue between wineries and municipalities and working more in synergy with the various sector associations at the regional level. I am thinking for example of the collaboration between Movimento Turismo Vino, Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti and Le Donne del Vino”.

“Two pieces of evidence clearly emerge from the report - he claims Floriano Zambon, president of Città del Vino – the number of arrivals at the winery continues to increase and the economic value of wine tourism contributes more and more to the overall wealth of Italy”.

In areas like Alto Adige – which has been able to make tourism an important lever – networks like the “Vinum Hotel” are developing, which brings together 29 different entities including agricultural companies, wineries and international hotels.

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