Standardized winery visits risk making wine tourism predictable and unmemorable. This article explores industry feedback, revealing the growing need for personalization, storytelling, and unique visitor experiences. While some defend the classic tour format, the challenge is to differentiate and engage an evolving audience. The key to success? Creativity, authenticity, and emotional connection with visitors.
The traditional approach based on standardized visits is showing its limitations: to shape the future of the sector, we must engage in self-criticism that stimulates change.
My latest editorial, titled Are all winery visits the same? When monotony looms, introduced the topic of potential boredom in winery tours and sparked a lively discussion on social media.
This, in itself, is already a success: it means the topic touches a sensitive nerve in our industry.
Many comments were direct, sometimes polemical, and perhaps even a bit personal. But my interest is not in fueling conflict; rather, I prefer to focus on the core issue: the wine tourism experience offered by wineries.
What the comments reveal: a challenge for improvement
One comment stated: “I worked for a winery that welcomes 15,000 visitors a year, and no one has ever been bored!” Another added: “The experience should be about the wine, nothing else is needed.”
These are legitimate viewpoints, but I’d like to clarify: I never claimed that every winery experience is monotonous or that there aren’t places capable of truly surprising their visitors. On the contrary, these exceptions serve as virtuous examples.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that many wine tourists have found winery visits too similar to each other, with wineries failing to effectively showcase their uniqueness. Beyond surveys and statistics, this perception emerges clearly from the feedback collected from both wine tourists and Hospitality Managers during our visits to over 750 wineries in Italy and abroad.
So, the question is: can we really afford to ignore this perception? Are we sure that relying solely on wine is enough to captivate an increasingly demanding and diverse audience?
Why stories matter more than wine to consumers
A fundamental aspect that is often overlooked is that the average consumer is not always able to distinguish an excellentwine from a merely decent one. So why do they remember a winery, or even choose to return? Because of how that wine, and its story, was told to them.
A passionate, authentic, and engaging narrative not only makes the experience unique but also helps visitors build an emotional connection with the wine and the territory. And this, in the end, is what makes the difference between a visit that leaves a lasting impression and one that is quickly forgotten.
Standardization: a real risk
The heart of the discussion is not to demonize the classic approach (vineyard tour, cellar visit, tasting) but rather to reflect on how this structure, while valid, can become repetitive when applied without personalization.
It’s not about turning wineries into theme parks, but rather about asking:
- How can we enhance our territory and its uniqueness?
- How can we convey something that goes beyond what visitors expect?
Being different does not necessarily mean offering a spectacle or distorting the role of wine, but rather putting forward an idea, a story, or a small detail that makes all the difference.
The challenges of a ‘mors tua vita mea‘ Ssector
Another comment stated: “In this industry, it’s survival of the fittest.” It’s true—there is often little collaboration. But this is precisely why we must open up to dialogue, recognizing that when the sector grows, we all benefit.
Stepping out of the comfort zone is not easy. It requires time, creativity, and often investment. But the point is not just to say “all visits are the same” and stop there; rather, we must push the sector to reflect on how to improve.
Our intent, with this and other articles, is never to criticize for the sake of it but to stimulate growth among the thousands of producers who read us. Wine tourism is not just about opening doors and pouring a “good” wine for visitors. Doing it well requires much more: vision, creativity, the ability to communicate, and telling a story that makes visitors feel like part of something unique.
We are not here to praise our contribution to the world of wine tourism, but one thing is clear to us: giving ourselves too many compliments, without asking questions and engaging in genuine, constructive self-criticism, leads to no tangible results.
Key points
- Standardized wine tours are becoming repetitive, requiring more personalization and engagement.
- Visitors remember wineries for their storytelling, not just the wine.
- Authenticity and emotional connection enhance the wine tourism experience.
- Industry feedback highlights the need for differentiation and creativity.
- Evolving wine tourism requires investment in innovation and visitor engagement.
