Winera has developed a new approach to connecting wineries with wine enthusiasts, offering an intuitive platform to explore wine regions and wine-related experiences. The project was born out of the need to help both established and emerging wineries promote their offerings and make wine tourism more accessible.
The company works with wineries and tour operators from more than 20 countries, including famous wine regions such as Tokaj, Tuscany, Piedmont, Douro Valley, Rioja as well as emerging Adria wine regions of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia all the way up to South Africa and South America. It has also entered the Italian market, with a good number of wineries already in its portfolio, and aims to offer its services to an increasing number of Italian wineries.
We interviewed Djordje Milivojevic, who has been in wine business for years, to understand the company’s mission and distinctive features in a market (wine tourism) that is currently experiencing great appeal and generating significant growth in the wine sector.
Djordje, can you describe the circumstances in which the Winera project was born?
In my opinion, Winera bridges a gap between wineries and the large community of wine tourists. As industry operators, during numerous visits to wineries around the world, we encountered difficulties in some stages of the process and we decided to improve the visibility and accessibility of wineries. In particular, the booking process often required long and repeated email communications, long waiting times for responses, and sometimes phone calls. We then decided to create a platform where wine lovers could easily book winery visits and wine tours in a simple and immediate way. In just six months since our launch, Winera has achieved remarkable success and is gearing up to enter the U.S. market by year-end.
What is the “production” formula behind the Winera proposal and what are the specific goals for Italy?
Let’s start with our goal, which is to increase the visibility of wineries by creating a global community of wine enthusiasts. Winera combines its service offerings with the expertise of a sommelier in the role of a travel advisor, offering an approach that is currently unique in the industry. Just as a sommelier expertly guides clients in choosing the perfect wine, Winera, as a ‘travellier,’ provides personalized insights and recommendations to ensure unforgettable wine experiences. Unlike the numerous information sources available, Winera stands out by simplifying market exploration and streamlining the booking process, discovering and proposing new experiences, offering tailored advice, and making the world of wine accessible and engaging for everyone.
For Italy in particular, we aim to leverage its rich wine culture by helping wineries attract more visitors, diversify their clientele, and increase direct sales. Italy’s global reputation as a leader in the wine sector makes it a strategic market with significant growth potential in wine tourism. Our mission is to make the world of wine accessible and simple for everyone, especially for those who, due to language barriers and a complicated booking process, miss out on incredible wine experiences. Winera aims to solve this problem.
What type of direct clientele does your project target?
Winera mainly targets wineries and travel agencies, aiming to connect them with a wide audience. Our goal is to create a network among wine enthusiasts, wineries, tour operators, and hospitality service providers, improving the quality and richness of the wine tourism experience. This network supports the growth of wine tourism and offers unique and memorable experiences for travelers.
What does your customer offering consist of and what services does it include?
Our offering includes consultancy for creating and customizing visit packages, defining pricing strategies, and optimizing their presence on our platform. We also provide support for marketing and promotional activities, profile and experience setup, and continuous assistance to ensure effective use of our services.
Efficient customer care is a priority for Winera: we offer comprehensive assistance for both tourists and wineries, ensuring a smooth and safe experience with continuous support, simple bookings, and a warm welcome at the winery. This significantly reduces the workload for wineries, as Winera handles customer inquiries and ensures an optimal experience.
Winera is set to emerge as a global platform designed to connect wineries with wine lovers and newcomers around the world, enhancing access to extraordinary wine tourism experiences. With ambitions to penetrate the U.S. market, Winera envisions a future where wineries can reach a broad international audience, providing travelers with an effortless means to discover and relish unique wine-related adventures.
Recent research indicates that strong emotional connections significantly enhance memory retention. In light of the current challenges facing wineries, particularly as the global wine market experiences a decline exceeding 30%, we believe that wine hospitality is the most effective long-term sales strategy. Winera is committed to fostering these emotional connections, helping wineries thrive in an evolving landscape.
