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 | Wine tourism and wine culture |
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Wine has been and still is a temptation for our senses and pleasing for our palates. Great food always goes with great wine, no matter if white or red. Evening hours are so to speak ideal to be turned into romantic moments with a glass of wine. No wonder that the tourism industry noticed that they can use this delicious product of the grapes for their own purpose.
Already centuries ago people were enthusiastic about travelling through the wine growing regions of Bordelais and Moselle and created a sort of example for the tourism industry today. Especially the medieval times when the distance between the city and the farmlands diminished, winegrowers often used the opportunity to have people taste their wines when they came for a stroll through the vineyards in front of the city walls.
As many of the wine growing regions are located in attractive and fascinating surroundings which disposes of a great cultural value these places became a natural basis for the tourism industry as they seem to satisfy people’s longing for recreation and curiosity. Nowadays, tourism is characterised drastically by an abundance of additional benefits that should attract people and advertise their service. There are yoga retreats, sailing trips and painting courses in the country side. Wine tourism is just another way to satisfy people’s appetite for adventure and the unusual. Many hotels or special regions offer wine and cooking seminars, cheese and wine lessons, walking-tours with a visit at the local wine tavern or family programs. But this branch of the tourism sector is only working by using an effective coordination and a good cooperation of special institutions and companies from the tourism industry and the viniculture. Apart from that a geographical closeness to congested areas and a good infrastructure are essential to guarantee a success.
Many regions used the popularity of wine routes and wine walking paths to market themselves. Italy is, with 98 wine routes, by far leading the top list of wine growing countries, followed by Slovenia with 20 and Austria with 17 (www.mittelrheiforum.de). Italy set up a great functioning system for its wine tourism connecting different kinds of institutions and setting up guidelines for quality check, transportation and adjustment of the wine routes. Most of the institutions are based on private level such as the Movimento Torismo del Vino which noticed the economical potential of wine growing regions for the tourism industry early enough.
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But why do people visit these regions? Apparently because they have one day tried a wine from a special region. That sound very easy but actually there is some truth in it. Examples for this are the regions Bordeaux and Piemont which are no traditional holiday locations but nevertheless, experiencing a booming wine tourism. Of course the quality of the wine as well as a possibility to compare are crucial points when judging a wine and with it its origin. Today there are so many wines from Australia, South America or Canada on the market where people cannot easily refer to their environment. But even these regions attract a lot of people with special offers, wine seminars and all the mentioned opportunities even if they miss the natural beauty. Their friendliness, unconventional leading method, their all- embracing service and their offer of accessories and specialities make these countries competitive to the European wine regions.
But the industry also has its dark sides as the consumption of wine is in the end always dependant on consumers wishes and tastes. Increasing customer demands, quality pressure, price aggressive international competition make it harder for the tourism industry to cope and challenge them to invent a new attractiveness. Changes in customer’s preferences also immediately afflict the wine consumption and therefore the popularity of the wine region. Two examples are the Chinti region and Rhein region. While the Chianti wine region is very popular not only because of the natural beauty but also because of the life style that comes with it for example the excellent cuisine and the tasty wine. The wine growing regions in Germany, on the contrary, have experienced a loss in the tourism sector. This is of course not only connected to preferences of people but also to world political and economical factors.
But as mentioned at the beginning, the demands of people are growing and the tourism industry has to look for opportunities using creativity and originality to offer the individually and personally growing needs of the contemporary population. But wine is at least something that makes our life a bit more colourful and our cuisine much richer.
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