• More and more winegrowers are trying to diversify into wine tourism… with a result that does not always meet their expectations.

  • The profession seeks to develop a more qualitative approach.

    The Vinomed trade fair organized this week in Montpellier confirmed this trend.

  • “You have to offer the visitor an immersive experience.

    Winegrowers are passionate people who must know how to transmit their passion, ”explains France Gerbal-Médalle, consultant and researcher.

The study reflects both the generalization of the practice.

But also the aspirations of the profession and its current limits.

The wine tourism barometer is a valuable tool, produced by France Gerbal-Médalle, consultant within the AOC tourism and environment firm and associate researcher.

For an entire industry, wine tourism is not yet an El Dorado.

But it is clearly on the rise in the region.

“We wanted to recreate a major wine fair in Montpellier,” explains Olivier Darras, associate director of Break Events Group, the organizer of Vinomed, which has just ended at the Parc des Expositions.

Very quickly, wine tourism established itself as a unifying theme.

Feedback from the 75 exhibitors and 1,128 visitors to this B2B show [reserved for professionals] confirms that we were not wrong.

"

69% of the profession considers the fallout to be disappointing

“In Occitania, the approach to wine tourism is very festive, often linked to aperitifs and concerts while it is for example associated with heritage in Gironde, details France Gerbal-Médalle.

Its future depends on an activity that is not just seasonal.

Each domain in Occitania receives an average of 1,400 visitors per year.

A constantly rising figure.

For an economic impact that 69% of the profession considers disappointing.

“Many professionals see wine tourism as an added value.

But do not have the keys to achieve it, ”summarizes Olivier Darras.

“The future is a move towards more quality,” emphasizes France Gerbal-Médalle.

You have to be able to welcome the visitor with dedicated and trained people.

Offer him an immersive experience.

Go to the vineyards, discover the terroir and the wine through its omnipresent history in the region.

The winegrowers are passionate people.

They must know how to transmit this passion.

“Since the Covid-19 crisis, the hinterland and rural areas have experienced an unprecedented craze.

“Sustainable tourism is a very strong trend.

Wine tourism has its place here.

"

New practices, in immersion

In 2018, the Hérault department published the Oenotour, a guide in which 97 cellars and a number of related activities around viticulture are listed. Visibility hailed by a prize at the Vitis Awards. "This award underlines the importance of this project for the enhancement of our wine heritage and more generally for our territory", explained, on the occasion of the award ceremony, Kléber Mesquida, the president of the community.

Three years later, the industry has taken a turn.

Like Jérôme Villaret, former general delegate of the Interprofessional Languedoc Wines Council, who has just created Les pépites du Sud "a receptive agency offering experiences in the region to wine lovers".

A la carte stays, where the discovery of wines is associated with gastronomy, cultural heritage or even sporting experience.

Well beyond the wine routes set up by communities and professionals in the 1930s.

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