In 2011 the Great Wine Capitals Global Network published a market survey titled Financial Stability and Viability of Wine Tourism Business in the GWCN which includes Cape Town, Bordeaux, Florence, Mendoza, Mainz, Rioja, Porto and Napa Valley.

The figures

Old world have a wine tradition the goes back to the 17^th century while New World wine cities as the term suggests have a younger wine tradition that goes back to the 90’s. Data gathered reveals that wine tourism in both New and Old world dates back to the 90’s

The number of tourists per year reaches its peak in summer, which does not come as a surprise (70.5% of the visitors) Well it does come as a surprise to me as summer for Wine Pleasures is low season. High season being March to June and September to November. Why? From our own research i.e. asking our customers the answer is that a wine tour is a second holiday taken by adults and without the kids. Summer holidays are spent with the whole family and probably by the sea.

Can you estimate the average spending of each visitor?

The average spending per visitor is between 30 and 200 US$ (depends of course on the region)  200$ Florence, 188$ Napa, Rioja 30$ – that’s probably because Spain doesn’t charge for the visit!

Which are the most important benefits that wine tourism brings to your winery and region?

68, 9% Improve image, 61, 9% Increase revenue, 35, 6% increase employment

Promotion

Most promotion is done through the Tourist Information Office (68%), wine tasting events (63, 7%), mailings/newsletters (61%) Traditional advertising is low – 28.6%

28, 4% said that the most effective promotion was in coming travel agents and tour operators.

Activities offered by the wineries are often limited to tasting (83, 1%), and guided visits (74, 9%), only 40% provide food facilities and less than 30% can offer accommodation.

Only in the New World regions the use of social media is widely used. Old Worlds destinations seem to be more attached to a traditional promotion based on wine tasting events and participating in trade fairs.

Wine Sales

What % of your income comes from wine sales and wine tourism?

77, 90% wine sales, 19, 45% tourism activity. Tourists pay for the activity and then they may buy the wine.

What is the most important distribution channel for your wines?

32, 1% direct sales at the winery, 18% Restaurant or Hotel, 16, 8% wine shop.

Do you consider your wine tourism activities as financially viable?

Majority said yes. Napa 100% yes

63.3% said that wine tourism activities are a good alternative to face economic crisis periods. A good example of this is the MICE market. Gone are days of looking abroad for a foreign destination to hold a MICE activity. Many companies look at something closer to home – wineries make excellent venues for corporate events – team building, meetings and so on.

Conclusions

• Wine tourism activities seem to be not only sustainable but viable
• Wine tourism income is steadily growing in each member city
• New World is taking better advantage from the new technology promotion tools while in the Old World there is suspicion towards the new media
• Income from wine tourism represents around 20% of total winery income but this figure does not take into account the wine sales that are generated later.
• Wine tourism is above all a major marketing tool that should be 100% integrated in the commercial strategies of the wineries as the impact is so important for their image around the world.

So how do we attract more wine tourists to our region and business?

While there are hundreds of marketing tools we can use we believe there are only two effective ones:

1. Run a web site 2.0 and get your messages to your target audience via Social Media
2. Fam Trips for Tour Operators, Press and Bloggers

1. Web site 2.0 – what’s that?

The internet has been around for some 30 or so years now. Until recently we had the Web 1.0 where content was static and in the most unchanging. Web pages were passive. Web 2.0 is active allowing for bidirectional dynamic and interactive dialogue. If your web site is not 2.0 then you are losing out on creating a relationship with the end user, or rather your customer, the one that stays in your hotel, eats in your restaurant, visits your museum, goes on a wine country bike tour, visits your winery and buys your wine or olive oil.

1.1 How do we connect with our existing and future customers?

Blogs. Wine and travel related blogs are abound on the internet and as today’s consumer turns more and more to the internet for information he or she is more likely to find a wine blog on say Istria than by searching traditional media such as travel magazines. So if your aim is to brand and market your business to potential customers then you need to get your messages on the first page of a Google search. Running a blog is the one way to do this.

1.2 What is a Blog?

A blog is a dynamic web site which you can manage yourself. Indeed, it is desirable that you do manage it yourself rather than contracting someone to do it for you. By posting information on your blog you can get your message indexed by Google within minutes and with a bit of practice your post will appear on the first page of a Google search.

Let’s Google search a couple of examples:

Wine Tourism Croatia – Wine Tourism Istria

1.3 Blogging – some practical tips

Publish some content at least once a week. Content can be a post on “The Fantastic wines we tried at Vinistra”  “See who visited us at Vinistra”  “Meet some of the people that stayed in our Hotel during Vinistra”.  Talk to people. Interview them. Do a podcast on your iphone. Take hundreds of photos and create an album. Video interview people. Video people tasting your wines, trying your food… Publish all this on your blog and get known, generate communication and sooner or later you will generate traffic to your business and region or vice versa.

Posts don’t have to be 400 – 600 words but can be short and sweet – It’s a fine sunny day as usual in Porec. A photo of an important sommelier trying your wines or a 2 minute podcast or video of someone giving their impressions of a horseback ride through Istrian vineyards.

Be consistent, be honest and don’t give the impression of trying to sell something. Tell stories! A funny thing happened at the winery today……What a surprise we had today…..A ghost story…

So, we have a blog up and running so how do we get people to read it?

1.4 Enter social media tools

Social networks for wine & tourism consumers and wine & tourism professionals are online communities which allow you to connect with consumers and build relationships that lead to on the one hand new customers and on the other loyal customers.

Take a look at these *figures:

90% of online users trust recommendations from people they know
81% of social networkers have received product advice from friends and followers
74% of those were influenced by the advice
70% even trust recommendations from people they don’t know

*Source EWBC in Numbers

Within these networks your grape escape destination and all that reside within the territory (wineries, hotels, agroturismo, wine shops, restaurants, museums, service providers (bike tours, 4×4 trips, balloon, horse, walking) can become household names when people form groups around them.

Where are people forming groups?

1.4.1 Professional

Linked in has several professional groups that you should join:

Wine and Culinary Tourism Worldwide – open group to for wine tourism experience providers to network with agents and tour operators

EITBTM – closed group for MICE providers to network with buyers

International Wine Network closed group for wineries to network with importers

Travel and Tourism Industry Professionals Worldwide

There are more if you search. Why not create your own? Vinistra?

1.4.2 Social

Facebook is where everybody is so jump on and create a Fan page so you can add content (such as photos, videos or articles) to keep your fans or likees as they are known nowadays updated on your business. Create a closed Group page where members can post their own photos and texts and network with each other. The average Facebook user creates 90 pieces of content per month.

• Twitter

Open a twitter account and join the conversation. Twitter provides a platform for you to connect and share with people interested in wine food & tourism. With very little effort you can get your message and brand out to thousands of people several times a day which in turn will generate traffic to your main web site. Twitter has some 100 million active users each month. 64 Masters of Wine (25% of all MWs) are on twitter.

• Social Video sites – YouTube, Vimeo

Create an account on Vimeo and then start to make some videos – share your winemaking philosophy, show them how to make a typical local dish, explain why your wines match a known dish, a tour around the hotel kitchen chatting to the chefs, a How to video.. How to open a bottle of sparkling wine, how to taste wine……how to find white truffles….

Once you have created your video you can then embedded them on your own blog posts on your own websites. Create an account on You Tube and upload your video for added exposure.

• Some tips
• Social is the key word here – be social – comment on other people’s blogs and chat using social media tools
• Use day-to-day language. Forget the corporate spiel
• Getting started can be tough and lonely on the social media. Be patient (give yourself 4 months or so) and build up connections without being in a rush. Ask someone to hold your hand!
• Show up on Google

Type your name into Google and see who is talking about you. Many of you will see that there are people talking about you and you yourself are not. By starting a blog you’ll see your posts start to appear in Google. Talk about not only yourself  but also about other wine tourism experience providers in your territory so that when the consumers is searching for example Kabola he will find reference to Trapan in the same article.

• Get on Skype so people can chat with you, your winemaker or your wine tourism manager

2. Fam Trips for Tour Operators, Press and Bloggers

Familiarization Trips (Fam Trips, for short) for Tour Operators and Travel Agents are common practice for the travel industry. For the tourism provider it is probably by far the most cost-effective marketing tool they can invest in to gain greater market share and sales. The provider is able to appeal to the Agent’s five senses by providing culinary and cultural experiences. This kind of marketing activity aims to inspire the agent to design and develop new products using the destination and providers sponsoring the Fam Trip as well as of course helping to sell their product better.

With Internet, consumers are using Google and twitter as their sole source of information gathering. Traditionally, travel lovers went to their local travel agent to choose their next holiday. Nowadays they are looking through blogs, social media sites, and forums… for all sorts of information (hotels, restaurants, local transport, attractions…) on a holiday destination. FIT travelers are now able to tailor-make their own itineraries and of course book their flights directly with the airline company making the local travel agent void and useless. MICE travel is also jumping over the middle man often booking directly (and saving 15-20%) with the Hotel venue for their conferences and meetings.

Today’s Internet provides not only a wealth of information (much more than most travel agents currently provide) but also allows the user to dialogue with the blogger, asking questions, requesting further information, asking for clarification and so on. Blogging is changing the way we both find, and sift, through information about travel. With rapidly increasing numbers of travel blogs being created, people searching the net are bound to come up with a travel blog before any travel agent web site.

Wine Pleasures, over the last 7 years and now as part of its annual International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) has been organizing Fam Trips for international tour operators and travel agents. In 2011 Conference (Porto, Portugal) we took an innovative step forward and created an 8 day Fam Bloggers/Media Trip which provided bloggers with an abundance of material on cultural, culinary and wine tourism. In 2012 (Perugia, Italy) we repeated the event and the results were spectacular in terms of the amount of content published internet – more than 2,000 posts have been made to date on some aspect of the Fam Trip programme – and there are still new posts to be published. That is not to mention the thousands of tweets made prior to during and after the event.

IWINETC 2013 is of course coming to Croatia in 2013 from 15 – 17 March and will consist of 2 days of talks, one day workshop for wine tourism experience providers to meet with international tour operators specialized in wine and culinary tourism – Fam Trips to Istria, Dalmatia and Zagreb and Slovenia and we hope to get sponsorship to repeat a Blogger/Media Fam Trip.

Participate in this event either in person or from a distance and you will benefit. Let the opportunity pass by and you will be disappointed.

Nowadays you can control your own commercial destiny with respect to wine and culinary tourism. You don’t need to rely on journalists, wine and food critics.

To sum up

• Wine Tourism is both sustainable and viable
• Wine tourism should form a part of your overall marketing plan
• Wine tourism experience providers that set up and run an active blog will win in today’s market place. Those of you who do not will lose.
• Wine tourism experience providers who are exploiting the social media channels by conversing with wine and culinary tourism lovers will win. Those that do not will lose.

Anthony Swift Vinistra, Poreč, Istria (Croatia), Saturday 12 May 2012.

See you in Zagreb for the 5^th Annual International Wine Tourism Conference & Workshop

Here are some blogs you should know about which are talking about Croatian wine and culinary tourism:

Istria Aficionado

Come for the Wine

IWINETC

Blue Danube Wine Company

Wines of Croatia

Taste of Croatia

There aren’t many at the moment but just wait and see how many there will be by the time the International Wine Tourism Comes round in 2013!

Comments and feedback are important for developing the future of IWINETC and ensuring the event continues to meet delegate’s needs. So we asked all participants for their comments on the event. All feedback  received by 15 February was entered into a draw for a free registration for IWINETC 2013. And the lucky winner is……… Marijan Močivnik

Marijan is based in Slovenia and is a photographer and journalist.  He attended the very first IWINETC back in 2009. Here are the answers to a few questions we posed:

1. Could you give us your overall feedback on all aspects of IWINETC 2012? 

In general I think that conference was vey well organised, no comments on place etc, it was good. As I already mentioned, very good was the decision that English was the only official language (not as it was in 2009 in Spain – English/Spanish). Of course it is impossible to participate/follow all programme (as there are up to 3 talks at the same time (as I remember – I did not check the programme now) and in some cases up to 2 were of the same interest for me). I work in graphic design studio and we have to deal very often with the presentation of different information and I think that the programme could be better presented if made (also) in the form of table … where it is possible in one view to see what is going on where, what is to be paid separately and so on.

2. You mentioned in your feedback on IWINETC 2012 that we should include smaller countries as venues for the event. Croatia will host the 2013 edition of the conference. How much do you know about Croatia as a grape escape destination?

I know Croatia quite well, its coastal part much better than other parts. Our Vino magazine and our design studio work also with and for Croatian clients (regions, winemakers, …) and we also follow them quite intense.

3. Based in Slovenia can you tell us a little about the wines and wine tourism in your country?

I can tell a lot . In general: beginnings in wine-making from Roman times. Today 3 wine-growing regions (Podravje (Štajerska Slovenija and Prekmurje), Posavje (Bela krajina, Dolenjska, Bizeljsko) and Primorska (Brda (on the Italian side of the border it is called Collio), Vipava valley, Slovenska Istra (Istra on the Croatian side of the border), Kras (Carso on the Italian side …). Mostly small winemakers and few bigger cellars (up to few millions bottles per year), total annual production 80 – 100 mio l of wine, quite high consumption of wine per capita (I have to check latest data), a lot of grape varieties (some well known – sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot gris, merlot …, some more or very local (šipon, zelen, rebula, malvazija, pinela …), some traditional particularities (Cviček – light reddish (but not rose) wine made from white AND red grapes …), beside modern technology also making of so called orange wines (traditional, white grapes, long skin contact – white wines made in the way of making reds …) …

4. You write for the Revija Vino magazine. Can you talk us through the kind of content we would find and who is your readership?

It is magazine for lovers of wine, culinary arts and other delights. Contents: news, reports, interviews, opinions, selections of best wines, wine and food matching – everything from Slovenia and also from abroad… our own events for our readers, blogs on our web site … Magazine is well designed, with good photography and good contents. Definite opinion leader in the field of wine and culinary in Slovenia. Some abstracts also published in English. Readers? Demanding, mostly high educated … good paid people.

5. Finally, in which countries do you think we should consider holding the 2014 conference?

Switzerland?

IWINETC once again upheld its reputation for delivering world-class professional education with more than 40 sessions and over 250 delegates attending the seminars. We look forward to seeing you at IWINETC 2013 from 15-17 March. Early bird registration is now open!

Photo Sparkling wine by Mary Cressler, Vindulge

The 5^th Annual International Wine Tourism Conference & Workshop 2013 Croatia organized by Wine Pleasures with the support of several public and private entities is a professional get together of a large number of wine and travel professionals from around the world to share, discuss, reflect on and develop their ideas and at the same time foster wine tourism worldwide. Dates are 15^th – 17^th March 2013. The event will be held in Zagreb. The drenched in history Regent Esplanade Hotel will be the venue for the Conference talk prog.

The conference format will include themed sessions, interactive workshops, panel discussions and special interest symposiums. The conference programme will also provide excellent networking opportunities as well as a chance for wine and travel professionals to get acquainted with the latest in wine, food, travel and services at a large resources exhibition.

Call for Papers

If you would like to submit a talk to be included in the Conference programme please complete the Speaker Proposal Form. Deadline to receive proposals is 30 September 2012.

Early Bird Delegate Registration Open

As every year, the conference will provide superb education, socializing, relaxation, fun and many opportunities to taste wines from Croatia and from around the world. Registration is now open and we strongly recommend that the delegates register early and take advantage of the early bird registration – offer ends 30th November or as soon as the first 100 tickets are sold!. Register here

Wine Tourism Workshop

The Workshop is a unique event which enables wine tourism experience providers to meet international tour operators and travel agents specialized in wine and culinary tourism in a business meeting format. Providers and Agents value the workshop as it is the only international event which specializes in the buying and selling of wine tourism products in a one stop cost effective setting.

Diplomats and world statesman have also wined and dined in the Esplanade. Nikita Hruschtchow, Leonid Breshnev, President Nixon, Fanfani, Edmund Kohl, and Queen Elisabeth.

Agatha Christy wasn’t the only novelist to include the hotel in a book. Elena Tessadri, a well known Italian novelist chose the Esplanade as the setting for one of her novels. Anyone know which one?

Today, the Regent continues to follow its glorious tradition by caring for the high standards of service. With the increase of tourism to Zagreb and indeed the whole of Croatia, the Regent Esplanade Zagreb makes for an ideal venue for the 5th edition of the International Wine Tourism Conference and Workshop. We look forward to welcoming you to a hotel that has been termed “the Temple of comfort and Gastronomy” from 15 – 17 March 2013.

Don’t miss the opening plenary session on Friday 15th March in the spectacular Emerald Ballroom. Early bird registration now open.

Giorgio

Giorgio greeted us, umbrella in hand, a smile from ear to ear. “Welcome to Villa Matilde!” Rain wasn’t dampening anyone’s spirits on this soggy Saturday. We tasted Fiano and Aglianico, savored delicious bite-sized appetizers, feasted on cici and pasta soup with fresh bread and olive oil while the crackling fire warmed us. What a fine way to spend a Saturday. Well, that was the plan anyway.

I write this from Benevento, where it has been snowing since yesterday. I’m hearing reports that this is the biggest snowstorm in 54 years. “At least it won’t snow in Naples,” we were told. Ah, I just checked the forecast and it is indeed snowing in Naples. Our visit to Villa Matilde was scheduled for today, but the snow threw a monkey wrench into all our plans. The three wineries we were supposed to visit? We’ll save those for another day. I will give my highest compliments to Daniela Mastroberardino, president of Moviemiento Tourismo e Vino Campania and owner of Terradoro Winery for her ability to adjust plans on the turn of a dime. Villa Matilde accommodated us on next to no notice a day early. The experience I described earlier indeed happened and the Villa Matilde staff could not have been more attentive and gracious.

Campania. We’re in the land of Falanghina, Fiano, Greco and Aglianico. After our lunch a lucky few joined Giorgio for a tank tasting of Greco, Fiano and Aglianco Rosé. We bade our farewells and boarded the bus again bound for Benevento. Did I mention it was snowing in Benevento, our next destination. Weary travelers, we arrived via treacherous roads and befuddled drivers at the beautiful Hotel il Molino. Chef Angelo D’Amico prepared a marvelous dinner for us. Lucky for us, due to the unrelenting snow, we had the opportunity to spend some one on one time with him the following morning.

Chef Angelo

We awoke to find it still snowing. Daniela scrambled and after a brief presentation on Campania, we followed Chef Angelo into the kitchen for a hands on cooking demo. He led us through the preparation of two dishes: one a potato and pasta soup, the other a dish laden with Campanian vegetables. You’ll find a video of us in the kitchen and the recipes, loosely translated from Italian. The recipes seem complex, but trust me, he had both these dishes finished in less than ten minutes and they were scrumptious. Fresh and local makes such a difference.

Early afternoon the sun broke through the glooms and began to melt the snow. We climbed aboard the bus and headed towards naples with one stop left: Cantine Grotta Del Sole. We met below the winery near the lakeside vineyards and visited with Gilda Martusciello, whose family has owned the winery for four generations. Their vineyards are planted in four areas: Phlegraen, the Sorento Peninsula, Irpina and Vesuvius and they grow and produce Falanghina, Piedirosso, Gragnano, Greco, Aglianico and other varietals. We sat with Gilda and members of her family while we watched pictures and heard the story of their winery while tasting four of their wines.

Gilda Martusciello

We said our goodbyes and boarded the bus one final time as we made our way to Naples. The International Wine Tourism Conference 2012 behind us, we look forward to IWINETC 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia.

Recipes: (more complicated sounding than they are to make)

PASTA AND POTATOES WITH TOMATO BASKET AND ANCHOVY DRIPPING:

ingredients for 4 people:

2 dark potatoes
oil of olive
1 spoon of chopped and browned onion
garlic
30 g of black pig
320 g of mixed pasta
vegetable soup
cetara anchovy dripping
1 fillet of anchovy
Laticauda pecorino cheese

How to prepare the base:

In a large saucepan heat oil with onion, mashed garlic, pig and tomatoes.

Let them cook for about 3 minutes at high fire. Add chopped potatoes and let them brown for a few minutes. Add vegetable soup and let it dry.

Do it as many times as potatoes need to rupture.

Add other spoons of soup and let the pasta cook in it for 7/8 minutes stirring continuously.

Prepare dishes adding a handful of grated pecorino cheese.

Vegetable dish:

50 GRAMS EACH OF THESE CLEANED AND WASHED VEGETABLE:

PUMPKIN
POTATO
SICILIAN BROCCOLI
ROMAN BROCCOLI
CAULIFLOWER
1 CLOVE OF GARLIC
1 SPOON OF CHOPPED ONION
200 GRAMS OF STALE BREAD
VEGETABLE SOUP
GRATED CACIOCAVALLO

HOW TO PREPARE:
CHOP VEGETABLES AND SCALD INTO BOILED AND SALAD WATER FOR 3 MINUTES
IN A WIDE SAUCEPAN HEAT OIL WITH GARLIC AND ONION.
COOK THEM FOR A FEW MINUTES AT HIGH FIRE, ADD VEGETABLES AND LET UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED.
ADD THE STALE BREAD AND A CUP OF SOUP. LET ALL COOK FOR A FEW MINUTES.
ADD A HANDFUL OF PEPPER AND THE CACIOCAVALLO GRATED.

Tom Plant, http://wineormous.com

Three lovely wines showing great typicality made even more interesting by using local grape varieties. Tasting notes taken at the time from four bloggers…

Mustilli Spumante: “a lemon and mandarin thing going on here… a mineral apple thing” –  Julie Pegg

Mustilli Falangina Sant Agata Dei Goti 2010 : “a decent nose -a little touch of honey… a little peel… citrus” – Bill Eyer
“Very fresh, citrus, and floral tasting. Would taste great with seafood” – Mary Cressler
“There’s a definite aroma of perfumed talc… old lady’s perfumed talc” – David Lowe 

Mustilli Cesco di Nece Aglianico 2007 : “really impressed with the nose, fruit forward, rich, jammy fruit lots of raspberries. Very approachable. Medium to full bodied, a little dryness on the after taste. Tannins as expected. Really nice.” – Melba Allen

The tasting was preceded by an exploratory wander through the estates ancient cellar – mold covered walls, racked vintages snuggly aging, and oak barrels maturing the latest vintages.

Photographs and text by Andrew Barrow

Speaking for myself, I learned so much more about a destination I truly love to visit, despite the “bumps” in the road that made the trip all the more memorable. After completing a trip like and experience all the different wine and food regions, as I have the pieces of the puzzle are all coming together nicely and I really like what I see so far, I hope to return again soon.

The very last of day of our collective journey found us in Napoli or Naples as it is known by many folks in the U.S. Our fearless bus-driver, of Wine Bus fame, delivered us all in fine shape from the freak snow storm which delayed our arrival to the beautiful Romeo Hotel. A great place to recharge the travel-batteries, it sits just across the street from the harbor, with grand views of Vesuvius and makes a great jumping off place for other tourist and travel destination like Pompeii [a must see]. The only thing I would recommend that they change is the form over function of the shower and “lukewarm” at best water are definitely not my cup of tea.

Just moments after check-in, our group was invited to an Aglianico Taurasi Tasting, where we encountered four different wines of widely divergent vintages. There was a 1999 Radici Taurasi Aglianico, which I thought was just about over the hill, but still had nice fruit and very mellow tannins. There was a 2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine, a wine that left me breathless, wow a real stunner. Of course attempting to procure a bottle [by any means] before returning home, left me empty handed [sigh]. Nearly none of the group had a good experience with the Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine Feudi di San Gregorio 2004, it was a bit too tannic, chalky, with too much campfire nuances. Finally, there was the 2006 [black label] Taurasi, which was quite good, loads of ripe fruit, leather and smoke, but pulled up a bit short on the finish. Overall, it was a great introduction into the Taurasi Aglianico, all wonderfully powerful wines from one of Italy’s premier grapes, along side Sangiovese Grosso, Nebbiolo and Sagrantino. Finally it was time to head over to La Citta del Gusto in Napoli [Gambero Rosso] for our Blogger Fam-Trip farewell dinner. Where of course there was more wonderful wines for us to experience, that we had missed the opportunity earlier, because of weather related conditions. Gambero Rosso’s easily found in Napoli and is a must stop for you dinner or lunch plans. Città Del Gusto is considers itself a Tavern at lunch and easily makes the transition to well stocked Wine Bar in the evening, they also boast an authentic wood-fired Pizzeria, Cafè that prepares some of the best Nepalese style pizza in town. Last but not least, if you like to get your chef-hat on, they have brilliant, fully equipped home cooking schools, which can include wine pairing recommendations. From my experience; Città Del Gusto provides the right environment to bring together great food, tasty wines and the budding enthusiasts for some of the gastronomic experiences you will find in Napoli. Our evening included a wonderful selection of authentic Campania style foods, wines and desserts, which bowled us all over at the end of the night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but nonetheless most of us were ready to head back to our different destinations, so that we could get our stories about our wonderful experiences out on the web for the rest of the world to see and hopefully inspire them to make a similar trek. Until next time folks, sip long and prosper cheers!

Bill Eyer, San Diego, Ca Cuvée Corner Wine Blog

In a region where so many producers have been around for generations how do you begin fresh and stand out?  Intimidating for anyone to consider in any industry and something that Federico Bibi and Jennifer McIlvaine of Terre Margaritelli Winery are attempting.  Located in Umbria between Perugia and Assisi in the wine region of Torgiano, this winery spans 52 hectares of vineyard and produces over 50,000 bottles of wine annually.  Though I visited the winery during the evening when it was already dark I can imagine classic Umbrian hillsides with views if Assisi in the distance.

We visited the winery on February 1st during the International Wine Tourism Conference and Workshop to find out what makes them different from their older neighbors.  What they may lack in generations they make up for in creativity, passion for the business, and the wine in the glass.

Though they have been around since the 1950’s, Terre Margaritelli is considered a newer member of the wine community with a winemaker who has been there only six years.  Back in the 1950’s, Federico explains, “There was just ‘red’ grapes and ‘white’ grapes, but nobody knew exactly which grapes they were”.  It was twelve years ago they decided to replant everything so they had full control and knowledge of the grape varieties planted. They also decided to become certified organic, a process not easy to obtain. “It is hard to be organic in a big property,” stresses Federico, “but for us there is no other way. It is our philosophy.”

This philosophy is not only displayed in their vineyard practices but also their hospitality. During our visit we were treated to hands-on cooking lessons making traditional gnocci; something many of us genuinely enjoyed and learned from.  As we sat down to eat our creation we noticed biodegradable plates and utensils, a small but telling detail that fits the precise and compelling way Federico expresses his passion around the philosophy of the winery.

Their hospitality seemed as organic (no pun intended) and natural as their winemaking principles.  After finally sitting down for dinner and learning about the wines, we became witness to Federico as not just a businessman, but also a loving husband and new father.  His passion shows both in the work he does for Terre Margaritelli and relationship with his wife and chef Jennifer McIlvaine of Life Italian Style.  You can sense their camaraderie and love for each other simply by the way they interact and laugh together.  It may sound a bit romantic, but they made us feel like part of their family during our dinner sharing wine, great food, laughter, warmth and stories. This hospitality, good food and wine created a very memorable experience for fellow bloggers and myself. Something I hope many other travelers, both wine and food lovers, can have the opportunity to experience.

…  For more on Terre Margaritelli Winery, the specific wines we drank, and the recipe for Jennifer’s delicious gnocci please stay tuned to my blog, Vindulge,  in the weeks to come.  I am going to attempt to make Jennifer’s gnocci for my own family upon my return home next weekend. Let’s see if I pass the test!

Mary Cressler, Vindulge http://www.vindulgeblog.com/

This dark place dates back 10 centuries.  Do the math: That’s 1,000 years.

There were a scant 86 barrels in the cellar, dutifully labeled, and some 300 bottles with labels wrapped in plastic to save them from the humidity, which reached 80%. You would think the place would reek of mold, but the smell really wasn’t a nose buster. And the artifacts of aged-old wine de-stemmers, spooky corners and scales of steps led to great picture taking.

Terre del Principe makes seven distinctive wines, mostly from only three indigenous grapes specific to the region: Pallagrello Bianco, Pallagrello Nero and Casavecchia. These were mostly new grapes to us and piqued our taste buds and interests.

Moreover, the taste sensation of pairing them with what has to be the best homemade mozzarella and ricotta cheeses and melt-in-your-mouth pizzas this side of paradise no doubt added to the experience. And if there’s anything we’ve learned while traversing through Umbria is that wine is not just a beverage, but a way of living.

The winemaker is Luigi Moio, who Manuela calls “the brains” of their winemaking operation. Luigi, who is a professor of oenology at the University of Naples, unearthed these three grapes that have led to yet another source of wine in a country that has more than its fair share of fabulous vino.

The best of the bunch were the Ambrusco 2009, a 100% Pallagrello Nero that showed a rich ruby color with hints of dark fruit, black leather, cherry plum and just a touch of tobacco on the nose. It ended with a very fine acidity and tannin structure.

The Fontanavigna was a bright, clean refreshing take of 100% Pallagrello Bianco that paired remarkably well with that mouthwatering mozzarella and smooth-as-silk ricotta – made on the premises by a man whose name we never learned but whose face we will never forget.

The Il Sasso di Riccardo, a Passito di Casavechhia, wrapped up the tasting as a semi-sweet red wine that the guy with no head – look at the pictures, we never learned his name – makes cheese specifically to be paired with this wine. The wine starts sweet, but once touched with spicy and strong cheese, so strong that Manuela would not let us even near it till lunch was ending, takes on a new life and finishes dry.

On an aside, the pizza wasn’t what we Chicagoans consider “pizza” per se, but it might rank as one of the best slices of dough, tomato sauce and cheese that was ever put together. Luckily for us in the Windy City, the chef, Franco Pepe, will be opening a pizzeria with a partner in our town this year.

Now if we could only get that Ambrusco over here then too….

The Minority Wine Report, http://www.theminoritywinereport.com/

On the first day of the International Wine Tourism Conference during lunch, I got a chance to sit and talk to Sara about the wines her family makes and her role in the family business. Sara and her sister Gulia are the fourth generation of Gorettis to produce wines. They are passionate about the wines that they make and are very supportive of each other. Sara’s parents, Stefano and Constanza, Aunt Luisella, Uncle Gianluca, grandfather Gisberto and grandmother Marcella are also still very active by taking care of the more tedious day to day duties, while the younger generation promotes and spread the awareness of their work.

Sara explained to me that she is traveling a lot to the USA to promote her family wines. She said that because the 2003 DOCG red wine the Sangratino di Montefalco, as well as their super Umbria red 2003 DOC  L’Arringatore  (the wine getting its name after Aulo Metello, an ancient Italian orator)  were rated by Parker and Wine Spectator, it has become difficult for them to sell in the USA. Some Importers pass them by just because they think that the wines are widely distributed where this is not the case. So she travels to the US two to three times a year to promote not only these wines, but also the other of the range.

Later that evening our group was driven to the Goretti winery located a few minutes outside of Perugia for a visit and a dinner tasting. Because we were ushered off late from the Conference, night had already fallen and unhappily we didn’t get to see the vineyards nor the grounds. However, on our arrival, the first thing we did see was the large majestic centuries-old Tower looming out at the bus. The Tower is the emblem on their wine label and where the Goretti family receives their guests for tastings, dinner parties or receptions. But before going to the Tower for our tasting, we were taken over to the boutique where there are the 18 wine products the Goretti family produces. And like many of the Italian wineries, they also produce and sell their own olive oil and honey. Another range of product that Sara develops with her sister Gulia are soaps, spa and bath items. These skins and spa treatments products are all natural products designed around the theme of wine and well-being called the S&G line of ‘Winetherapy’.

Although Umbria has many varietals, the Goretti Estate grape of choice is the Sangratino making the Montefalco reds, while the Grechetto grape is us mostly for their whites. Other red varietals they used are the Sangiovese and Merlot to make the Fontanella Rosso Dell’Umbria a fruity yet simple red wine and a rosé with the same name. A part from their Signature white “Il Moggio” and DOC Colli Perugini DOC made 100% from the Grechetto varietal, there are others. They make a blend using the Trebbiano Toscano and Grechetto varietals giving the Fontanella white wine version of the reds. Then there is the Vin Santo, a full-bodied sweet wine; two grappa with one of them aged 18 months in Lavonia oak barrels and a 20 year old brandy.

So after attending Anthony’s lecture on letting the customer talk earlier, Sara tried to put into action what she learned by giving us short explanations about their Estate while being attentive to our questions. One question on the tip of everyone’s tongue was linked to four gasoline pumps situated just to the right of the door as you entered into the boutique. Nice and shiny, they were hard to miss and sparked everyone’s interests. Apparently this is a drive up service where the locals can bring their own containers to fill up at the pump. Because the Gorettis’ can’t guarantee that the wines will travel well under these conditions, they do not sell from the pumps for export, so don’t ask.

Melba Allen, http://thewine-profilers.blogspot.com

Photo of Sara Goretti by Andrew Barrow of http://www.spittoon.biz