Aleš Gačnik

Ethnologist and sociologist of culture Aleš Gačnik is assistant professor, PhD and a head of Department of Cultural Tourism and Cultural Heritage on a Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica, University of Primorska, Slovenia. He graduated from Winology - as a new research methodology in the exploration of the wine heritage and culture. He holds a Ph.D. from the new concepts in the field of of protection, research, communication and development of heritage. As a researcher, developer and professor he exploring the culinary and wine culture, wine and gastronomy tourism, inventions and innovations in the field of cultural tourism, part of which is a wine tourism too.

During the management of a small, boutique art & heritage hotel, he organized around 130 events related to the heritage, art and culture of wine. He was the editor in chief and publisher of the book Culture of wine in Slovenia (Dušan Terčelj): the book has got in 2009 Award of the International Office of Wine (OIV) in Paris for the best book in the world in the field of wine literature (category: history, literature, art). He is a member of Word Federation of Travel Journalist and Writers (FIJET) and a member of the international gastronomic association Chaîne des Rôtisseurs ... For his work he received several national and international awards.

Aleš together with Marijan Močivnik delivered a talk titled:

Wine Tourism "Boom" / The Phenomenon of Wine Queens in Slovenia

Like elsewhere in the world, wine tourism in Slovenia is relatively young type of of tourism. Over the past two decades we can follow to the development of an extremely interesting Wine Queens phenomenon – at different levels: national, regional, local and on the level of selected grapes varieties. They are connected in the newly established Slovenian wine Kingdom.

Institution of Wine Queen of Slovenia is responsible for the promotion of Slovenian wines, viticulture and of Slovenia as a wine country too. They are spreading the culture of cultivation, care and culture of wine consumption. Across the globe they representing Slovenian tourism, cultural heritage and specially a local, regional and national wine culture. Therefore it is important, which girl will be selected in a public tender for the Wine Queen of Slovenia by a special committee. In 2014 will be chosen already the eighteenth Wine Queen of Slovenia. Over the last decade, we also get more regional and local Wine Queens, which communicate selected wine region or local community. We also have some Wine Queens, who are the ambassadors of certain grape varieties.

At the lecture will be presented a historical and cultural context, protocol, fashion, typology and mission of Wine Queens and specially their communicational role, »power« and influence on the development and promotion of wine tourism.

In vino veritas?

Get the speaker notes here>>

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