Felicity Carter, editor-in-chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, the world’s only global, English language wine business magazine tells us about the importance of staff training in the wine tourism industry. She also gives a few pointers on press trip organisation and management.
Better staff training…can you clarify this for us?
One thing that successful wineries have in common is they train staff thoroughly. This isn’t just a matter of teaching staff to serve better, but also to be able to understand who the customer is who is standing in front of them. Far too many tour operators and cellar door staff have a script they adhere to, that either treats everyone as a complete beginner – which can be insulting for some customers – or which relies on stereotypes, such as automatically offering women sweeter, cheaper wines, when they might be serious connoisseurs.
Staff also need to understand the wine they’re working with – even the back end and administrative staff. There needs to be a culture of wine and hospitality inside the whole organisation. Staff not only need to know about their particular product, but also how the wine fits into a regional and international context.
For example, if an Australian winery is serving Shiraz to international tourists, it’s important they understand what other styles of Syrah/Shiraz that tourist has been exposed to, so they can explain how their local style differs from that of the Rhone Valley, for example.
The reason it’s important that all staff learn about wine, is because it can turn them into advocates for the brand or region. If they have a good understanding of wine, and it becomes part of their own life, they will talk about it in their own time, to their own friends and relatives. They will have even more pride in the place where they work, and that also communicates itself.
Who trains? It may be the case that the winery management are not very good pedagogically speaking and therefore poor at training themselves. That being the case should the winery employ an external trainer?
Not investing in staff training and professional development is a key weakness of many European and some New World wine businesses. Any staff who are involved in any type of sales, including at the cellar door, should absolutely have professional sales training; customer and hospitality staff need professional training as well.
It may seem like an unnecessary expense, but proper training will pay off again and again. Sometimes people worry that sales training will turn staff into aggressive salespeople, but it’s not the case – good training will help staff understand when to continue the conversation and when to back off.
As for wine training, there is no better place to start than the WSET.
At IWINETC 2029 in Spain’s Basque country you talked about media in wine tourism and highlighted Google as the big player. Would you say Google Travel is having or will have any impact on wine tourism businesses worldwide?
Any business, whether wine or travel, needs to understand Google search, because this is how tourists will find them. Every website needs to be SEO and search optimised, so it rises as high as possible on Google rankings.
We often hear about a wine region’s tourist board organising a press trip for journalists, writers, bloggers….Can you give a few tips from a journalist point of view about what to do and what not to do for tourist boards organising and running a press trip?
The most important thing is not to overfill the day. There are some press trips that start early in the morning and go to late at night, and then do it all again the next day. Professional communicators need time to go over their notes and start composing stories. If the pace is relentless, everything just blurs together.
The other thing to watch is over-feeding. Nobody needs to have a gourmet lunch and then a five-course dinner. Days of over-feeding leads to everyone feeling sick and sluggish, particularly if there is long bus travel involved.
You talk of TikTok as the next big thing in media. Can you expand on this statement?
TikTok is mostly used by a very young audience, meaning it’s not a suitable platform for companies involved in alcohol. However, TikTok has been a game changer for online communications, pushing people to do clever, funny things in just 15 seconds. People love the format – if you can make a quick film highlighting one funny, warm or cute moment, do it. It’s much more likely to get traction than the usual expensive, glossy tourist video where the drone zooms across the beautiful landscape and… well, you know what happens next. We’ve all seen those productions and they’re boring. Fifteen seconds of fun beats them all hands down.
Meet Felicity at IWINETC 2020. Felicity will be delivering a talk titled Turn your staff into your best advocates.
The perfect peaks reaching skyward from the Friulian Dolomites and the Julian and Carnic Alps form the ideal frame for the lush green valleys. Acting as the region’s natural frontiers, the Alpine chains preserve pearls of rare beauty, such as Sauris, a symbol of the excellent food (Proscuitto Sauris) and wines of Friuli, or the Resia Valley, where the language and traditions of an ancient Slavic race have survived in an unspoilt environment since the 7th century. Or the Tarvisio area, where three natural and cultural borders meet and enclose startling summits that climbers from all over Europe long to conquer.
But if you descend from the mountains to the sea you will discover the Grado and Marano Lagoons. Friuli Venezia Giulia offers 3 Natural parks, as well as about twenty biotypes and 13 nature reserves. From a rushing, tumbling mountain stream to the unhurried thrill of a climb, there’s always a new emotion to stir you. There are many walking trails you can take to truly experience nature’s beauty, some popular trails include; Friulian Dolomites Circular Trail, 4 stages for 4 mountain huts, a trekking route to complete against the splendid backdrop of the Regional Friulian Dolomites Natural Park. Another route is the Alpin way, the yellow trail that starts from Trieste, crosses the Karst, the Carnic and the Julian Alps before finally reaching the German Alps. If not, you can try the Alta Via Forni di Sopra, five days’ trekking between mountain and refuge huts immersed in the wilderness of Forni di Sopra’s wide valley.
Alternatively, you can take one of the many biking routes that range from the coast to the mountains. Also keep an eye out for birds, seeing as the region has 320 different species of birds, a birdwatcher’s paradise! Therefore, if you’re a nature lover who enjoys hiking along the mountains, plains or coast and of course great food and wine – then Friuli Venezia Giulia is the place to go!
Throughout the countryside, the region has a special kind of hospitality. A wide range of alternative accommodation are available to dive into authentic rural life. This includes the “Albergo Diffuso” – an innovative concept of accommodation developed in Friuli Venezia Giulia – that combines the service of a hotel with the freedom of a holiday apartment. Typically staying in ancient houses in villages which have been restored, decorated and equipped in the typical mountain tradition.
Of course, the wonders of the region’s countryside can be witnessed along the new Friuli Venezia Giulia Wine and Food Route. A single road connecting the coast to the mountains, networking the region’s agri-food and wine-growing resources, together with cultural and environmental ones. There are many private houses of winemakers, where you can taste typical, local, home-grown dishes at certain times of the year whilst being surrounded by absolutely breath-taking views of the countryside.
Geographically, the region is rich and diverse in land, from the tall-mountainous region of the Alps to the vast plateau that lead toward an outstanding coastline that borders the southern area of Friuli Venezia Giulia. This hidden geographical treasure will amaze everyone due to its many different landscapes, intertwining cultures, and ancient traditions. This is all enriched by the number of historical homes, manors, villas, castles and ancient villages that are located throughout. Friuli Venezia Giulia truly a site to be seen! IWINETC 2020 in Trieste not to be missed!
The region’s seven golf clubs are as followed; Lignano Golf Club (6,345m, par 72), where lakes and bunkers appear, suitable for all. Grado Golf Club (5,746m, par 72), famous for the many water obstacles with the lagoon on the background. The club is situated in the splendid Primero Estate. Trieste Golf Club (5,810m, par 70), in a seemingly level but tricky green course with an unpredictable wind called bora. Castello di Spessa Golf Country Club (5,460m, par 71), deep in the rustic scenery of the Collio vineyards. Udine Golf Club (5,980m, par 72), for a course designed by the shade of the cherry trees and the gently rounded hills. Castel d’Aviano Golf Club (5,980m, par 72), in the nidst of centuries-old parkland. Lastly, Tarvisio Unlimited Golf Club (5,693m, par 70), designed by the well-known Canadian architect Graham Cooke, with wide fairways on the Alpine plateau, spacious greens and treacherous bunkers.
Food and wine lovers can sip and taste all of its flavours and experience its aromas by travelling the new Friuli Venezia Giulia Wine and Food Route with its 
In the region’s capital, Trieste, seafood dominates the city’s dishes as well as its Slavic-inspired dishes. There one can find Jota (hotpot dish that originated from Slovenia), Trieste-style salted cod, scampi alla busara (large prawns in tomato sauce). One can end a busy day by taking a break in one of the many osmizzas (wine-taverns).
In the city of Gorizia, its proximity to Slovenia is evident in its dishes, typically one finds potato gnocchi with plums drizzled with melted butter and many ham dishes. Towards the interior of the region, Udine and Pordenone’s dishes are influenced by the plateau’s agriculture – dishes with white asparagus, white truffle, raw ham that is slightly smoked and a wide variation of cheese.
Overall, the region’s culinary dishes can be mostly categorised in sea and mountain dishes. However, as mentioned, each city has its own style and unique flavours – utilizing its surrounding and historical ingredients, combined with local traditions to create dishes found nowhere else in Italy. Friuli Venezia Giulia is truly a hidden gem in the culinary world that can be found nowhere else!
IWINETC today announced Cristina Mascanzoni Kaiser Luxury Tourism Consultant, as the fourth of six exciting keynote speakers lined up for IWINETC 2020, which takes place in Trieste from 24-25 March.
