Wine tourism in Spain

It seems that Spanish wineries have at last woken up to the need to get involved in wine tourism to support their brands.

Some have known and acted on this for quite some time (many the very big houses: Codorniu, Torres, etc.) but for the vast majority, it has been an after-thought and not a key part of the business plan, as it is in the New World.

Spanish hospitality being what it is, the welcome extended to the chance winery visitor would be very warm and inviting, but with a fair amount of rough edges since no real preparations had been taken to have, for example, a dedicated staff member to field inquiries, multi-lingual materials, adequate tasting facilities or, most importantly for the winery, a way to sell wine to the visitors.

But at every wine conference these days in Spain, the catch-all phrase "enoturismo" cannot be escaped. This week, for example, at the 29th Annual Congress of Wine and Wine being held in Logroño, Spain (in La Rioja), a special section will be dedicated to the subject. Hopefully, the warm hospitality combined with a bit more polish will improve the quality of winery tours for both the visitor and the wineries.

Probably the most anticipated addition to the Spain's wine tourism offering is the building Frank Gehry has designed for the Marques de Riscal winery. The facility will house a luxury hotel with wine spa and museum. The opening has been delayed by three months to Sept. 1st due to challenges in the construction. But, if all goes well, the official gala opening will be held in mid October.