During the last few years in Spain we have begun to hear the word wine tourism more frequently . A term that we still do not find in the RAE, and that on the website of Enoturismo de España, enoturismodeespaña.es, is defined as the “Tourism modality based on trips to wine-producing environments, with the purpose of knowing, enjoying and sharing experiences in around the Culture of Wine “
Therefore, we find a variant of tourism, which became present in our society in the 80s, which focuses on knowing the history and culture of different wine-growing areas , on getting to know the wineries and their vineyards , and which gives us the opportunity to taste wines and visit wineries, even the very plots where the grapes come from.
Some cases of wineries that have already started this type of project can be found, for example, in Mas Martinet, a mythical winery in El Priorat, where wine tastings are made in each corresponding vineyard. Or also in Priorat we can visit Celler de Scala Dei, the oldest winery in this DO where, in some cases, we can even enjoy the pleasure of tasting wines from the Cartoixa de Scala Dei dating from 1975.
But the enotusimo, is not only linked to tasting the wine routes and visiting wineries, but goes further: visits to the vineyards on horseback , or by bicycle ; or even, for the most daring, appreciate the beauty of the vineyards and the extension of a specific Denomination of Origin from the air mounted on a hot air balloon .
In addition, wine tourism is not limited to the adult public, but many wineries offer activities for all ages in which entire families can participate . Thus, the Albet i Noya wineries, from the DO Penedés, or Cellers la Vinyeta, from the DO Empordà, among many others, invite families to participate in the harvest , to meet their work teams and learn about this reality closely .
Other wineries offer accommodation among the vineyards , with fabulous landscapes so that visitors can enjoy the romance and tranquility of their fields. Finally, there are wineries that offer more technical visits where they explain the viticulture and enology that they follow. A suitable and recommended activity for restless people wanting to make their wines.
For this reason, when we talk about wine tourism, we are talking about a new form of tourism that has been implemented for some decades in other wine regions and that has become a very strong pillar of entrepreneurial wineries, such as Napa Valley, California. , considered as the origin of this variant of tourism that unites oenology and viticulture.
In Spain, we can see that little by little, wine tourism is gaining weight, proof of this is the birth of the Wine Tourism Association of Spain, which brings together a large number of wineries from all Denominations of Origin and which has such well-known names as Viñas del Vero, Marqués de Murrieta, Freixenet, Codorniu and Ramón Bilbao among many others.
The aim of this initiative is to create a greater presence on the Internet and to make the wine tourism activities of Spanish wineries and gastronomy known to a large public eager to delve into the world and culture of wine.
