A quarter of a winery’s revenue no longer runs through the bottle but through the ticket: wine tourism has become a genuine business line, not a seasonal stopgap. The new Global Wine Tourism Report 2025 estimates that on-site activities generate about 25% of revenues and that two thirds of wineries consider them profitable. This fresh, global data shifts the strategic focus: away from discount obsession and towards designing experiences that create margin, data and relationships.
The report—based on 1,310 wineries in 47 countries, with academic and institutional partnerships—confirms that wine tourism now sits at the core of the business. Bookings, hospitality, light dining, retail and educational content merge into a single funnel that drives direct sales and loyalty. For producers, that means changing KPIs: not only cases sold, but revenue per visitor, conversion-to-purchase, repeat visit rate and NPS.
The challenges are known yet manageable: staff shortages, limited team time, and the difficulty of standardising the offer. Even so, half of respondents plan to invest further, with another 25% considering entry into the segment—evidence that margins exist, provided wineries move from “sip-and-run” tastings to curated formats (theme verticals, local cuisine, outdoor and wellness) and to competent digital orchestration—integrated booking, CRM, marketing automation.
If wine tourism is DTC 2.0, governance must evolve: a calendar tuned to seasonality and micro-events; dynamic pricing across peaks and shoulder periods; “destination networks” among neighbouring wineries for combined packages and shuttles; training hybrid roles (welcome + sales + storytelling); and clear metrics to scale what works and cut what doesn’t. This isn’t a marketing frill—it’s risk reduction in an environment of volatile consumption and rising costs. The strongest case histories show that well-designed experiences lift average transaction value, reduce dependence on promotional channels and put less pressure on price lists.
Timing also helps: World Wine Tourism Day falls on Sunday, 9 November 2025. It’s a natural moment to test new formats, build a coordinated territorial narrative and collect data useful for 2026 planning. Those who show up prepared—with an offer segmented by audience (25–44s seeking content and engagement; 45–65s prioritising quality and convenience)—will turn footfall into a structural lever rather than a one-off event. The near future rewards wineries that treat hospitality as a product: designed, priced, measured. Those who don’t design it will end up enduring it.
Riccardo Gabriele
