Wine tourism, the emergence of a new kind of tourism
the expertise and positioning of the other. One example is Perrier-Jouët, which is renovating its Epernay site to offer an immersive experience around its champagnes.
Atout France has identified a number of areas for improvement to enable all the players in this sector to grow and wine tourism to develop. Synergy with the gastronomy sector seems to be an important area, as it allows us to take advantage of another sector that is strong and complementary to wine. Gastronomy is one of the top reasons cited by tourists for visiting a region. Perrier-Jouët will continue to combine the creativity and haute-couture precision of renowned chefs such as Pierre Gagnaire and Sébastien Morellon with its grands crus through a multi-stage culinary itinerary whose flavours will support the House’s champagnes. Equally important, improving the quality of the offering by creating a label and specifications will provide a framework for the products on offer.
In addition to this, digital promotional activities are also essential to make these offers more visible. This is where a global agency such as Eliophot can play its part, with a turnkey offer that enables estates and winegrowers to raise their profile and generate interest with a new, attractive, well-referenced site.
Our customers have already taken up the challenge of wine tourism in order to diversify their offer and attract new visitors, whether initiated or simply curious.
A true pioneer when it comes to wine tourism, Les Sources de Caudalie is located in the heart of the vineyards of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a Graves Grand Cru Classé. And it’s this location that defines the entire offer, from accommodation, with its hotel, to the restaurant and a spa specially focused on vinotherapy. The Caudalie spa draws on the hot underground spring and the benefits of wine for the skin, including treatments such as a grape marc bath. Many other activities are also available, in the very heart of the vineyard, to discover the Château and its wines.
Château Fourcas Dupré, owned by French entrepreneur Gérard Jicquel, who also owns Château d’Agassac, is banking on its strengths to attract the crowds. Its location is already an advantage. Situated in Listrac-Médoc to the north of Bordeaux, the estate is at the heart of an already high-profile wine-growing region that attracts a lot of people, between the tributary of the Gironde and the Atlantic. Its vat room, which dates back to 1850, is also a great attraction for visitors and the curious. Château Fourcas Dupré offers a full range of wine-tourism activities for professionals and private events at home. Visiting Château Fourcas Dupré is a bit like visiting a wine museum.
Not far from Fourcas Dupré is another estate owned by Gérard Jicquel, Château d’Agassac. Its 13th-century château is already an asset. Add to this the fact that the estate is a winner of the Best Of Wine Tourism awards, and Château d’Agassac is set to become a focal point for wine tourism in Bordeaux. Enhancing the value of the estate and its wines is also a key focus of the estate’s development, with plans to build a luxury hotel in the grounds of the Château in the near future.
Château Saint-Maur relies on its expertise and upmarket approach to convince. If its classified growths are already enough of an argument to discover the wine offered by this estate, they are also enough to visit it and discover the magnificent location in Cogolin, next to Saint-Tropez. The Château adopts the codes of top-of-the-range hotels for its wines, and this approach also applies to its visitors. Private guided tours, tasting workshops, suggestions for chocolate and red wine pairings, a wine bar directly from the vine to the glass, and regular events to liven up the estate are just some of the ways in which Château Saint-Maur / Cru-classé comes alive.
Set in the heart of a 500-hectare forest of oak and pine trees, Château de Berne focuses heavily on its wine tourism offering. Gastronomy first and foremost, with a host of offerings including “Le Jardin de Berne”, a Michelin-starred restaurant that also boasts a green star for “sustainable gastronomy”. There’s also a gourmet BIB to suit all budgets. In terms of accommodation, the estate is not to be outdone, offering a 5-star Relais & Châteaux member hotel with a top-of-the-range spa where you can relax surrounded by the vines. Luxury, charm and voluptuousness are the order of the day at Château de Berne, with a host of wine discovery activities to boot.
