I got an email from a mate of mine who lives out in Barcelona. He’s just signed up to work with a new wine tourism app called WinePop. They’re starting off the launch in Spain this year, rolling out to the rest of Europe next year, then the rest of the world in 2018. 2019? Who knows? Did Matt Damon grow vines up on Mars in the end?
The App Itself
So the plan with the app is it’s kind of like a specialized TripAdvisor for wineries. You head off to a new wine region, let’s go with Priorat as an example. You let the app or google maps find you, and then the map flashes up with a load of wineries that are close to you. Click on one and it’ll show you all the wines they do, the hours they’re open, and a few contact numbers to sort out a trip to see them. It also gives you all a ratings system, so you can see what everyone has thought of them. There are a few other things too, but this is a blog, not a sales pitch. I’ll let those boys and girls give you the full spiel if you get in touch with them! 🙂
Why Use It As A Punter?
My first love in the wine world is Piemonte. I was lucky when I first went there that we knew a Piemontese guy who introduced around and took us to see a load of winemakers. To this day, tough, I go to villages like Barbaresco, or Saint Emilion in Bordeaux, and see all these tourist traps all over the shop trying to sell you this wine or this tour for top dollar. If you’re like me and you just want to rock up and have a sit with the winemaker or something, and not have to worry about having your eyes ripped out in town to get the chance to do it, then this is the app for you.
Why Use It As A Vineyard?
I work a lot in Bordeaux and one of the biggest no-brainers to me is that the Chateaux there need to start realizing the massive upside in the tourism dollar. Not only do you get a couple of quid for hosting the tour, and you might sell a couple of bottles afterwards, you also get visitors going back home round the world talking about your wine. You do a decent tour for people and you’ve got customers for life. This app costs a few quid to sign up to, of course, but it’s not nuts expensive, and for the flipside of the exposure to the tourists? Eh, it’s worth having a go, right?
Cheers
QUESTION: How do you currently find wineries to visit when you’re out travelling to new regions?
