The evolving preferences of the global Indian traveller for tourism experiences has earned wine tourism its own niche across destinations globally. Tour operators and NTOs in India are looking to tap this segment of matured travellers that are growing in numbers By Mohit Rathod
The travel and tourism industry, in India and across the world, has been witnessing continuous development across various niche segments. Not just confined to evolution in existing tourism segments, the industry has also seen numerous new segments flourishing. In India especially, the rise in disposable income of people has given thrust to outbound tourism market. More Indians are now travelling the world, which has evidently made them more acquainted with international cultures which include food and beverage as one of the key experiences. In wake of this growing trend, wine has created its own niche in the global tourism space.
While international destinations already enjoy an established wine tourism market due to their historical and cultural associations with the beverage, India is also gaining pace in the space. However, this can be largely attributed to the experience preferences of the discerning traveller and penetration of wine companies in the country.
Wine routes
For France, the quintessential wine destination of the world, wine tourism has been an integral part of communication and promotional strategies across both, B2B and B2C platforms. The country leverages upon its numerous wine routes to drive tourism. The key wine routes in France include St Emilion, Bordeaux, nestled in the Aquitaine Poitou-Charentes region, the region of Burgundy; the Loire Valley; the Auvergne Rhone-Alpes region; Provence Alsace and the UNESCO recognised region of Champagne Ardenne. Elaborating on the flourishing wine routes in France, Sheetal Munshaw, director, Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency, Mumbai, shares, “The region of Picardy, which is well known for being part of the Champagne Tourist Route, is also trying to establish its presence in the India market. We are also trying to showcase the wines of the Occitanie (the Midi Pyrénées and Languedoc Roussillon region located in the South-West).”
Australia has more than 2,400 wineries dotted throughout 65 wine regions around the country. These regions produce over 100 different grape varieties that end up in over 30 million glasses of Australian wine that are consumed around the world every day. The popular Australian wine growing regions among tourists include the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley in South Australia; Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria; Hunter Valley in New South Wales; Margaret River and Swan Valley in Western Australia and Tamar Valley in Tasmania, among others. “Among the new wine trails, New South Wales’ Blue Mountains to Orange, the Murray River’s Echuca Moama Trail and Port Macquarie to Byron Bay; Canberra’s Poachers Way; and the Geelong wine region in Victoria have been gaining popularity,” highlights Nishant Kashikar, country manager, India and Gulf, Tourism Australia.
Although Australia’s wine offerings spread across the country, South Australia, which is recognised as the birthplace of Australian wines, has garnered special interest. This year, the state’s standing has been cemented further as Adelaide has become a ‘Great Wine Capital of the World’, marking itself on a network of 10 major global cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres, which possess wine regions as their key economic and cultural asset. At Adelaide’s National Wine Centre, travellers can enjoy their wine with a view of the picturesque botanic gardens.
The wine industry in New Zealand has achieved notable success and an international reputation in a relatively short time. The long growing season and cool maritime climate of the country make conditions ideal for grape growing, producing distinctive and premium quality wines. The grape varieties, soil structure and mini-climates in these geographical areas are varied, producing a broad spectrum of wines. New Zealand has 10 major wine producing areas, which include the leading wine regions such as Auckland, Gisborne, Wairarapa (Martinborough) and Hawke’s Bay in the North Island and Marlborough, Central Otago and Canterbury in the South Island.
Commenting on the wine tourism space in New Zealand, Steven Dixon, regional manager – South and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand, says, “There is a growing awareness of wine tourism in New Zealand, and visitors are encouraged to explore and interact by following the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail from Hawke’s Bay to Marlborough. The main wine regions, each host an annual wine and food festival, and most of New Zealand’s wineries offer tastings. Many of the larger wineries run restaurants or cafés as part of their business, and offer both retail and online wine sales.”
Switzerland’s wines are considered one-of-its-kind and offer a unique experience. However most of these are family owned and produce limited amount of wine. This is usually consumed within the region or within the country itself and not much is exported to other countries. Regions like Zurich, Ticino, Geneva have their special wine offerings, but the largest producer is the canton of Valais and the Lavaux vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Lake Geneva region. Ritu Sharma, deputy director, India, Switzerland Tourism, points out, “We do not promote this as a stand-alone product, but as a supplement to other segment such as culture traveller, lifestyle traveller and attractions tourer. We also have been promoting this region as a part of the ‘Grand Tour of Switzerland. We have been promoting this region with most major tour operators and quite a few include a visit to Lavaux as a part of their Lake Geneva itinerary. We also had a TV series which included this segment as a part of the adventures possible in Switzerland. We will also come up with more ideas in the near future pertaining to the market growth and developments.”
Domestic trails
In India, wine tourism isn’t as established as the international destinations and is largely concentrated in Nashik and its surrounding regions in Maharashtra which produce about 80 per cent of India’s wines. Home to various Indian wine companies, Nashik has been witnessing growth in visitors in this segment. Spread over about 3,000 acres, Sula Vineyards in Nashik is a hotspot for domestic wine tourists. Its flagship initiative, SulaFest, offers music performances, culinary and wine experiences, and a flea market. SulaFest attracts a large footfall of both domestic and international visitors every year. Sula Vineyards also conducts regular wine tours, wine tasting sessions and dining. The facility also features 10 luxurious rooms for guest accommodation.
For another leading domestic player, Grover Zampa, wine tourism is an integral part of its business and experiential marketing programme. Grover Zampa Vineyards, at Nandi Hills and Nashik, offer guided tours of the vineyards with explanation about grape varieties and basic of viticulture practice at Grover Zampa. This is followed by a guided tour of the winery, covering basics about winemaking and wine tasting. Elaborating on tourism experiences, Sumedh Mandla, CEO, Grover Zampa Vineyards, highlights, “We have been successfully working on annual events like The Great Grover Wine Stomp in Nashik, The Great Grover Wine Festival in Bengaluru and numerous stomping events across various cities to entice wine lovers to visit our wineries regularly and enjoy our personalised tours and tastings and experience the vineyards and winemaking techniques that we follow for making quality wines.”
One of the recent entrants in the Indian wine space, Fratelli Vineyards offers vineyard tours, visits to the winery and cellar, and tasting sessions. As most of the tourism is concentrated in Nashik, Fratelli Vineyards looks at making Akluj a tourism hub, mapping the town as one of the wine regions in the country. Fratelli’s vineyards at Akluj also offers accommodation facility for 8 to 12 people. From the main living area of the guest house one has a view of the Motewadi vineyard straight ahead and on the left one has a view of the winery. The winery is situated in a glass structure, allowing guests to view the tanks, bottling process and packaging from the outside. The facility witnesses a footfall of around 2,000 visitors and is growing with more visitors during winter and the harvest season. Kapil Sekhri, co-promoter and director, Fratelli Vineyards, opines, “Over the recent years, Maharashtra has successfully marked itself as a wine region of the country. The quality of domestic wine is getting better which has resulted in increased inclination towards wine. Indian wines are receiving global recognition which is largely contributing to the growth of wine tourism in Maharashtra.”
Unique experiences
There is an absolute diversity in terms of activities that the discerning traveller could engage in while in France, such as vineyard discoveries and interaction with wine-growers, visits of local cellars, participating in the harvest, attending a wine appreciation course, participating in a wine and cheese or even a champagne pairing with Indian food (available in Picardy) and enjoying meals in wine cellars. For those enamoured by the offbeat can look forward to hot-air balloon rides over vineyards, cycling through the vineyards or enjoying a wine tasting and chateau spotting experience aboard a barge, making your own wine, bottling and personalised labels.
Travellers can explore some of the world’s oldest shiraz vineyards in South Australia’s Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, or Sauvignon Blanc in Western Australia’s Margaret River. They can also join one of the wine events in Hunter Valley near Sydney, or taste the flagship Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines of Yarra Valley near Melbourne. Almost every wine growing region in Australia has an annual festival where local wine, food and culture can be sampled. The largest is the biennial Tasting Australia, which showcases some of the best Australian offerings. In addition, each vineyard has its own unique experiences, be it the centenary and birth year wine tours in Seppeltsfield, food pairing and cooking classes in Jacob’s Creek, or the “blend your own wine experience” in Penfolds.
Classic New Zealand Wine Trail is a self-drive expedition for food and wine lovers. At around 380 km, the trail covers both the North and South islands, and is reportedly one of the best wine drives in the world. More than 230 wineries are found along the trail and about 100 have an open cellar door for wine lovers. An increasing number of vineyards also offer dining, accommodation and visitor tours. Each region on the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail is famous for its own distinctive wine style, thus offering a unique experience for wine enthusiasts.
Roadmap
France, on an average, sees tourists aged between 25-50 who enjoy a wine trail experience. A large part of it includes families, friends on a holiday, and young adults. Speaking on promotional strategies, Munshaw explains, “We’ve seen a growing number of travellers who also like to integrate a wine experience while on their French sojourn. Our next year’s campaign, Made in France, will focus on authentic experiences possible in France and wine tourism will continue to be an integral part of this focus. We will continue to showcase wine through several platforms such as the ‘Gôut de France/ Good France event that is a celebration of French food and wine.”
Tourism Australia initiated a global marketing campaign in 2013, titled “Restaurant Australia”, to highlight the food and wine experiences. As per the findings of its Consumer Demand Project, since the launch of the Restaurant Australia campaign, spend on food and wine by Indian travellers in Australia has grown to AU$ 127 million, an increase of 51.2 per cent. “We have a robust marketing, communication and trade plan. We will continue to collaborate with key distribution partners, including online travel agencies, and execute campaigns on television, print, digital and social media. To meet the discerning demands of contemporary Indian travellers, we work in synergy with our Indian trade partners and Australian products. Tourism Australia’s marketing plan and consistent trade engagement programme focuses on promoting the Australian wine regions and inspiring Indian travel enthusiasts to experience the diversity and quality of Australian wines,” informs Kashikar.
Adding to that, Dana Urmonas, regional director, South East Asia and India, South Australia Tourism Commission (SATC) states, “SATC has committed to spend AU$ 2 million during 2015-2017 stowards marketing initiatives in India primarily to collaborate with travel agents, airlines and consumer branding programmes. These initiative include promotion of the various wine regions in South Australia like Barossa, Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. SATC has also collaborated with tour operators like Thomas Cook, Ottila, Flight Shop and Mercury Travels to include Adelaide and surrounding wine regions as a part of their itinerary.”
Tourism New Zealand is looking at the age group of 25-54 who are independent professionals and are keen to explore the country along with the fine dining and wine experiences. “We do know it’s a small segment of our visitors who prefer wine and we know the segment is growing slowly, but steadily,” comments Dixon.
Grover Zampa, which receives 80 per cent domestic and 20 per cent international travellers, is promoting its winery and vineyard tourism through digital space and majority of its communication in the print channel. Mandla explains, “We have also done tie-ups with several premium outlets from HORECA space to recommend and promote our winery and vineyards tours to their guests. We work closely with various tour operators to promote both Bengaluru and Nashik locations. We have a tie-up with Cox & Kings as part of their itinerary for luxury train Deccan Odyssey for majority of their tours reaching Nashik.”
Fratelli Vineyards is looking at expanding it guesthouse facility, in wake of the growing visitor footfall. “We have already been instrumental in building awareness about Akluj in Maharashtra being a wine region internationally with the wine awards that we have won. A lot of people, who are not wine lovers, are also seen visiting the vineyards, as the location being quite a scenic beauty, it also acts as a perfect getaway for those looking for a short vacation. We strongly believe that timing is right to put up a destination hospitality project which will cater to both kind of guests-wine lovers as well as nature adventure lovers.”
