The Spanish speaker Luis Vicente Pastor Elijah came to tell us your experience in Rioja. He graduated in philosophy and anthropology, head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Documentation and Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia SA, de Haro (La Rioja, Spain).
Although wine consumption slowly increases, in some parts of the world down or stalled. One way to help the consumer is that people know their history, not only the winery but also the centennial history having wine. When we talk about wine tourism involves not only open the doors of the warehouse, hire a bilingual and ready guide. This is insufficient, the tourist gets bored and go more if it comes from another winery. Expert in cultural heritage, Pastor Elijah is doing in Viña Tondonia a thematic exhibition: Historical, Ethnographic and Documentary. The work we are doing in the cellar, unlike what everyone else does (a restaurant, accommodation, guided by the winery, etc.), is to highlight our cultural heritage. The first thing we did was a previous research, which has taken us three years before the centenary of the winery. This differential was our theme which we are guided. The exhibition is called, Viña Tondonia. A payment, a vineyard, a wine. What we wanted to highlight is the vine, the story of 100 years ago, how to the producer prior to culture, objects, tools used. The objectives are to describe the biography of each player wine, recounting the workplace, comparing 100 years ago to the present. Showing the evolution of techniques, to assess the virtues of capacity, narrate the social situation of the time, currently reaching over a century vineyard and most importantly create a complementary visit to winery tourism product. This event was done at Viña celebrate the centenary of Tondonia, so we chose the theme. In the museum of the wine cellar and the objects of that time, we have obtained documents, photographs, maps of the construction of the winery (which have been investigated and analyzed by architects). All this research takes a scientific process that helps to reconstruct the history of the winery. In this way we give value to use documents related tourist objects, drawings, documents the history of wine. It is more than a visit to the winery. We must find ways of promotion are not the same everywhere in the world. We must find ways to communicate that enrich the tourism package and allow us to help the sale of wine. In our case we opted for the cultural heritage and that in this way we open up the range of possibilities for tourists. I help sell wine but do not sell wine. With this exhibition we show how it was done before for farming. We all know that with the advent of technology elements have been developed to work impressively. Tourists visit as it is today but not cultivated before and this is a way to show another reality they do not know and that wineries do not show, always look not for where they all go but as I do to differentiate yourself from the rest and that formula will only be able to do a little research. A tourist visiting the winery once again did not do it a second time. As Pastor Elijah said, this exhibition is only temporary, the opened on 13 September and close in mid-January next year. Both the museum and what is to be done must be temporary, as the visitor who came once again will not see it, so you have to be renewing and further research to change. Thus tourists back to our warehouse. Expectations and investment expectations we had before opening the doors was to reach 4,500 visitors until December 2007, and so far the number is a lot higher, so that the investment I make the hold and aim to enforced exceeded expectations. Do not be afraid to be creative, in wanting to be different, because this is going to score. Keep in mind that the best promotion of a winery or a wine tourism. This happens because one visiting the winery and tasting a wine, when you return to your home country and go to a grocery store or going to a vinotera and see a wine that you tasted in Argentina assure you buy that wine, for that known. According to the lecturer said the investment was about 200,000. This amount worked the Ministry of Agriculture and the Directorate General of Tourism, Government of La Rioja, with 31% of the investment. I do not try to enhance the wine but the territory, have sought a formula for distinctive promotion, is the only winery in the world devoted to information they hired to staff cultural heritage is optional and is part of a project that is novel. Besides the issue of advertising, when we started with this trade magazines newspapers we came to look for us to send a note, not us paying for it. Also as we step with this seminar, we have been invited to conferences, university lectures, a lot of events that makes the end of all the promotion of the wine cellar and indirectly. Alternative When we started the research highlighted the second point that tourists interviewed was the landscape of the vineyards. Unlike Argentina in Spain trails vineyards are public outside the winery, so they are not fenced. Thus, the Spanish speaker said that chose to take this tour guide through the vineyards, for optional activities. We put posters señalizamos the tour, where visitors can stroll around or just because you are given a map with a guide or you can download to your GPS. As well as once the harvest season ends, tourists walking the vineyards are taught as is done to remove the grapes themselves and do. This is another alternative that can be done, finished Pastor. Pastor Elijah spoke Argentina wine tourism in Argentina, some shortcomings and how we are progressing. The first thing to do are complementary activities, you have many visits to wineries but the tourist gets tired of always seeing the same. In the case of Mendoza, you have a good museum La Rural, with wonderful objects and an amazing story but have failed to exploit as it should be, have to put in value. Mendoza has history, and tour some wineries I have observed several objects that keep them, they are lying as junk, but you have to put in value. One of the biggest flaws I’ve found has been the lack of a reception center for tourists. When one reaches Mendoza says good where I’m going, what I do, but there is no spot that gets me as in the case of the Wine in Bordeaux and other wine regions. I was surprised that Argentina has grown over the past 5 years, especially every time I come there are more wineries and engaged in tourism. He has an extraordinary turn and demonstrated this type of event, the large turnout and the number of young people interested in this that Argentina could explode, taking it so seriously and with such responsibility, even their Chilean neighbors have done it. Mendoza and Argentina has great potential still untapped. But they must work together to move forward. The wine trails are a good choice but not the only, and not enough to the potential of having views here Mendoza. The most important thing to consider is to make a preliminary investigation to show us the history of our region. This must highlight, La Rioja, Salta, Mendoza, etc. Each of these provinces have their music, their culture, each winery has a story, whether they are immigrants or not, if it’s a family, craft, good wine like this millions of details that make the difference. Source: Wine Area
