FULL IMMERSION TASTING FOR WINE-LOVERS ON HOLIDAY: 95% ORDER WINE AT RESTAURANTS, 92% GO WINE SHOPPING AND 94% GO FOOD SHOPPING. DREAM PLACES ABROAD? FRANCE, CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA. IN ITALY: TRENTINO, TUSCANY, PIEDMONT AND SICILY

They are pleasure seeking, curious and big spenders: wine lovers on vacation do not give up anything. They order local wines at restaurants (95%), purchase wine for their cellars (92%) and buy specialty foods (94%). 68% of wine lovers have decided to vacation this summer in a wine-producing area in Italy or abroad. The most popular destinations are Trentino, Tuscany and France, while the dream destinations are France, California and Australia. These are the results of the poll conducted by www.winenews.it one of the wine world’s reference sites and Vinitaly (www.vinitaly.it), one of the most important global wine trade fairs that investigated the habits of wine lovers on vacation. Wine lovers happily cultivate their passion when they are on holiday: 95% say they order local wines at restaurants and ask advice on the best combination with the dishes on the menu. They, however, do not just taste wines: 92% buy bottles of local wines to bring home to their cellars and 94% purchase typical specialty products, to prolong the pleasure of the holiday even after returning home.
68% of respondents have already planned or are planning summer vacation in a wine producing area, compared to 32% who chose other destinations. The most popular destinations are Trentino (9%), Tuscany (6%) - particularly Chianti Classico, Montalcino and Montepulciano - Piedmont (6%)- absolute preference for the Langhe- and Sicily (4%), followed by Veneto, Puglia, Sardinia and Marche. The main destinations abroad are France (14%), with Bordeaux and Burgundy at the top of the list of preferences and also Spain (5%), Portugal (3%) and Germany (2%). What is the dream trip of wine lovers- the trip they would choose if they had the time and money? There are three top destinations: France in first place (23% of the vote), which has such a rich and complex history of wine that wine lovers never tire of exploring it, from Bordeaux to Burgundy, from Champagne to the Loire region, France maintains its strong attraction. Following are two countries that are both far away and idealized: California (16%) and Australia (14%).
On the one hand there is Napa Valley, a veritable mecca for lovers of good wine. The modern concept of wine tourism was invented and perfected here and wine lovers dream of visiting “king size” wineries, walking or biking along wonderful trails or taking balloon rides over exquisitely manicured vineyards, discovering picturesque towns famous for their atmosphere and attending parties and concerts in wine cellars. Australia, instead, often paired with New Zealand, is a more extreme journey, in a land of great charm that has many wine growing regions still to be discovered. Wine lovers are not only interested in foreign destinations: some consider Italy a more attractive destination.
The Tuscan dream continues: Tuscany wins 9% of preferences because of cult wine areas like Montalcino, Chianti and Bolgheri. Piedmont is also highly desired (8%), where the traditional Langhe region attracts visitors, followed by Sicily and Puglia. South Africa, at 7%, has a strong tradition of wine (wine production started in the late seventeenth century, thanks to the Dutch and the French). The recent World Cup has put South Africa on the list of travel desires of wine fans. This then is the identikit of the “enonauts” who responded to the WineNews survey: they are wine lovers who have a great familiarity with new technologies and a daily attendance on the web. They are predominantly male (79%). 52% of them between 30 and 45 years have a diploma or degree (85% graduated from high school or college) and on the average enjoy a good socio-economic life-style.