Enotourism, why visit wine cellars?

As visits to wine cellars increase drastically year by year, it seems that we are becoming more acquaintance with the word “eno”, a root which comes from the ancient Greek “oeno or wine”.

Enotourism or wine tourism, means carrying out an activity which involves the consumption and/or purchase of wines near its source, the place where wines are made from.

As our day to day lifestyle limits us sometimes of the most basic pleasures due to our busy schedules, we then enjoy going back-to-basics when we travel.

Enotourism has opened a new dimension to some of us travellers, who have sometime wondered how wine is made, and having the chance to get closer and take a sneak peek to a wine cellar is exciting. This means getting closer to a winery and vineyards where people have been making wine for years, if not decades. Sometimes, these people come from family of winemakers, a family legacy and passion carried over hundreds of years which they maintain just like their ancestors.

To have the opportunity to go and be invited to visit the barrel area where reserve wines are stored, feel the cool cellar temperature, get your eyes accustomed to the darkness and breathe the aroma coming from the wooden barrels as wine ages, is just amazing. It’s like breathing a dessert floating in the air. As well as visiting this part of the winery, one of the most attractive moments of a wine cellar visit is when walking by its vineyards. Getting closer to vines which, in some cases, have been there for over 80 years, meaning that the landscape you walk over, may have just remained untouched for decades.

During the visit, vinification process may be explained, just as the history behind each wine cellar, its beginnings and current projects. We just love how each wine cellar has a different approach, however they all seem to agree that dedication, passion and a lot of patience is necessary as to make the best possible wine.

Wine tourism or enotourism means going back to basics, we love sharing its practice whenever we can, wherever we are. A fantastic way to learn about local customs and its culture!