Here’s how restaurants became part of wineries: a thirty-year evolution

by Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombin

In 1993, when my mother, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, founded the Movimento Turismo del Vino, the concept of wine tourism didn’t even exist, which is why the now well-known event Cantine Aperte (Open Cellars) was created. Alongside this, the offerings at wineries have evolved, with restaurants becoming an integral part of these establishments.

The evolution of culinary offerings at wineries

I’d like to share some statistics that confirm this trend, drawn from a 2023 survey conducted by Nomisma – Wine Monitor for Movimento Turismo del Vino, Città del Vino, and Donne del Vino, covering a sample of 265 wineries. From 2015 to 2022 alone, winery-based restaurants increased by 26% in the sampled companies, compared to 6% between 1993-2003 and 11% from 2004 to 2014. Looking specifically at this 26%, the regions where winery restaurants are most common are Campania with 50%, followed by Piedmont and Tuscany, both at 31%. The entire gastronomic offering in wineries has seen a significant rise in the last decade after being relatively "dormant" in the previous two decades. Notably, according to Nomisma’s data, there has been an increase in tastings that include “cooked” local foods, and a new concept called “lunch or dinner with the winemaker” is now available in 37% of wineries open to the public, with higher percentages in Umbria, Puglia, Campania, and Sicily. The same survey highlights a growth from 3% to 17% (again from 2015 to 2022) in different food-related experiences such as brunches, light lunches, aperitifs in the wineries, or even lunches and dinners in the vineyards. These figures demonstrate how the combination of great wines and local gastronomy is essential to enhancing the appreciation of Italy’s finest bottles within the wine tourism offerings.

Wineries always open

Personally, thanks to my mother’s efforts, I’ve witnessed these thirty years of evolution: whereas in the past the interest in visiting a winery had to be completely built up, today the wineries are always open. That’s why my primary goal as the new president of MTV is to make our association the driving force that turns Italian wineries into the pinnacle of wine tourism, a true model. To grow, we need to develop projects that align with the changing needs of tourists and consumers, particularly focusing on Gen Z. It’s essential to differentiate and make the experiences offered at wineries unique in order to capture all types of wine tourists. The restaurant sector will be one of the key areas where we will focus, developing training and mentoring projects for our members.

*Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini is the newly elected National President of Movimento Turismo del Vino. A descendant of a historic Brunello family, she runs two wineries, Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle in the Orcia DOC, alongside her mother Donatella.