Stay at the Winery
With this icon, we indicate whether a winery has a bed for you to rest your weary head upon. Show up for a tasting and stay for the evening; wake-up to take a stroll in the vineyards. Sounds kind of nice, right? Vinous travel experiences such as this often engender a certain kind of loyalty among wine lovers. For a photographer like me, it helps to see the wines in a whole new way.
Why It Matters
The recent COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the economics of winemaking. Without restaurants — both at home and abroad — many small, family-operated wineries had less places to sell their product. And with less places to sell, came a glut of inventory. As a whole, wine regions often depend on tourism to stimulate the local economy and expand the brand awareness of their wines, so this recent crisis — which, let's be honest, had a devastating effect on nearly all aspects of ordinary life — was acutely felt in these rural communities.
This is not to say "let's pity them." It's to give us reason to say "yes" to visiting them. As the world emerges, look for these wine regions to once again double-down for tourism dollars. And that's OK. They need us, and for our insatiable curiosity and thirst, we need them.