WineTourism.com en el Congreso Internacional de Enoturismo

Wine Events Worldwide is the organiser behind the IWINETC (International Wine Tourism Conference) that was held this year in Porto and North Portugal on October 26th and 27th. The event is the longest running, and most important dedicated to the wine and food tourism industry. During the two days of the conference, attendees can discover more in-depth world-leading wine tourism destinations and their products, as well as those of the host country, access professional and educational workshops and get in touch with businesses and tour operators from the wine tourism sector.

Highlights from IWINETC

The first activities related to IWINETC actually started on Monday 25th October, when delegates and speakers took part in a fantastic wine tasting at Calem Cellars, one of the main wineries producing Port wine. In the evening, all guests were treated to a welcome reception at Casa Ferreira where a traditional Fado performance took place.

On Tuesday 26th October, Anthony Swift, IWINETC Director, Ricardo Valente, Vice Chairman of the Porto and North of Portugal Tourism Board,  Filipe Silva – Turismo de Portugal Board Member and José Guilherme Aguiar – Vereador da CM Gaia, officially opened the 2021 edition of the International Wine Tourism Conference. To wrap up the day, attendees took part in a tasting where they were served one wine from each of the 4 regions part of the Wine Tourism Routes of Porto and North Portugal.

On Wednesday 27th October, delegates attended conferences all morning before witnessing the Regata of Rabelo boats on the Douro. In the afternoon it was time for business and delegates met with 22 wine tourism experience providers and 30 agents from the wine and culinary tourism sector.

On Thursday 28th and Friday 29th October, a close group of people were invited to spend two days discovering Porto and the North of Portugal through the visit of famous Port houses. Just to name a few, Quinto do Seixa, Quinta da Roeda, Vintage House, Sandeman and Taylor’s.

On the last day, Saturday 30th October, delegates visited the World of Wine (WOW) complex.

WOW – World Of Wine

Evidence from our Insiders

Our CEO Niklas Ridoff and our colleague Ana Flávia Bonatto Damasceno had the opportunity to attend the IWINETC. Ana attended on October 26th and 27th, while Niklas was part of the delegation that was invited to spend two more days discovering the Porto and Douro Valley wine region.

Here are their takes on their experience in Porto:

“The conference format provided a lot fo touch points to network with participants. I felt it was a great opportunity to be exposed to a geographically and professionally diverse crowd of industry contacts, I left with many new impressions and idea how we can collaborate and develop our own business through these contacts.” – Niklas

Niklas

“The IWINETC struck a great balance between showcasing the development and unique strengths of Porto as a wine tourism destination, and also providing an exciting variety in the conference speakers and attendees. It was interesting and engaging to be able to talk to industry actors from developing actors on the wine tourism stage – such as Israel and Armenia and to listen to industry experts speaking about digital marketing and sustainability, two major trends which are already defining the long-term development of the wine tourism industry.”

Ana

“It is great to see the wine tourism development in Portugal, especially with the excellent IWINETC event in Porto. The new project by Visit Portugal for Porto and North of Portugal Wine Tourism Routes got me excited, with the reunion of 4 wonderful regions (Douro, Vinhos Verdes, Távara-Varosa, and Trás-os-Montes) into a unique program of high-quality wine tours and tastings. Besides that, the IWINETC 2021 gave us great insights into the sustainability and digitalization of wine tourism globally, all of that combined with great Port wine tastings! I’m already looking forward to IWINETC 2022.”

Curious to know more about Porto and Port wine? Check out our blog “All you need to know about Port Wine” and learn the secrets behind the world’s most famous fortified wine.

Browse through our selection of wineries in Porto & Douro and find the best one for your next wine experience.