How did you celebrate International Wine Tourism Day on November 10th?
For us, it was a busy day: autumn weekends bring a steady stream of visitors to our Conde de los Andes, winery and cellar in Ollauri, where our tourism services are centralised.
In-between these tours, we have taken some time to review and reflect on the experiences we offer. On paper, quality wine tourism contributes to support and strengthen the brand. How? With a singular experience, which is connected to our own values and offers something unique. And, most importantly, it must be memorable and inspiring.
There are many ways to achieve this singularity: with the services on offer, the layout of the tour, the story that is being told, the wines that are sampled. We have identified four basic elements to ensure an unforgettable experience at Conde de los Andes and a highly effective way to build a strong brand identity.
1. An exceptional site... that is exceptionally well looked after
Our great asset and attraction are what we in Rioja call the "calaos", underground galleries to store and age our wines. The construction of our calaos began in the 15th and 16th centuries and they are considered to be the largest in use today. Their history is as impressive as their dark and mysterious beauty. The crowded nooks and crannies containing tens of thousands of old bottles make us relive a culture and passion for wine that spans several centuries. Furthermore, these corridors have been lovingly and respectfully cared for, so that they retain their usefulness and charm for a long time to come.
2. Customisation
Forget queues, busloads full of tourists and package tours. At Conde de los Andes, the dimensions of the site and our customer service approach mean that we can only accommodate one small group at a time, with a maximum of 10-12 persons. Thus, it becomes a bespoke, intimate and spontaneous experience - just like in real life.
We focus on our visitors and many of them leave Ollauri as friends of the brand, the winery and its people. Much of the "blame" rests with our team: Cristina and Eli combine passion, knowledge and top-notch individual attention.
3. Winemaking values
No matter how beautiful a winery may be, if the wine does not meet the expectations, the whole endeavour will mean nothing. It is spoilt, gone with the wind. The opposite happens in Conde de los Andes: the wine is the icing on the cake, the highlight of the tour, rounding off the overall historical, cultural and sensory experience. Not just our current releases -an exceptional white and a red-, but also our Historical Collection wines, a limited selection of old vintages (such as 1970, 1983, 1998 or 2001), which visitors can purchase and enjoy in the cellar.
4. The infectious feeling of being part of something special
It is a sort of journey to the past, of discovery, a privileged experience. A two-hour break from everything to plunge into wine just as it was, just as it is. Moreover, there is no mobile phone signal in the haunting corridors and vaults of the calaos. It really is a bubble of history and tradition. Conde de los Andes leaves no one indifferent; but if we also add the attentiveness of our guides, the wine tasting and the Ibérico ham tasting at the end of the visit, it will really feel like a very special treat. As we like to say, you feel like a traveller on the days before tourism existed.
You may also be interested in:
