12.00 – 12.40 Session 2.3 Emerald Ballroom Creating the Wow Factor in Winery Visits Speaker: Diane Letulle (Wine Lover's Journal) Many winery visits are disappointingly similar: tank room, bottling line, tasting at the end. When visitors make the trek to your winery, you want to provide them with an experience they love – one that will make them enjoy your wine even more. You want to provide an experience they will share both by word of mouth and online on sites like Trip Advisor. Some wineries have pulled out all the stops to create truly theatrical visits. Examples include the Torres train tour in Catalonia, Spain, where visitors ride through vineyards, through barrel rooms, and see projected images while listening to narration in a number of languages. In George Duboeuf’s Disney,like Hameau du Vin in Beaujolais, France, visitors see an amusing animatronic performance, visit a room of scents, and even enjoy the operation of an antique calliope. In Eastern Austria, the Loisium Winery Visitor center stands out both for its spectacular modern architecture by Steven Holl, as well as its sound, light, and water show in a simulation of a fermentation tank. Other wineries distinguish themselves with art galleries, beautiful gardens, and more. This presentation focuses on what makes winery visits memorable. The wow factors in visits can include lavish displays or small, thoughtful touches. It’s the winery that pours juice for children that will be fondly remembered by parents, for example. Any winery can do more to make their visits stand out. This power point presentation will look at distinguishing the winery visitor experience on any budget. Paris Suite Wine Tourism. Case study with new architectures in Bordeaux & Rioja. Speaker: Fabrizio Bucella (Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium) Bordeaux and Rioja are two the best,known wine regions of France and Spain respectively. Since the beginning of the nineties, several wineries developed new wine cellars designed by well,known architects. The hotel bodega Marques de Riscal (Rioja, Spain) designed by Frank Gehry. The bodega Ysios (Rioja, Spain) designed by Santiago Calatrava. Chateau Cheval Blanc (Bordeaux, France) designed by Alexandre de Potzemparc and Château La Dominique (Bordeaux, France) being designed by Jean Nouvel. This paper focuses on three aspects of this new development. First, the wine architecture is part of a global marketing strategy aiming at consolidating wines at the higher end of the range. In Bordeaux for instance, the classified growth takes into account the architecture of the wineries. Second, wine architecture is being established as a new way for visiting wineries. The visit transforms itself into something broader, named a sensorial experience. Third, this new architecture intends to open the universe of first class wines to consumers who wouldn't otherwise have the possibility of getting hold of such expensive bottles. In conclusion, the paper tries to figure out if this is a new trend in first growth wines or merely a policy of some specific wineries. 13.00 – 14.25 Zinfandel Restaurant Lunch in the Esplanade Hotel sponsored by the Georgian National Tourism Administration 18