Chile’s winter rebound is a strategic signal for Spanish wine tourism
Vinetur reports that Brazilian ski tourists are helping revive Chile’s winter wine tourism. The headline may concern the Andes, but the commercial lesson is highly relevant to Spain: wine regions do not need to depend exclusively on harvest-time visitors, nor should they market winter as a low-demand period to endure.
The key development is the combination of two motivations that are usually promoted separately: skiing and wine. Brazilian travellers fly south for snow, a rare and aspirational experience for a market with no domestic ski culture. Once in Chile, many have both the spending power and the available time to add winery visits, restaurant bookings, premium tastings and bottle purchases to their itineraries.
For Spanish producers, wine-route managers, hotels and specialist travel advisers, this is evidence that winter wine tourism works best when it is attached to a stronger reason to travel. A cellar-door visit alone may not persuade someone to take an international trip in January. But a well-designed itinerary combining skiing, gastronomy, landscape, wellness and wine can.
Why Brazilian visitors matter beyond Chile
Brazil is a sizeable long-haul travel market with a growing appetite for premium experiences. Its travellers are also accustomed to treating wine as part of a wider social and gastronomic occasion rather than a purely technical tasting exercise. That makes them attractive guests for Spanish regions able to offer hospitality, storytelling and food alongside a credible wine portfolio.
Chile has a structural advantage for Brazilian ski travellers: geographical proximity, direct air connections through Santiago and the immediate visual appeal of the Andes. Spain cannot replicate that geography. It can, however, compete with a different proposition: a winter trip that pairs accessible ski resorts with historic wine landscapes, distinctive regional cuisine, cultural cities and high-quality accommodation.
This distinction matters. Spanish wine tourism should not try to copy the Chilean offer word for word. It should identify where its own combination is more compelling. Rioja Alavesa can be linked to the Basque Country’s food culture and the Pyrenees; Somontano sits close to Aragón’s mountain landscapes; Ribera del Duero can form part of a Madrid-to-northern-Spain route; and Catalonia offers obvious connections between Barcelona, the Pyrenees, Cava country and Priorat.
For travellers who already view Spain as a gastronomic destination, the winter angle creates a reason to visit outside the busiest months. For wineries, that can improve cash flow, reduce seasonal dependence and make better use of staff, restaurants, tasting rooms and accommodation that might otherwise operate below capacity.
The real opportunity: turn a ski trip into a wine itinerary
Build packages around the traveller’s actual schedule
Ski guests do not have unlimited spare time. They may spend mornings on the slopes, arrive tired in the afternoon and leave after a long weekend. A winery that only offers a two-hour technical tour at 11 a.m. is unlikely to capture much of this demand.
The useful product is more flexible: a 60- to 90-minute late-afternoon tasting, a winery dinner with transport included, or a private appointment timed for arrival and departure days. Spanish wine businesses should create bookable “ski-to-cellar” experiences rather than expecting visitors to assemble every component themselves.
A practical format could include:
- Transfer from ski-resort hotel or a clearly identified pickup point.
- A short vineyard or architecture-focused visit appropriate for winter weather.
- A seated tasting of three to five wines, including one premium or limited-release bottle.
- Regional food with enough substance for après-ski appetite.
- Multilingual digital booking, transparent duration and cancellation terms.
- Reliable options for shipping or collecting purchases later in the trip.
This is not merely a tourism tactic. It is a direct-sales strategy. Visitors arriving in a celebratory mood, having enjoyed a personal experience and a meal, are more likely to purchase higher-value bottles than customers browsing a shop shelf.
Make winter a feature, not an apology
Many winery websites still present their vineyards at their most photogenic only: green canopies, flowering landscapes and harvest activity. Winter is described, if at all, as the quiet period. That messaging misses the point.
Dormant vineyards, snow-dusted mountain views, barrel-cellar warmth, seasonal stews, roast meats and mature red wines can form a coherent premium proposition. The atmosphere is naturally intimate. It suits smaller groups, private tastings, vertical flights and food-and-wine pairings that may be harder to deliver during peak harvest operations.
Spanish wineries should photograph and film their estates in winter, publish seasonal opening hours early and make cold-weather logistics explicit. Is the access road suitable after snow? Is there indoor parking? Are children welcome? Is the tasting room heated? These details may sound operational, but they determine whether a traveller actually books.
What Spanish regions can learn from the Chilean model
The Chilean example underlines the value of destination partnerships. Ski operators bring visitors; wineries provide an additional reason to extend the stay and spend more locally. Neither side should assume the other will do the marketing.
Spanish wine routes near winter-sport areas should work with ski resorts, boutique hotels, rental companies, guides, restaurants and transport providers. The objective is not simply to exchange brochures. It is to create a shared product, shared booking path and shared audience data.
A ski hotel, for example, can offer a winery dinner as an add-on at the point of reservation. A bodega can display information on lift passes or guided snow activities in its confirmation email. A regional tourism board can fund Portuguese-language campaign assets aimed at Brazilian travellers researching European winter holidays.
Portuguese is especially important. English may be adequate for many international guests, but a Portuguese-language landing page, booking assistance and tasting notes signal serious intent toward the Brazilian market. The content should focus on practical reassurance: travel times, driving conditions, dietary options, payment methods, seasonal availability and what makes each appellation distinctive.
Avoid the mistakes that undermine premium wine travel
Not every winery should rush to advertise a ski-and-wine package. The offer must be operationally sound. Winter weather can complicate transport, and alcohol requires responsible planning after a day of physical activity. Guests should never be encouraged to drive after tasting.
The best solution is to include a driver, work with licensed transport partners or design the experience around hotels and walkable towns. Wineries should also avoid overloading the visit with technical detail. A Brazilian leisure traveller who has come from the slopes may appreciate a clear, engaging story about Tempranillo, Garnacha, altitude or ageing, but not necessarily a lecture on every production variable.
Finally, success should be measured properly. Track winter bookings by source market, package conversion, average spend per guest, bottle shipment requests, restaurant revenue and repeat purchases after visitors return home. A campaign that generates attractive social-media images but no direct sales or future customer relationship is not yet a sustainable wine-tourism programme.
A practical checklist for Spanish wineries and wine routes
Before the next northern-hemisphere winter, producers and regional wine-tourism bodies should take five steps:
- Map ski resorts, winter towns and airport gateways within a realistic transfer radius.
- Design one concise winter experience that can be booked online in Portuguese and English.
- Set fixed dates, late-afternoon slots and transport arrangements before launching promotion.
- Partner with hotels and resort businesses on a commission or packaged-rate basis.
- Capture guest permission for follow-up offers, then send a post-trip message with wines available through importers or legal delivery channels in Brazil.
Chile’s recovery is a reminder that wine tourism grows when it becomes useful to the traveller’s whole trip. Spain has the wine diversity, food culture and mountain access to build equally persuasive winter routes. What is needed is not a generic “visit our winery” invitation, but an itinerary designed around how visitors actually travel.
FAQ
Can Spain realistically attract Brazilian ski-and-wine tourists?
Yes, although Spain competes with closer South American ski destinations. Its advantage lies in combining snow sports with European culture, acclaimed gastronomy, historic cities and a wide range of wine regions. Clear Portuguese communication and frictionless travel planning are essential.
Which Spanish wine regions are best suited to winter mountain itineraries?
Catalonia, Somontano, Rioja Alavesa and other northern regions can be natural candidates because of their proximity to mountain areas or major winter travel gateways. The best choice depends on transfer time, road conditions, winery opening schedules and the quality of local hospitality infrastructure.
What should a winery offer ski visitors?
Offer shorter late-afternoon tastings, substantial food pairings, heated indoor spaces, pre-booked transport and simple online booking. Premium flights, cellar dinners and bottle-shipping support can increase average spend without making the experience feel rushed.
Is winter wine tourism only relevant for wineries near ski resorts?
No. Skiing is a powerful travel trigger, but the broader principle applies elsewhere. Wineries can connect winter visits to city breaks, festive gastronomy, wellness stays, cultural events and seasonal restaurant experiences. The goal is to give travellers a compelling reason to visit outside harvest season.
Fuente: Vinetur — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT
