How can a winery organise tours of its estate without placing too much of a burden on its staff?
The Impossible Scenario
It’s Saturday morning. One group is on a wine tasting in the cellar. Another has just arrived for a tour. And three people are waiting in the shop.
It’s impossible to be in two places at once.
I’ve heard this scenario dozens of times whilst working with wine estates. Wine tourism is a real opportunity — but it often clashes directly with the reality on the ground. Welcoming guests, selling wine, producing wine, guiding tours: all at the same time, with the same people.
How an audio tour makes a difference
A digital audio tour is a guided tour designed once — and which then runs automatically for every visitor, without requiring someone to be on hand at all times.
The visitor arrives, scans a QR code displayed at the entrance to the estate. They enter a 4-digit access code specific to the estate, and begin their tour on their smartphone. No app to download. No account to create.
Another important detail: the tour works offline. Downloaded in a matter of seconds at the entrance, it continues even deep inside the cellar, where there’s no mobile signal.
The voice that makes all the difference
What makes this format so powerful is what you hear. It could be the winemaker’s own voice — explaining why they chose that grape variety, what makes this terroir special, or sharing an anecdote from the harvest. It could also be a generic, warm and professional voice, if the winemaker prefers not to take centre stage.
In both cases, the audio changes everything. Visitors no longer really want to read information boards. They want to listen, watch and experience. Text on a sign informs. A voice in your ears tells a story.
Without being too intrusive, but without neglecting a warm welcome
An audio tour does not replace a human welcome. It complements it.
At the Cave de Vouvray, the “Chenin & Tuffeau” tour has not replaced guided tours. It has enriched the self-guided tour — the one visitors take in the areas open to the public, between scheduled tours, when no guide is available. Previously, this experience was rather limited: a few information boards, spaces to look at without any context. Now, there is a narrative. A story. A common thread.
Co-operative wineries, which often manage larger visitor numbers, face similar challenges. Find out more about wine tourism at co-operative wineries →
Staff spend less time repeating the same basic explanations. And when they meet visitors at the end of the tour, the conversation is different — richer, more detailed. Visitors have had an experience. They have questions. They want to explore further.
Does this influence subsequent purchases? Intuition suggests it does — an engaged visitor is likely to be a more discerning buyer. But I don’t yet have the figures to confirm this. What I do know is that the experience is better. And you can really feel the difference.
What sort of estate is this suitable for?
This approach works particularly well for:
- Estates that welcome visitors outside of guided tasting slots
- Wineries with areas open to visitors: vineyards, gardens, tasting rooms, exhibition spaces
- Estates that welcome international tourists — the tour can be offered in several languages
- Properties looking to enhance an existing self-guided tour that isn’t very engaging
Where to start?
The first step isn’t technical. It’s editorial: what experience do you want your visitors to have? What story do you want to tell?
You often already have the content — text, photos, audio — without even realising it. It’s simply a matter of organising it, recording it and putting it together.
That’s what we do with you at Merci Gabin. Not in your place — but with you.
Xavier Adraste is the founder of Merci Gabin, a platform offering digital audio tours for wine estates.