IN BREVE
- The conference “Distillery and Liqueur Factory Tourism” will take place on April 28, 2026, at Cantine Astoria in Refrontolo.
- The event focuses on experiential tourism related to distillation, strengthening the wine tourism offering.
- Fabio Ciarla will present market data and success stories, while Filippo Polegato will delve into winery tourism.
- Significant space will be dedicated to enhancing local specificities and creating integrated tourist itineraries.
- The final round table will discuss tools for developing structured hospitality and will present a quality certification for companies in the sector.
Experiential tourism related to distillation will be the focus of the conference “Distillery and Liqueur Factory Tourism: Challenges and Opportunities in Hospitality“, scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 2:30 PM at Cantine Astoria in Refrontolo, in the province of Treviso. The initiative is promoted by DISTILLO in collaboration with SIMEI and Unione Italiana Vini, under the patronage of the Consorzio Nazionale Grappa. The event is aimed at industry operators, producers, professionals, and the specialized press. The goal: to open a discussion on the potential of a growing sector that is still less structured compared to other wine tourism segments.
MARKET ANALYSIS AND SCENARIOS
The conference will open with an updated overview of food and wine tourism in Italy and worldwide. A specific focus will be placed on distillery and liqueur factory visits, a segment that is still young but capable of capturing a growing demand for authentic experiences.
Starting from market data, national and international success stories from the world of wine and spirits will be analyzed. The goal is to offer concrete, replicable models. Presenting the framework will be Fabio Ciarla, director of Corriere Vinicolo. Filippo Polegato, CEO of Astoria Wines and Vice President of UIV, will delve into the topic of winery tourism, exploring models and opportunities.
THE ROLE OF THE TERRITORY
Significant space will be dedicated to the territorial dimension. The discussion will focus on integrating distilleries and liqueur factories into integrated tourist itineraries, with the aim of enhancing local specificities and creating synergies with other local stakeholders.
Speakers will include Alessandro Marzadro (Istituto di Tutela Grappa del Trentino), Davide Mansouri (Assodistil), Lorenzo Marolo (Consorzio Tutela Grappa del Piemonte e Grappa di Barolo), Paolo Brunello (Distillerie Aperte, Vicenza), and Michele Viscidi (Consorzio Nazionale Grappa).
SKILLS AND HOSPITALITY
The topic of skills will be at the center of the round table dedicated to the tools necessary to develop a structured hospitality offering. Several Italian distilleries will be involved, including Antica Distilleria di Altavilla, Berta, Brunello, Marzadro, Mazzetti d’Altavilla, Nardini, and Pilzer. Closing the proceedings will be the presentation of the quality certification for hospitality and corporate museums. The recognition will be awarded to companies that have distinguished themselves in the sector during DISTILLO 2026, scheduled for November within SIMEI.
