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Wine tourism has been gaining importance as a popular form of special interest tourism, with an increasing body of academic literature concentrating on the field, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization holding its first Global Conference on Wine Tourism in the Kakheti Region of Georgia in 2016. While the term ‘wine tourism’originally related mainly to visitation of wineries for the purpose of tasting and/or purchasing wine, it has become accepted that wine tourists now desire far more from their wine tourism experience. They also look for innovative products and services such as culinary offerings, lodging, cultural and recreational activities, retail choices and an enjoyable rural landscape (Brown et al., 2006; Bruwer & Alant, 2009; Cohen & Ben-Nun, 2009). This has resulted in many wineries around the world adding additional facilities and attractions beyond the primary wine tasting experience.

There is, however, little academic research on innovations in wine tourism beyond the traditional wine tasting/winery tour experience, yet many wineries have been adding attractions and activities, especially restaurants and accommodation. One such example is Spice Route in Paarl, South Africa, which, besides wine tasting, also offers tastings of beer, gin, chocolate, charcuterie, and preserves, and is home to three restaurants, a delicatessen, a coffee shop, a glass blowing studio, a diamond cutting studio, a gift shop, a pilates studio, and mountain biking trails (Explore Spice Route, 2018). Another is the Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch, South Africa, whose facilities include a luxury hotel and spa, conference facilities, four restaurants, a gift shop …