According to Equalitas Vitae, Spain’s leading tourism portal for the promotion of accessible tourism, there are more than 3,000 accessible tourist resources registered on their website – a guide to the most accessible, inclusive properties.
The Top – Bodegas Valdemar and Villa Lucía: Best Of Wine Tourism Award Winners
Bodegas Valdemar in Oyón and the Villa Lucía museum in Laguardia have worked with Equalitas Vitae to become the first wine-related businesses in Rioja to develop an extensive all-inclusive program allowing people with disabilities to learn about wine, its history, and the winemaking process without physical, visual or auditory limitations.
This effort earned them a 2020 International Best Of Wine Tourism award for Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences from the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.
Both properties feature unrestricted access for wheelchair users, Braille, sign language and subtitles, panels and posters with high contrast and QR codes for the explanation of wines, the winemaking process and wine tasting.
“Villa Lucía with the Five Senses” has adapted its international award-winning 4D short film “En tierra de sueños” (In a Dreamland) for wine lovers with disabilities. The museum features stations adapted for wheelchair users and numerous panels allowing persons with visual impairment to touch the items displayed and read about them from panels written in Braille.
Photo: Villa Lucía Museum
At Bodegas Valdemar, in addition to the above, wine aroma games are inclusive. Pictograms and diagrams describe the tapas served during the three wine tastings that take place during the tour of the winery. Visitors can scan QR codes on the bottles tasted that give access to videos with subtitles. The sense of touch is used throughout, including touching the grapes as they pass through the selection table during the harvest and feeling the temperature of a fermentation tank.
Photo: Bodegas Valdemar in Rioja Alavesa.
The key for both Villa Lucía and Bodegas Valdemar, is not only accessibility but inclusiveness. Anyone, with or without disabilities, can visit the properties without requiring special attention.
Inclusive Wine Tourism: A guide to the Basics
While Valdemar’s and Villa Lucía’s experiences undoubtedly require a significant investment, an example of what any property can do to provide accessible wine tourism is Bodegas Murillo Viteri, a family winery in its sixth generation in Cenicero in Rioja Alta.
Murillo Viteri was one of the first European wineries to eliminate all barriers to offer 100% accessibility for visitors. Among their features are
- A well signposted parking area with easy access to the winery.
- A lift to all floors.
- Access ramps throughout the winery.
- Restrooms designed for visitors with reduced mobility.
- Handrails and markings on floors especially adapted for the visually impaired.
Today, providing easy accessibility and information for all visitors is a must for all properties, whether large and small, with deep pockets or on a basic level. The bottom line is that tourists are consumers. Who can afford to neglect them?
Text by Tom Perry, Inside Rioja
Featured photo: Villa Lucía
Learn more about Bilbao-Rioja Great Wine Capitals