Sixty-three per cent of Italian wineries manage wine tourism directly. Organisational structure, direct control and the role of dedicated business units remain central to how hospitality is built.
In most cases, the wine tourism offer is handled directly by ownership, showing the strong personal involvement of entrepreneurs in visitor-facing activities. Only a limited share of businesses, 12%, has developed a dedicated business unit with specific roles and resources. Management through functional departments such as marketing, sales or other internal offices involves roughly one company out of four.
Larger businesses tend to show more structured models. Among wineries with turnover above 5 million euro, the role of the sales department becomes more important, as does the presence of other internal offices. In smaller businesses, ownership remains more directly involved, confirming a more personal and entrepreneur-centred model.
Staffing levels also remain relatively contained. Eighty-three per cent of businesses manage wine tourism with fewer than ten workers, and one third operate with only one to four people. This is consistent with the overall structure of the sector, which is still dominated by micro and small enterprises.
The seasonal component is significant: on average, 55% of staff are seasonal, and another 10% come from external collaborations. This reflects a flexible operating structure. Larger companies show broader teams, but even there a significant share still works with small groups, confirming that organisation varies not only by size but also by territorial context and seasonality.
Text adapted from the report “When Wine Meets Tourism. Numbers and Models of Italian Wineries”.
