Practising Authentic Wine Tourism. Wine Destination Mosel

Abstract: Mosel is Germany’s oldest wine-growing region. This study analyses how authenticity is presented in the practises of wine tourism in this region. The analysis includes an operationalisation of interviews with local vintners, gastronomes, and marketing agents, as well as a content analysis of marketing material gathered at the destination. A model for operationalisation has been constructed specifically for this study, using concepts such as winescape, terroir, and authenticity. The research reveals that supply-side agents in the Mosel region practise authenticity by promoting the viticultural landscape, traditions, and the people behind the wine in storytelling, images, and throughout the whole winescape. Therefore, previous theories on authenticity in wine tourism are strengthened. Implications are drawn for comparisons of authenticity among other wine tourism destinations. Generalisability to other destinations is limited and the sample of interviewees and marketing material from only a few places does not necessarily reflect the overall situation in the whole Mosel region.