The Role of Websites in Promoting Wine Tourism: An Evaluation of Romanian Wineries

Abstract

While aspiring to become internationally valued producers of high-quality wines, certain Romanian wineries recently turned towards wine tourism. Given the increasing role of smart devices and online-based information in holiday selection and planning, the main objective of the paper is to evaluate the online presence, informational content and effectiveness of Romanian wineries’ websites for the promotion of wine tourism. This evaluation comprised 53 features tested in previous research and organized into four categories: main website characteristics, wine tourism, marketing, and education. Based on content analysis conducted on 154 websites of wineries identified in all Romanian regions, scores were computed and, subsequently, wineries were classified, mapped, and evaluated. The findings show that certain basic features are overall available, while exclusive features that could positively influence tourist preferences and experiences are insufficient in terms of design, education, and marketing characteristics. Less than 50% of the analysed websites inform about wine tasting activities, less than 35% specify visiting hours, and less than 20% mention tourist amenities. The websites that indicate other local wineries, allied industries or tourist attractions represent exceptions. This study underlines the importance of leveraging digital tools within the marketing strategy of wineries and the need to enhance networking among regional stakeholders as prerequisite for sustainable development.

1. Introduction

Although a relationship between wine and visits can be traced back to Roman and Greek times, the wine tourism—as an activity recognised by the representatives of the two industries and various administrations—is rather recent. Academics also became interested in wine tourism, so that in the 1990s the subject began to be intensively studied especially in the New World of Wine and the 2000s witnessed a huge quantitative and qualitative expansion of related academic studies [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9] all over the world.

Wine tourism, also known as enotourism, has become a significant aspect of the tourism industry, encompassing the travel experience centred around visiting vineyards, wineries, and wine-producing regions, particularly in rural areas [2,10,11,12,13,14,15]. In recent years, it has emerged as a noteworthy component of the tourism industry, offering visitors unique opportunities to explore the culture, heritage, and landscapes associated with winemaking [16,17]. However, there is a need for winemakers to fully capitalize on this opportunity, potentially through tailored educational programs [18]. For Romanian wineries, embracing wine tourism presents not only an avenue for showcasing their products but also a means of fostering economic growth and cultural exchange within the region. By attracting tourists to their facilities, wineries can stimulate local businesses, create employment opportunities, and contribute to the preservation of traditional winemaking practices [19].

The benefits of wine tourism for the wine makers and vineyard owners are threefold: there are undoubtedly entrepreneurial benefits, as well as regional and personal benefits [20]. The entrepreneurial benefits stem mainly from the increased sales, either through direct cellar door sales [20,21,22,23,24,25,26] or as a means to diversify the business [18,27], gaining new clients and customer loyalty [20,21] as well as an enhanced brand image [20,23] or brand awareness [28] and a great marketing means for promoting the wines [20,28]. Wine tourism also brings benefits for the region due to enhanced cooperation among the various stakeholders, including not only wine producers, but also accommodation facilities, restaurants, tourist attractions, local producers and tour operators [20,29,30], while also helping preserve the cultural landscape [20,31,32].

Nowadays, in a digital era, a strong online presence is indispensable for wineries seeking to work out the potential of wine tourism [26,33,34]. Websites serve as the virtual storefronts through which wineries can present their offerings, engage with potential visitors, and ultimately can attract potential tourists to their physical locations for specific tasting activities [34,35,36,37,38].

Researching the role of websites in promoting wine tourism involves understanding the significance of online presence and its impact on attracting visitors and enhancing business opportunities. The main objective of the present research is to evaluate the online presence and effectiveness of websites of selected Romanian wineries in promoting wine tourism. The study focuses on assessing the comprehensiveness, accuracy, and engagement level of content related to winery information, wine offerings, visitor amenities, and local attractions of 154 wineries, aiming to enhance the websites’ effectiveness as promotional tools for wine tourism. By providing a detailed evaluation of Romanian winery websites, this study provides helpful insight about how these digital platforms can serve as effective virtual storefronts that present offers, engage potential visitors, and draw tourists to physical locations for wine tasting activities. This analysis is essential for understanding and optimizing digital strategies in the wine tourism sector, particularly in regions with unique cultural and economic landscapes like Romania.

2. Theoretical Background

2.1. Wine Tourism

As wine tourism evolved from mere wine tastings and cellar door experiences to diverse and integrative experiences meant to attract a variety of tourists, so did its definition. This development is perhaps best marked by the following two conceptualizations of wine tourism as ‘visiting wine-associated destinations to taste wine and have other favourable experiences’ [39] or ‘a form of consumer behaviour based on the appeal of wine and wine regions, and a development and marketing strategy for the wine industry and destinations in which wineries and wine-related experiences are the dominant attractions’ [11].

From a pragmatical viewpoint, the approach focused on the tourist market defines wine tourism by the main activities it includes, i.e., visits to vineyards, wineries, wine festivals and exhibitions, with the main motivation for visitors being wine tasting and/or enjoying experiences specific to wine regions [2], whereas the product-focused approach conceptualizes the core of wine tourism product as collectively represented by the traditional, wine, gastronomic, cultural-artistic tourism elements, the complex package that tourists aspire to discover and experience [3].

Although relatively recent, wine tourism has developed into a popular lifestyle leisure and tourism activity that appeals to ever more diverse and larger tourism market segments. The present-day demand for wine tourism shows that this type of activity is no longer strictly reserved to an elite of wine connoisseurs or wine enthusiasts in search of exceptional tastings [4]. The multifarious wine tourists also visit wineries in order to learn about their history and heritage, to experience the local food, culture and traditions, to relax and enjoy the winescape. Furthermore, studies have shown that the attractiveness of the winescape is more influential for wine tourist demand than the supply of high-quality wines [40,41].

To sum up, wine tourism is a dynamic concept drawing from two interconnected economic sectors (wine production and tourism), each of them having significant implications for local economies, as well as from the ecological or lifestyle viewpoint.

Among the benefits of wine tourism for wineries, higher sales, better margins and stronger relationships with consumers are the most notable [35,42]. For smaller wine producers, it plays an essential part, being among the very few viable sales outlet [2]. Other advantages stem from the possibility to educate current and prospective consumers [35] or test new products [43] and the fact that wine tourism experiences improve brand value [44]. Overall, wine tourism stimulates long-term financial, promotional and marketing advantages for wineries [4]. Moreover, wine-growing areas can use wine tourism within an integrated development strategy by promoting networking and collaboration between multiple stakeholders interested in tourism, such as those in restaurant and accommodation businesses, but also those in the field of arts, crafts, etc., generating multiple economic effects by capitalizing on local culture, original traditions and by empowering local communities and businesses [4,45].

On the other hand, certain studies point to the fact that unless the implications of wine tourism (increased costs and management time, for example) are well understood and taken into account in the broader business strategy of a winery, this activity might also induce disadvantages [2,22].

2.2. Wine Tourism Experience

The wine industry which traditionally focused on growing grapes, wine production and selling, diversified during the last decades so as to allow visitors on the premises and provide memorable experiences [46].

Wine tourism, apart from benefits for suppliers, should also provide ‘a total experience’ for the tourists; this experience is created around a typical intensive product [47], the wine, which ‘is in itself an experiential dimension, therefore intimately related to the basis of the wine tourism experience’ [48].

Wine tourism experiences encompass ‘the wine and food theme, the tasting of wine and other local produce, visiting local attractions, engaging in sporting or leisure activities, meeting the locals and savouring the rural atmosphere’ [49]. This experience is intrinsically linked to the hedonic perspective [48], and it is a multisensory one, which involves sensations through all the five senses and emotions [48,50]. Activities related to wineries, namely wine making, tasting, winery tour and winery atmosphere are ranked the highest by potential wine tourists [51]. However, wine tourism is not only about the wine, since tourists usually engage in various recreational and sports activities in the hilly vineyards or surrounding areas, such as cycling, hiking [52], as well as cultural activities [51]. The cultural and educational activities contribute to the entertainment experience that tourists value [53]. Therefore, a complete experience must focus on and include all the 4Es—the educational, aesthetic, entertainment and escapist dimensions [54]. Moreover, tourism experiences must be more personalized and differentiated [55].

2.3. Technological Tools and the (Wine) Tourism Industry

Although the online presence has proved to be ‘instrumental in providing wine tourism outcomes’ [56], the use of ICT means in wine tourism is an ongoing process [46] and has gradually allowed wineries to shift their focus from the Web 1.0 form when the mere online marketing of wine was the main target and wine tourism had marginal relevance to the Web 2.0 era, when they can network and enable consumers, transforming the tourism industry in general [57]. The role of the internet as the most important tool for all actors in tourism is undisputed [58].

ICT means and websites in particular have proved to ‘foster interactive, participatory, engaging and customized co-creative experiences in food and wine contexts’ [59], thus becoming ‘enhancers and enablers of onsite experiences’ [46]. Digital devices are ever more important since wine tourists tend to be ‘urban, digitally savvy consumers’ [60], for whom the internet is the preferred source of information about the destination, trip planning and reservations [42].

Wineries have been argued to be highly dependent on the internet to increase visibility and sales [36]. Still, the use of ICT means and Web 2.0 components require financial resources, proper infrastructure and trained staff, which may be more difficult for smaller family-run wineries to provide [61]. This partially explains why family SME wineries are usually either in the Web 1.0 era focusing only on websites, while other have only social media accounts and no websites [26]. Nevertheless, websites offer the advantage of multiple communications modes: one-to-many, one-to-one (email or newsletters) and many-to-many (such as blogs) [37].

Significant advances have been made in understanding the comparative promotional effects of various digital tools on wine tourism [62,63]. Studies have shown that while traditional methods such as videos are effective in engaging potential tourists and displaying winery offerings [64], more advanced technological mechanisms, such as virtual reality (VR) tours and augmented reality, provide a more immersive and impactful promotional experience [65], while enhancing the potential for smarter business [66,67,68].Virtual reality can simulate the experience of visiting a winery, allowing potential tourists to explore vineyards and participate in virtual tastings, thereby creating a more compelling and interactive engagement than videos [69]. This enhanced sensory experience facilitated by VR has been found to generate higher levels of interest and emotional connection, ultimately leading to increased tourist attraction and engagement with wineries [63]. Consequently, integrating VR and augmented reality to provide interpretation during onsite visits into winery promotional strategies offers a promising path for enhancing the effectiveness of marketing efforts in the digital age [70].

2.4. Wine Tourism Websites—Key Aspects

A series of studies concentrate on examining the content and functionality of winery websites, with a focus on their role in wine tourism, while other papers underscore the importance of winery websites in providing relevant information for tourists interested in wine tourism, and the need for continuous improvement in their content and functionality [38,42]. Marzo-Navarro [38] specifically highlight the need for more information about wines, improved e-commerce platforms, and greater interactivity, while other research papers emphasise the lack of commitment to wine tourism [71]. A thorough analysis of wine and winery websites have led researchers to conclude that there are three main categories of websites [37,72,73]: informative (they merely present info on wine producer, location and distribution channels); transactional (which allow to pay online for products) and interactive (which allows interactions between supplier and customers, as well as among customers).

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Study Area

Agriculture plays an important part in Romania’s economy and viticulture, with long tradition, extensive dedicated surfaces, and a variety of terroirs, is an important agricultural component that shaped the landscape and provided livelihood in the traditional vine-growing areas of the country.

In 2023, Romania accounted for 187,000 ha or ca. 2.6% of the global vineyard surfaces, which placed it on the 8th position in the world [74]. With ca. 96.1% of this surface bearing wine grapes, Romania is among the major wine-producing countries, ranking 11th in the world and accounting for an output of 4.6 mil. hl (i.e., 1.9% of the total). Despite a decline in vineyard surface, the 2023 wine output meant a 9.5% increase as compared to the average of the 2018–2022 interval [74].

The most extensive vineyards, i.e., about 57.7% of the national vine-growing surface, are in the regions traditionally specialized in quality wines and generally located in eastern Romania, particularly at the Sub-Carpathian Curvature (Vrancea county alone accounts for 17.7% of the total), as well as in the Moldavian and Dobrogea Tablelands. Accounting for 17.8% and, respectively, 12.7% of the total, Oltenia and Muntenia regions extend further the Romanian vineyards in the southern part of the country and especially in the hilly areas [75].

In order to emphasize the diversity of factors that impact and differentiate winescapes and wines (ecological features, grape varieties, technologies in use, etc.), the present Romanian legislation delineates 8 regions, 37 vineyards, and 180 centres as main taxonomic units [76] (Figure 1).

Infused with the environmental diversity of their background wine regions, the Romanian winescapes are also the complex result of traditional viticultural practices, recent investments and international expertise in vineyard infrastructure and wine production. As 99% of the entire vineyard surface in Romania is privately owned [75], there is also a diversity of visions and business strategies set by vignerons, which is likely to add originality to the winescape and shape the winery into a unique combination of agricultural, industrial and, more recently, tourist business.

3.2. Methodology

This study uses content analysis and descriptive statistics to analyse the websites of Romanian wineries. Content analysis, an observational research method that is based on objectivity, systematisation and quantification [80,81,82] has been largely used for the analysis of winery web sites as a means to attract tourists since it is an objective evaluation process [38,42,83].

The research was conducted in three main phases:

(1)

collect information about existing wineries in Romania and build an initial database; evaluate the information and select the wineries websites eligible for content analysis;

(2)

content analysis of Romanian wineries’ websites to assess their usability, functionality, and content quality in relation to promoting wine tourism. Websites were evaluated by all three researchers during a three-month period (January–March 2024);

(3)

determine the website evaluation score, classify the wineries websites into four classes and map them accordingly using QGIS 3.30 software. We used descriptive statistics to represent the normal distribution of the final score.

3.2.1. Identifying Criteria

Given the growing importance of wine tourism in the economy of some regions and the use of internet for promoting destinations and tourism offers, there has been a growing body of literature focusing on the role of wineries websites in promoting wine tourism and the key features of such websites. After a proper literature review, we identified 4 main dimensions that must be considered and established a list of key features (

Table 1. Key elements in the analysis of the winery websites.

Dimension	Key Feature	Description	Importance	References
General characteristics	Homepage	Evaluate the first impression that can entice visitors to want to explore further	Serves as the virtual entrance to the winery’s online presence. The ease of navigation ensures finding quickly relevant information, provides essential details about the winery (contact details)	[38,73,83]
	Multilingual support	Consider the international appeal of wine tourism	Addresses a diverse audience. Translating key content into multiple languages demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and facilitates communication with tourists from different linguistic backgrounds	[84,85]
	Accessibility and mobile responsiveness	Ensure that the website is optimized for viewing on different mobile devices	Ensures a seamless browsing experience across different devices and screen sizes, ensuring a consistent and enjoyable user experience across devices	[36,84]
Wine tourism	Visitor information	Assess the availability of information on visiting the winery, including tour schedules, booking options, and contact details	Help tourists reach out for reservations, facilitate trip planning and encourage visits to the winery	[38,73,83,85]
	Events and activities	Evaluate the promotion of events, tastings, festivals, and other activities aimed at attracting tourists	Enhances the winery’s appeal as a destination for wine tourism. Upcoming events, such as tastings, festivals, or vineyard tours, help attract tourists interested in unique experiences.	[38,83]
	Local attractions	Analyse the inclusion of information about nearby attractions, accommodations, restaurants, and transportation options to facilitate trip planning	Enhances the winery’s value as a destination and encourages visitors to explore the surrounding area; helps visitors plan comprehensive itineraries and enhance their overall experience	[38,73,83,86,87]
Expertise sharing	Winery information	Evaluate the presentation of the winery’s history, vineyards, production methods, and awards	Offer the potential visitors insight into the heritage and values of the winery, provides transparency and authenticity, highlights the winery’s achievements and expertise in the industry	[37,73,83,84,86]
Marketing	Wine offerings	Analyse the presentation of wine lists, tasting notes, and purchasing options	Entices visitors to explore and purchase wines. The organization and layout of wine lists helps visitors easily navigate the available options. The detail of tasting notes provides valuable information about each wine’s characteristics and flavour profile. The ease of purchasing options (online ordering or wine club memberships), ensures an ideal experience for customers	[38,73,83,84,85,86]
	Visual content	Assess the use of high-quality images, videos, virtual tours, and interactive maps to showcase the winery and its surroundings	Captivates visitors, create immersive experiences for potential tourists by enabling them to visualize themselves at the winery and enhancing their desire to visit	[37,38,83,85]
	User engagement	Evaluate the presence of features such as blogs, newsletters, and social media integration to engage visitors and encourage repeat visits.	Encourages ongoing interaction and fosters a sense of community. Blogs, newsletters, and social media integration keep visitors informed and engaged, encouraging them to return for future updates and offerings	[26,37,38,73,83,85,86]

Source: Authors’ elaboration.

) including 53 criteria to be analysed. These features have already been extensively tested in previous research in both traditional and emerging tourism destinations. The key elements considered are related features like usability, functionality, content quality. These can provide insights into the strengths and areas for improvement of the wineries’ websites in relation to wine tourism development.

3.2.2. Sample

In order to achieve a sampling framework for wineries functioning in all Romanian regions, we collated winery listings from several sources including those in specialised field publications [88] and those on specialised online databases and portals: Crameromania.ro [89], correlated to Revino.ro [90], the results being then compared to WinesOfRomania.com [91]. Based on the identification data collected for each winery (winery name, company name, website URL, physical location), the duplicate listings were deleted.

As a similar sampling was also conducted before the pandemics, in 2019, we acknowledged the relevance of Revino.ro portal as a comprehensive and up to date source of information (new wineries were added to the list in this interval). Moreover, it is worth noting that this portal has sections dedicated to wine tourism, whether the potential tourists travel to the winery (maps and essential information on visit, tasting, or accommodation) or remain in the city (wine-bars, dedicated events).

We identified 191 wineries and collected information regarding their location, cultivated area, and available websites. As the scope of this research was to evaluate the website features of the Romanian wineries in order to determine if wine tourism is an important aspect of their business and promotion, only 154 wineries qualified for this research, since 37 of them had no website or those existing were not functional at the time of the analysis.

3.2.3. Coding and Scoring

The presence or absence of the considered features were noted by 1 (feature present) or 0 (feature absent). We divided the sample into 3 clusters, considering mainly the Romanian wine regions, so as each author could analyse a similar number of websites on one hand, and all the wineries in a particular region on the other hand. In order to reduce bias, after carefully reading and coding the information for the assigned regions, we swapped clusters, so as to have two researchers independently coding the information for each website. Finally, the independent evaluations were compared and where differences were registered (8 cases) regarding the assigned value (1 or 0), the third author reevaluated those particular cases.

The score for a website was calculated as a weighted average of the scores computed for each category. The weights were distributed to reflect a higher significance of general characteristics, wine tourism and marketing (each having 30%) in contrast to a lesser significance of the educational function (10%).

The final scores are the resulting weighted averages, normalized between 0 and 100. Based on the final score, the websites were classified into four categories.

4. Results

The analysis of the national average normalized scores at main category level reveals that the highest values were recorded for the general characteristics (i.e., 17.5 points, which represents a contribution of 41.3% to the final score), followed by the marketing function (13, 2 points, respectively, 31.2%), the wine tourism function (9.7 points, respectively, 22.9%), and the educational function (1.9 points, i.e., 4.6%). Although the territorial variance of the scores is notable, the same general structure characterizes each analysed region. Thus, the general site characteristics contribute the most to the overall regional score, with weights comprised between 35% (Dobrogea) and 49.2% (Banat). The average regional scores obtained for the marketing function contribute to the final score with weights between 26.1% (Banat) and 32.6% (Transylvania), while the scores obtained for wine tourism function account for 18.8% (Oltenia) to 28.5% (Dobrogea) of the final score. The lowest regional average scores belong to the tourism function, which weights between 4% (Moldova) and 5.1% (Banat) in the final score.

The general characteristics of the website account for relatively high values. As compared to the national average of 17.5 points, the highest regional average values at the category level were registered by the wineries in Banat, Dobrogea, and Muntenia (all above 18 points), while the lowest value (i.e., 15.2 points) characterises Maramureș (Appendix A, Figure A1).

Wine tourism accounts for a modest contribution. Dobrogea (15.2 points), Moldova (13.4 points), and Muntenia (10.5 points) are the regions placed above the national average score of 9.69 points, while the lowest interest in promoting this activity, as reflected by the regional category scores, characterises Maramureș, Transylvania (below 7 points), Oltenia, and Banat (values between 7 and 7.5 points) (Appendix A, Figure A2).

The marketing function received above average scores, although it is worth mentioning that most wineries promote wines (available wine lists, pictures, detailed descriptions, online store), but not wine tourism (dedicated photo galleries are scarce or absent, even when websites provide contact details for booking tourist activities). The content analysis showed a modest interest for reviews, partnerships, feedback from customers on the official website, while wineries are prone to use social media for promotional activities. Regional scores well above the national average of 13.2 points were achieved by Dobrogea (16.9 points) and Moldova (14.8 points), while Banat and Maramureș fell below the 10-point threshold (Appendix A, Figure A3).

The low scores assigned for expertise sharing are explained to some extent by the predominance of the traditional approach, as most analysed wineries convey a brochure-type description of the core business (history of the vineyard, grown varieties, winemaking process), while being reluctant to educate about wine and its associations, viticulture and its implications and to promote networking with other wineries, stakeholders from allied industries, administrations, and communities. Consequently, the average national score is 1.9 points. The only regions surpassing the 2-point threshold are Dobrogea and Muntenia, while regions such as Maramureș, Transylvania, and Crișana reached values ≤ 1.6 points (Appendix A, Figure A4).

As wine tourism in Romania is rather a recent trend and the overall wine industry is highly competitive, capitalizing on the website educational function might rise customer interest and loyalty [83], thus expanding the demand for a winery’s traditional and tourist offer. Moreover, certain studies have pointed out to the importance of smart devices/applications and online opinion leaders in educating about wine and wine tourism, and, thus, in identifying the desired wine tourism experience [4,35], which means that an enhanced website educational function supported by knowledgeable and influential partners could provide wineries with market advantage over competition.

Classification of Wineries Websites

Following the content analysis of wineries websites and scoring, depending on the type of information presented on the websites and the final scores, we grouped the 154 websites that we analysed into four categories, which were named following an analogy with the levels of digital competences namely basic websites, intermediate, advanced and expert websites:

-

basic websites (‘newbies’) generally characterize vineyards the managers of which seem to be aware of the potential of digital technology in general and websites in particular for enhancing their revenues and as a marketing means, but did not put too much effort in the presentation and informative content. Only 10% of the wineries websites fall into this category;

-

intermediate (‘explorers’)—The websites usually provide some general information about the winery (location, contact details, history, wines). Managers are aware of the technology and its benefits, are interested in using it, but they do not have a consistent approach. Most of the wineries (60%) fall into this category;

-

advanced (‘integrators’)—websites that provide a lot of information on business and practice, but may still be improved as a matter of technical realisation, presentation or content, to be as current as possible;

-

experts—websites showcase most of the features considered for analysis. Only 4 wineries have been included into this category, with values over 75. Two of them are located in Dobrogea and two in Moldova (

Table 2. Classification of final scores.

Region	Newbies (Less Than 25)	Explorers (25.1–50)	Integrators (50.1–75)	Experts (over 75)	Total no. of Wineries
Dobrogea	0	10	8	2	20
Moldova	4	10	7	2	23
Oltenia	3	16	4	0	23
Muntenia	2	19	15	0	36
Banat	0	8	1	0	9
Crișana	4	10	3	0	17
Maramureș	0	7	0	0	7
Transilvania	3	13	3	0	19
Total	16	93	41	4	154

Source: Authors’ elaboration.

).

According to the final score, the websites offering the most detailed information belong to wineries located in the eastern part of the country, especially in Moldova, Muntenia and Dobrogea (Figure 2).

Despite the fact that there is an interest in wine producing and the quality is proved by numerous awarded wines at national and international contests (61 wineries have information on their website about awarded wines they produced), only half of the wineries seem to be interested in promoting wine tourism, a niche activity that could provide important revenues. In order to attract possible tourists, a winery website should provide clear information about visiting hours, driving directions or a location map. Muntenia wine region has the greatest number of wineries that provide wine tastings (23 wineries), followed by Moldavia (11 wineries) and Transylvania (10 wineries) regions.

The websites analysis indicated that only 29% of the wineries provide information about visiting hours and 64% have clear driving directions.

5. Discussion

From the 154 wineries websites that we analysed, 26 have no information about cultivated areas (

Table 3. Classification of wineries according to cultivated area.

Cultivated Area (ha)	Unknown	Micro-Wineries (<5 ha)	Small Wineries (5–20 ha)	Average Wineries (20–100 ha)	Large Wineries (Over 100 ha)
No. of wineries	26	11	25	58	34

Source: Authors’ elaboration, by processing data from Crameromania.ro [89].

). It is possible that some of the small wineries buy the grapes and focus only on processing them and producing wine. Most of the wineries (38%) have average (20–100 ha) or large (22%—more than 100 ha) areas cultivated, which demonstrate an increased capacity of wine producing. The analysis indicated no correlation between the cultivated area and the value of the final score obtained by a winery. Although the vineyard surface of a region is not proportional to the number of wineries, it is surely influential and explains why over 70% of the wineries analysed in this paper are located in the largest wine regions in Romania (Muntenia, Oltenia, Moldova, and Dobrogea). On the other hand, it is worth noting that regions such as Transylvania or Crisana, characterized by much smaller vineyard areas, have a significant number of wineries (each with over 11% of the wineries under study).

The study has shown that many wineries have underdeveloped websites, a feature which is also quite common in ‘old’ wine countries [38]. Almost all websites have mobile device optimization and provide basic contact information—email and phone number, and most (71%) also have an online form for contact. The content analysis revealed that only 76 wineries, which account for only 49% of the analysed wineries and 40% of the wineries in Romania have on their websites information about wine tasting activities. Moreover, out of these 76 wineries, just 50 had lists of available tasting packages with description and prices, which indicates that the role of wine tourism for brand consolidation and business development is not acknowledged. Less than a third of the analysed wineries provide information on hours and days tourists can visit and only 64% offer a map showing the location of the winery and driving directions, although this information is very important for tourists.

Moreover, less than a fifth of the wineries have amenities destined for tourists, such as in-house restaurant (16%), gift shop (13%), accommodation (13) or other in-house activities such as workshops, spa, art or sport events, etc. This can be due to the fact that before reaping the advantages wine tourism could offer, it also has costs that are not easy to cover, especially for smaller wineries and also need trained staff for dealing with visitors.

It must be noted that there are hardly any websites that mention the presence of other wineries in the area (only three such websites!), restaurants and accommodation facilities in the region, as well as other attractions and activities for tourism in the wider area. This lack of basic, but highly valuable information for tourists has also been documented in well-known wine regions, such as Rioja (Spain) [38]. Clearly, the management of Romanian wineries fail to understand that wine tourism is not solely limited to wine tasting [52]. Access to information regarding not only the winery itself, but tourist facilities and attractions in the area is an easy mean to offer the prospective tourists the assurance of the total or complete experience [42].

Among the marketing possibilities offered by websites, communicating with visitors using newsletters ranks high for both pre-visit (entice potential visitors) and post-visit stage, enabling wineries to keep in contact with those that already visited [42]. Unfortunately, only 35 out of the 154 analysed wineries offered the possibility to subscribe for newsletters. Online wine clubs, adding to a better profiling of customers and increasing loyalty, are also ‘a missed opportunity’ [33] for the Romanian wineries, as only 14 wineries included on their website this particular feature.

Current findings are in line with those of Alebaki et al. [33] who examined websites of wineries in some of the best-known Greek destinations, i.e., websites usually present some general information about the winery and wines produced, whereas the more important information, such as wine awards, winery facilities, tasting packages and fees are much scarcer.

Our results confirm previous studies claiming that wineries engaged in wine tourism tend to lag in advancing and leveraging technology so as to improve their capabilities for delivering a high-quality experience to the technology-enabled independent traveller [67]. It also supports the findings of Correia and Brito 2016 [29], namely that most wine producers do not fully understand the tourism principles and that the tourism industry works differently than the wine industry.

5.1. Digital Skills of Winemakers and Winery Managers

Within the EU ranking of digital skills, share of businesses that provide ICT training to their staff and the digital intensity level in businesses, Romania ranks last with only 28% of people with basic or above basic digital skills, and more than 80% of businesses with very low and low intensity level. It should come then as no surprise that only 19 (12%) wineries present on their website a virtual tour of the vineyard or the winery and even fewer seem to use any AI technology; only three quarters use at least one form of social media, mainly Facebook, and less than 70% have managed to incorporate an online shop; these are some of the criteria considered when assessing the digital intensity index, which is quite low for the Romanian wineries. They also stress that most Romanian wineries have largely remained oblivious to the new possibilities offered by technology. Still, there are a few examples of wineries that have undertaken pilot projects in the wine industry, beginning with labels allowing for digital interaction (Jelna winery in Transylvania—consumers can access information about the product or brand and also send a feed-back) [92] and lately using augmented reality which provides an immersive and multi-sensorial experience in the winery and vineyard [93].

To enhance the digital skills of winemakers and ensure their effective use in the wine tourism sector, an interdisciplinary approach is essential. Winemakers should focus on developing proficiency in digital marketing, social media engagement, and online customer relationship management to attract and retain tourists. Training programs, workshops, and online courses tailored to the specific needs of the wine industry can facilitate this learning. But in order to implement these initiatives, a close collaboration between industry stakeholders is crucial. Local governments, wine associations, tourism boards, and educational institutions should come together to create and support training opportunities. Additionally, technology companies can provide resources and expertise to help winemakers integrate digital tools into their business operations. By fostering a community of continuous learning and support, winemakers can leverage digital skills to enhance their wine tourism offerings, thereby driving business growth and customer satisfaction. But this type of cooperation is very weak among different associations in Romania, as observed from analysing the winery websites (e.g., only on two websites were references to other wineries in the area of professional winemaking associations). Also, the development of digital skills is time-consuming and different from what winemakers are specialized in; therefore, a good idea would be to have a specialist taking care of websites or purchase the specialized services of a company on a subscription basis.

There is no doubt that in order to design an effective winery website, be it marketing-oriented or wine-oriented [94], specialists with various educational and training backgrounds must be involved, namely marketing, tourism and web-design. Once the website is built, someone must be in charge of maintaining and continuously updating it.

5.2. Managerial Recommendations for Romanian Wineries

The first recommendation is related to the role of websites and social media accounts for any business development in an increasingly digital society. Digitalization in the wine sector worldwide is at an early stage of adoption [95]. Romanian wineries must acknowledge that digital literacy is high among tourists, so they need to adopt and integrate ICT means for information exchange and communication. ICT tools are highly valuable in any marketing strategy, not only for tourism, but for the business itself as to increase brand awareness.

As only half of the analysed websites provide information about wine tourism, it seems that the two sectors—hospitality and wine—are hardly focusing on a common goal, although the development of this niche market could be a competitive advantage for multiple stakeholders in the region. This could be true especially for small wineries, as the international experience has proven they sustain their families’ businesses through tourism [20,96]. No matter if they provide winery/ vineyard tour or wine tasting and other activities, wineries should benefit from map applications that provide potential visitors information and guidance on how to get there, the time and distance to travel, information which is valuable especially in rural, more remote areas.

Wineries must network with their counterparts in the region, as well as with other tourist attractions, accommodation facilities and restaurants, so as to provide various and multiple activities, based on a proper market segmentation, addressing both the experienced wine tourists and the wine novices. Great attention must be paid to the experiences wine tourists are looking for, starting with a thorough inventory of the natural settings and existing infrastructure that could be used for crafting such experiences (hiking in the vineyards, exhibitions, festivals, harvesting activities, picnic in the vineyard, etc.). More activities and more experiences could mean a longer stay for more visitors, thus benefiting more actors in the area [54].

To increase interest in the wines and the winery itself, websites as a major marketing means must provide more information about wine awards and this information should be easily found. In order to increase sales, information about shops and restaurants selling their brand should be provided. Managers must stay abreast of digital and smart tourism trends and use technology judiciously and strategically so as to be able to deliver positive customer experiences [67]. They must consider digitalizing all stages of the visit process [66].

Although wine tasting does not necessarily imply wine drinking, numerous tourists prefer to enjoy a full cellar experience, which might trigger certain risks. Some of the most easily perceivable issues concern incompatibilities between health issues or age and alcohol drinking, as well as driving restrictions after alcohol consumption. The tourist responsibility aside, wineries could play a more active role in mitigating these issues that could eventually backfire on their image. Since not all wine tourists are savvy wine consumers, winery websites represent a valuable tool for rising awareness, informing and educating. As such, all websites could post educational materials on wine tasting and drinking, as well as provide information on health-related issues. In addition, avoiding medical jargon and winery association with opinion leaders for the conveyance of such significant information would favour tourist awareness. The present study found that besides the general mention of the legal drinking age and the recommendation against alcohol drinking for pregnant women, no other information addressed this issue. As most of the wineries under study do not provide in house accommodation, potential issues induced by alcohol consumption could also be addressed by providing the tourists with information on accommodation and transportation means in the area, which again is a drawback at present, as only five of the analysed websites provide such information.

5.3. Sustainability of Wine Tourism within the Research Area

While in numerous rural areas within Romania, the wine tourism potential seems to be undercapitalised, previous international research and projects have shown that wine tourism is compatible with the predominantly rural areas looking for sustainable development [29,97,98,99]. It might also be argued that wine tourism has a pivotal role in the rejuvenation and diversified economic capitalization of declining rural areas that face numerous social and economic issues (scarce employment, low income, youth migration), but, at the same time, often possess remarkable natural potential and authentic cultural resources that are sought by today’s travellers. To support this and in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 3rd UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism (2018) focused on Wine Tourism as a Tool for Rural Development. Important recommendations concern primarily the individual wineries, but also the different key stakeholders interested in the sustainable local development. Such stakeholders should be identified and connected, specific sustainability goals should be set, and perceivable issues should be discussed and solved [97].

It is important that all wineries apply principles of environmental, social, and economic sustainability and share these values to visitors, but the present study revealed that very few of the analysed businesses manage this. Wineries should implement eco-friendly initiatives (innovative approaches to vineyard management, environmental label, etc.), share these sustainability values to the visitors, develop and promote a diversified offer for different tourist profiles.

There is a clear need for strategic alliances among wineries in order to enhance tourist attractivity along wine routes. Moreover, a wider cooperation with allied industries, as well as with administrations and communities is paramount for the successful and sustainable development of a region as wine tourism destination. Wineries could go beyond traditional wine experiences to capitalize the local cultural background and provide income alternatives for local artists or artisans (art and craft displays, performances by local artists, creative art workshops particularly during the tourist season, etc.). For example, Vrancea county, remarkable for its large vineyard area and numerous wineries, is also recognized for the cultural heritage that includes traditional folk crafts such as woodcarving, pottery, artisanal production of authentic folk costumes, masks, musical instruments, and dairy products [100]. Networking between the two types of local stakeholders would lead to original wine tourism experiences for visitors, while supporting local growth and consolidating winery brand.

5.4. Conclusive Remarks

Romania builds the capitalization of its significant vineyards on the great natural potential of the country and on ancient winery traditions infused with modern know-how, infrastructure and substantial recent capital. After undergoing important changes while aspiring to become internationally valued as producers of high-quality wines, certain Romanian wineries recently turned towards tourist activities that combine wine products, winescapes, and winery events with local attractions and traditions. Given the rapidly increasing role that smart devices and online-based information play in holyday selection and planning, the main objective of the present paper was to evaluate the online presence, informational content and effectiveness of Romanian wineries’ websites for the promotion of wine tourism. A total of 154 websites were evaluated considering four general categories: main website characteristics, wine tourism, marketing function, and educational function. The findings show that certain basic features are overall available, while exclusive features that could positively influence tourist preferences and experiences are insufficient in terms of design, education, and marketing characteristics.

The accessibility and reach of the internet enable wineries, including those in Romania, to connect with a global audience of wine enthusiasts, thereby expanding their market reach beyond traditional boundaries. Moreover, effective digital marketing strategies, including social media campaigns, email newsletters, and search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, play a crucial role in enhancing the visibility and competitiveness of wineries in the online landscape. By leveraging these digital tools, Romanian wineries cannot only attract more tourists but also differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, ultimately supporting their reputation and profitability.

The main limitations of this study stem from the research approach, which was feasible for an exploratory study, as well as from the subject of analysis—websites, the content of which can change. Despite these constraints, content analysis is frequently used by researchers for analysing tourism websites. Another limitation is due to the lack of analysis from the users’ perspective.

Future research should also analyse the use of social media by the Romanian wineries for the development of wine tourism. Another possible direction for further research would be to examine the impact of winery websites on actual visits, by focusing on the perspective of tourists.