The Power of Word-of-Mouth Communication as an Information Source for Winery Cellar Door Visits

Word-of-mouth communication (WOM) is indeed a powerful force in convincing people to visit a specific cellar door and wine region. Whereas its value cannot be overemphasised, it should always be remembered that WOM is a two-way street in that negative WOM will reach and probably influence, many more people than would positive WOM. Staging a memorable and compelling experience is what the customer values most and is what in a competitive industry, such as wine, will ultimately differentiate a winery (Ali-Knight and Carlsen, 2000). Loyalty to cellar doors that ‘go the extra mile’ is reflected in what makes a cellar door appealing to the wine tourist