Wine tourism – a chance for the development of rural regions: A case study from Eastern Poland

Abstract

European wine tourism has long been carried out in the traditional wine areas of France, Portugal or Germany. In the countries of Central Europe, these traditions also occur, but they have a more local meaning. The article presents one of the wine regions in Eastern Poland – the Lesser Poland Gorge of the Vistula River, where the development of small wineries has been observed for several years. The article’s primary goal is to present vineyards in the Lesser Poland Gorge of the Vistula River concerning the possibilities of development of wine tourism and its impact on the region’s functioning. It seems that the concept of “terroir” can be used by local winemakers to identify the particularities of wines from vineyards. This can be an excellent contribution to the development of wine tourism, considering that nowadays, tourists search for authentic experiences. The production of local grape wine and its promotion may be the basis for rebuilding the region’s wine production tradition, as well as contributing to the region’s development.