When we talk about hospitality in the wine world, it is easy to think that all it takes is to take a model that works elsewhere, add a beautiful tasting room and define a list of experiences. But every winery has its own story, places and values. Successful hospitality must stem from these elements, from the company’s identity and its Genius Loci.
It is with this conviction that I began working with Monte Zovo. Our collaboration stems from the Cottini family’s desire to give hospitality a clear role within the company’s strategy, building a project capable of growing alongside the business.
Monte Zovo brings together three estates — Marnebianche, Anfiteatro and Le Civaie — connected to highly attractive territories such as Valpolicella, Lake Garda and Lugana. This is a richness that needs to be told with care: enhancing the identities of each place while giving coherence to the overall experience, without relying on ready-made formulas.
Before designing, understanding
Our work began by listening and analysing what Monte Zovo already offers today. We looked at the surrounding territory, the winery experiences, the Terrace and private events, while also considering how the service, team and communication are organised.
This step is essential to understand what should be enhanced, what could be made clearer and where new opportunities can be created. From here, a more distinctive and clearly structured range of experiences is taking shape, designed for different audiences and for the channels through which Monte Zovo intends to reach them.
Among these developments is also a line of Signature experiences, designed to engage with agencies, tour operators, DMCs and international travel professionals. To present these experiences credibly, however, each one needs to be clearly defined, consistently deliverable according to the resources available, and aligned with the company’s positioning.
Hospitality is also designed through spaces
Our consultancy comes at an important moment: Monte Zovo is developing new spaces dedicated to tasting, dining and events. We can therefore contribute to the reflection on these spaces while the project is taking shape.
The question guiding our contribution is a practical one: how will these places function when guests and the team experience them every day?
The tasting rooms, terrace, professional kitchen, event areas and winery shop must allow for a smooth service, help the operational team work effectively and support the activities that will take place there. Thinking about both the guest experience and operational needs before decisions are finalised makes it possible to make more informed choices, including from an economic perspective.
The Vision for Corte Bettinelle
The journey also includes the perspective of Corte Bettinelle, the project through which Monte Zovo is developing its accommodation offering. It is a very interesting evolution that deserves to be developed in continuity with the world of the winery, where everything begins.
There will be time to tell its story once the project is more fully defined. Today, our role is to help lay the foundations for a system in which the winery, the territory, hospitality and accommodation can interact efficiently.
Building value and bringing it to the market
Valpolicella, Lake Garda and Lugana are internationally renowned destinations. This offers Monte Zovo important opportunities, provided that visibility is supported by a solid offering and an organisation capable of delivering on its promises.
For this reason, we work both within the company — on experiences, flows, people and tools — and on the commercial relationships that can bring Monte Zovo to the most appropriate audience. The two activities grow together: what is presented to the market must correspond to what the guest will actually experience.
This is the journey we are building with Monte Zovo: a recognisable, well-organised hospitality offering capable of expressing the value of its territories and its family. I am delighted to accompany the company through this new phase and to welcome it to the Wine Hospitality Collection.
Welcome, Monte Zovo!
Silvia Ghirelli
Wine Hospitality Strategist & Founder Wine Hospitality Collection