The MTV Italia is a non-profit association founded in 1993 with the aim of promoting visits to wine production sites and encounters with its protagonists.

It is chaired by Nicola D’Auria and includes approximately 1000 wineries throughout Italy united by the desire to offer visitors significant experiences to deepen their wine culture. The national secretariat is based in Rome at the headquarters of the Italian Union of Wines. The Wine Tourism Movement is divided into regional delegations, each coordinated by a president and a board of directors. Since January 2023, the Board of Directors of MTV Toscana is chaired by Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini, with Flavio Nuti (Podere la Regola) as vice president and Alessio Piccardi (Fieramente) as treasurer. The board includes former president Emanuela Tamburini (Agricola Tamburini), Barbara Luison (Marchesi Antinori Spa), Nicola Giannetti (Col d’Orcia), Letizia Cesani (Az. Agr. Cesani), Anastasia Mancini (Az. agr. Buccianera), Fabrizio d’Ascenzi (Villa Acquaviva), Gerardo Gondi (Tenuta Bossi – Marchesi Gondi), and Filippo Magnani, owner of the FuFluns agency. Also part of the MTV Toscana team are industry professionals who are already partners of the Movement: Filippo Magnani from the FuFluns agency and Alessio Piccardi from Fieramente.

SERVICES AND BENEFITS

  1. Use of the “Member of MTV Toscana” Brand/Logo and “Quality” certification.
  2. Simple and effective visibility on www.movimentoturismovino.it, the information and promotion portal for wine tourism.
  3. Visibility on www.mtvtoscana.com and associated social networks.
  4. Presence on our Itineraries page where all the services that member wineries can offer on-site are published.
  5. Presence and visibility in guides and brochures during events and fairs.
  6. Participation in events and itinerant initiatives aimed at promoting the territory and its products.
  7. Reserved agreements for members with specialized companies: communication, logistics, glassware.
  8. Organization of Press Tours and contests with bloggers and industry journalists in member wineries.
  9. Support for local initiatives (sponsorship and communication).
  10. Participation in national events where member companies open the doors of their wineries, organizing guided tours and tastings.

Discover the 2024 program

Our commitment to charity

In recent years, MTV Toscana has been involved in charitable initiatives: in 2013, we organized an auction raising over 5,000 Euros destined for ATT (Tuscany Tumors Association); in 2015 and 2016, we supported Taxi Milano 25 by Caterina Bellandi; while in 2017, with the valuable collaboration of singer-songwriter Lorenzo Baglioni, we supported the initiative Vorrei Prendere il treno by Iacopo Melio, in favor of the fight against architectural barriers for the disabled. In 2018, we supported ATT (Tuscany Tumors Association) again with the event “A Toast in Villa” in the heart of Florence. In 2019, the “Etichette d’Autore” auction was launched, where every week a prestigious bottle of wine offered by MTV Toscana member wineries was paired with a unique label created for the occasion by world-famous comic book artists, and the proceeds were donated in favor of Zia Caterina Bellandi and her Taxi Milano 25 Onlus. In 2023, with a charity tasting at the Valdichiana Village for the preview of Cantine Aperte, more than €3000 was raised in just 3 hours for the Meyer pediatric hospital in Florence.

THE PRESIDENT

Violante Gardini was born in Montalcino in 1984 and graduated in Business Economics from the University of Florence. After completing the OIV Master – International Organization of Vine and Wine, which took her around the world’s most famous wine regions, she worked in the marketing of wines produced by her mother, Donatella Cinelli Colombini. From 2008 to 2009, she was the President of the Leo Club in Tuscany (Lions Youth). From 2013 to 2019, she served as President of the Wine Tourism Movement of Tuscany, and from 2016 to 2019, she was Vice President of AGIVI (Young Italian Wine Entrepreneurs). In December 2019, she was elected President of AGIVI. In 2023, she returned to the presidency of the Wine Tourism Movement of Tuscany.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE “WINE TOURISM HOSPITALITY SERVICE” SPECIFICATIONS

The elements considered to define the requirements that each class of companies must guarantee are three: Standards for the company – Method – Personnel.

STANDARDS FOR THE COMPANY

  1. Road signs compliant with the highway code, located near the company to facilitate easy access.
  2. Terracotta plaque as a distinctive sign identifying the winery/distillery as a member of the Wine Tourism Movement, to be displayed at the entrance of the company within one year of certification verification.
  3. Plate/sign indicating reception details (days and opening hours) to be displayed at the entrance of the company within one year of certification verification.
  4. Premises for initial reception and customer reception commensurate with the declared visitor capacity (minimum capacity 4 people).
  5. Equipped area for tastings characterized by a proportional number of seating places to the visitor capacity (minimum capacity 4 people), with adequate, uniform, and diffused lighting.
  6. Space allocated for sales. In case this space is not exclusive, it is necessary to separate the warehouse products from the areas dedicated to tasting and customer reception.
  7. Adequate number of visitor toilets with hygiene-sanitary requirements compliant with public use and current regulations.
  8. Parking reserved for tourists, proportionate to the reception capacity (car-coach).
  9. Informational material about the company and its products printed in at least 2 languages, including Italian.

METHOD

  1. Provide a warm welcome, making guests feel comfortable (availability of water and access to toilet facilities).
  2. Offer guided tours of the cellars and/or vineyards.
  3. Offer exclusively packaged wines/spirits for tourists.
  4. Availability of at least one type of tasting glass.
  5. Availability to provide reception (tour and tasting) on Sundays and on pre-holiday and/or holiday days, even by appointment only.
  6. Availability of technical sheets or brochures for various types of wines or spirits produced by the company to allow wine tourists to learn about the proposed wines/spirits.

PERSONNEL

  1. The receptionist must have a good level of knowledge about the company, its products, and their production process, and must also be courteous, professional, and available to conduct cellar/distillery tours and offer tastings of the wines/spirits produced.
  2. In the case of wineries, they must possess knowledge of viticulture and oenology and, preferably, of the local traditions associated with them.
  3. The receptionist must have knowledge of at least one foreign language.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF HOSPITALITY

Wineries that meet these specific quality standards obtain the “Quality Certification,” synonymous with professionalism in hospitality, whose validity is subject to periodic surveillance and renewal every three years. Certified wineries are immediately recognizable thanks to the “Top-notch Hospitality” seal.

The Wine Tourism Movement is an association that operates throughout the national territory with the aim of promoting and enhancing the territories and wine-producing areas, creating prospects for economic development, but above all, advocating for a natural lifestyle that places the guest at the center of attention. Wineries belonging to the Wine Tourism Movement are selected based on specific requirements, foremost among them being the quality of wine tourism hospitality. The wine tourist, increasingly attentive, knowledgeable, and evolved, has precise expectations when visiting a winery. Hospitality must therefore meet specific quality standards. The culture of wine cannot be improvised: suitable equipment, adequate facilities, and staff capable of conveying the history, technique, and emotion of wine production are necessary.

It is for this reason that since 2003, the Wine Tourism Movement has issued the “Ten Commandments of Hospitality,” which arises from the need to qualify the tourist offer of its associated wine companies.

Certified by the 3A-PTA (Agri-Food Technological Park of Umbria), the “Ten Commandments of Hospitality” consist of defining the requirements that must be guaranteed by all member companies of the Wine Tourism Movement: from adequate signage to the environment suitable for tasting, from specific training of staff to the availability of tasting glasses, from the possibility of guided tours in the cellar and vineyard to the provision of informational material on the wines.

OUR PARTNERS

Together for quality tourism