The ninth Wine Tourism conference was held last week at the renowned Lanzerac Estate, always supporting wine tourism and providing a very good venue with service to match. This is the first year that One Point Consulting were presenting the conference, after having purchased it from veteran Margi Biggs, and with a theme of 'Delivering Experiences that Inspire!', the speakers had their work cut out for them. I was most inspired by the energetic Deborah Fox, who, alongside her hubby and partner Chris Browne, shaped the experiences at Babylonstoren, where one finds unique world class service accompanied by beautiful products and inspiring and meaningful activities. Australian Wine Tourism guru, Robin Shaw made it clear that general trends worldwide shape the future of wine tourism. "Trends affect all travel, not just wine." "Don't hide your culture, tell people your stories, even if they are tough. People want meaning, they want immersive experiences, they want to connect emotionally, they want real stories and want to understand the cultural connections" To mention just a few unusual experiences; dining in the dark, horse-back wine tasting experiences with Olympic medallist, multi-generational activities, hands-on, heritage, fun, eco-conscious.The continued flavour and golden thread of the conference was about providing authentic, real, individual experiences that make people feel special. There are plenty of gaps where we can do better; simply gather people's contact details so that you can keep talking to them. I am always amazed at how few wineries manage to do this effectively. It is gold. How can we introduce wine experiences that are authentic and tick the boxes above? We have so much beauty to offer here in the South African Winelands, we just need to think about how we make memorable (and instagrammable) moments with the stunning offerings we have.