Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual tourism, including Virtual Wine Tourism (VWT), as a response to mobility restrictions. Today, even beyond the emergency, these digital experiences remain in use, offering opportunities to innovate and diversify wine tourism in line with changing tourist behaviours and growing digital engagement. This chapter explores VWT with the aim of understanding consumer interest in such experiences and evaluating their long-term potential. The methodology includes a critical literature review and a segmentation analysis—through a cluster analysis—of Italian wine consumers to identify the profiles most likely to engage in VWT. Key findings reveal distinct consumer segments based on digital readiness and wine-related interests, offering valuable insights for targeted strategies. The chapter concludes with a critical assessment of current knowledge gaps and future research directions, discussing how the wine industry can benefit from VWT while acknowledging the limitations of translating a highly sensory, place-based experience into a virtual format.