What Winerist does

Winerist operates a curated wine and food tourism marketplace headquartered in London under the legal entity Winerist Ltd., connecting individual travelers with over 8,000 local partners—including wineries, boutique hotels, and tour guides—across 175+ destinations worldwide. The platform offers 1,500+ bookable experiences spanning wine tours, cooking classes, whisky tastings, truffle hunting, bike and e-bike tours, private winery visits, family wine holidays, and accommodation, organized by region and experience type. Discovery is driven by Winerist Magazine, an editorial sub-brand generating over 1.4 million monthly page-views, complemented by a 95,000+ subscriber newsletter and 200,000+ social media followers. Underlying technology is a standard marketplace stack—SSL-encrypted website with Stripe and PayPal payment processing, MailChimp for email automation, Google Analytics for traffic analysis, and cookie-based personalization—with no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary models, or patents.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based booking fees and agent commissions on partner bookings, where the partner collects payment upfront and Winerist may charge a disclosed booking fee. A 'Design my Trip' bespoke itinerary service generates deposits and professional service fees for tailor-made multi-destination experiences, while digital gift cards provide an upfront one-time revenue stream redeemable across the platform. The company operates a product-led, self-serve go-to-market supplemented by community-led content marketing, serving three primary personas: individual wine and food enthusiasts, wine connoisseurs, and family travelers aged 29–45. Headcount is small (1–10 employees) and operations are consolidated at a single London office near Tower Bridge, with founder and CEO Diana Isac leading the company alongside a CMO (Tania Lee) and non-executive director (Brett Akker).

Name

Winerist

Legal name

Winerist Ltd.

Website

https://winerist.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Winerist is a London-based wine and food tourism marketplace that connects individual travelers with over 8,000 local wineries, boutique hotels, and tour guides across 175+ destinations worldwide, offering 1,500+ bookable experiences and a content-driven discovery layer via Winerist Magazine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Tourism Marketplace

NAICS

Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Culinary & Wine Travel Agencies (THAKAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culinary & Wine Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAJ), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Wine tourism marketplace
• Food and wine travel
• Wine tour booking
• Gourmet experiences
• Wine travel platform

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Booking Commission / Agent Fees: Winerist acts as an agent on behalf of service provider Partners. When customers book accommodations or services, they contract directly with the Partner. Winerist may charge a booking fee for some bookings. Partners take payment upfront and in full upon booking confirmation.
2. Bespoke Trip Design Service: For offline and tailor-made enquiries, Winerist may take a deposit as a guarantee with the rest of the payment settled with the Partner closer to the time of travel.
3. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards that can be used towards any experience, winery or hotel stay on the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Winerist operates an online marketplace that connects individual travelers with locally curated wine and food tourism experiences, including guided wine tours, cooking classes, whisky tours, truffle hunting, boutique hotels, and winery visits, across more than 133 destinations worldwide. The platform aggregates offerings from 8,000+ local partners (wineries, hotels, and tour guides), enabling customers to browse, compare, and book experiences directly while Winerist earns booking commissions. Complementary offerings include a bespoke trip-design service, digital gift cards, and the Winerist Magazine editorial hub.

Product overview

Winerist operates as a wine and food travel marketplace platform offering experiences across 133 destinations worldwide. The core product is the Winerist Marketplace, which enables users to browse and book over 1500 food and wine tours, boutique hotels, wineries, and culinary experiences. The platform is complemented by Winerist Magazine, an editorial content hub providing travel guides and wine education. Additional offerings include Gift Cards for flexible gifting and a bespoke Design My Trip service for customized travel planning. The product portfolio spans wine tours, cooking classes, whisky tastings, truffle hunting tours, wine hotels, family wine holidays, gourmet tours, bike tours, private wine tours, and boutique winery visits across major wine regions including Douro Valley, Bordeaux, Mendoza, Tuscany, and Champagne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Winerist Magazine: Online magazine offering wine, food, travel and lifestyle content with over 1.4 million page-views monthly.

Products and services

• Winerist Marketplace Online marketplace connecting travelers with wine and food tourism experiences across 133+ destinations worldwide, offering over 1,500 food and wine tours, boutique hotels, and wineries through a platform where users can search, book, and review experiences with local service providers.
• Wine Tours Guided wine tours including day trips, multi-day experiences, private tours, bike tours, and e-bike tours in major wine regions worldwide.
• Cooking Classes Gourmet cooking classes taught by local experts in wine regions, offering hands-on culinary experiences alongside wine tastings.
• Whisky Tours Whisky tasting tours and experiences for enthusiasts of spirits, complementing wine-focused offerings.
• Truffle Hunting Tours Seasonal truffle hunting experiences led by local guides, combining foraging adventures with wine and food pairings.
• Wine Hotels Boutique hotels and accommodation options selected for their wine tourism offerings, often featuring on-site wineries, wine cellars, or proximity to wine regions.
• Family Wine Holidays Family-friendly wine experiences and accommodations designed for travelers with children, featuring activities suitable for all ages.
• Gourmet Tours Culinary-focused tours combining fine dining experiences with wine tastings in premier wine regions worldwide.
• Bike Tours Cycling wine tours allowing travelers to explore wine regions on bicycles, including e-bike options for varying fitness levels.
• Private Wine Tours Exclusive, personalized wine tours with dedicated guides and customized itineraries for individual preferences.
• Boutique Wineries Tours Visits to boutique and family-owned wineries offering intimate tasting experiences distinct from larger commercial wine operations.
• Winerist Magazine Editorial magazine providing wine, food, travel, and lifestyle content with over 1.4 million monthly page-views, offering travel guides, wine education, and destination recommendations.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards redeemable towards any experience, winery visit, or hotel stay on the Winerist platform.
• Design My Trip (Bespoke) Custom trip planning service where Winerist experts create tailored wine and food travel itineraries for customers seeking personalized experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 175+ destinations with 8000+ local partners and 1500+ experiences
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Wineries, Hotels, and Tour Guides (8000+ partners)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWinerist partners with over 8000 local service providers including wineries, boutique hotels, and tour guides across 175+ destinations. These partners provide wine tours, accommodations, cooking classes, and other wine and food tourism experiences listed on the Winerist marketplace.
• Stripe Payments Europe, LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe processes all online credit card payments for bookings made through the Winerist platform. Payment is captured upfront upon booking confirmation by the Partner.
• Financial News, Tnooz, Springwise, Harpers, LA Times, Daily Mail, Drift, Metro, Monocle, The Times (Press Partners)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWinerist has been featured in major publications including Financial News, Tnooz, Springwise, Harpers, LA Times, Daily Mail, Drift, Metro, Monocle, The Times, and others, providing press coverage and credibility for the brand.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Viator: Tripadvisor-owned global marketplace for tours, attractions and experiences. Operates the largest experience-inventory platform globally with deep wine tour coverage across Winerist's key destinations (Douro, Bordeaux, Tuscany), competing directly for the same high-intent traveler.
• Atlas Obscura: Digital media platform with a robust experiences marketplace for unique travel activities, food tours and immersive experiences. Comparable content-plus-commerce model — editorial content driving bookings of curated local experiences — directly paralleling Winerist Magazine's content funnel.
• Withlocals: Private-tour marketplace connecting travelers with local guides across cities and food/wine regions. Comparable curated marketplace model for bookable local experiences with a strong food-and-wine offering aimed at independent travelers.
• GetYourGuide: One of the world's leading online marketplaces for tours, activities and travel experiences. Directly comparable as an OTA-style marketplace where travelers browse and book curated local experiences — including a substantial wine and food tour catalog that competes head-on with Winerist's core offering.
• TourRadar: Online marketplace specializing in multi-day guided tours and adventures worldwide. Comparable marketplace model targeting the multi-day, higher-AOV tour segment that overlaps with Winerist's 4-day/8-day wine tour itineraries.
• Airbnb Experiences: Online experiences marketplace from Airbnb offering hosted activities including wine tastings and food tours. Comparable marketplace model connecting travelers with local hosts and competing for the same discretionary wine-tourism booking demand.
• Cellartours: Long-running specialist tour operator focused exclusively on wine-focused travel across Europe, South America and other regions. Closest direct niche competitor — wine-only tour operator with similar geographic coverage and customer profile to Winerist.

Emerging players

• Wine Folly: Leading wine education and content platform with a community of wine enthusiasts and curated wine country travel guides. Comparable niche wine content/marketing asset that could be considered an adjacent competitor in wine tourism inspiration and education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/winerist
• Xx.com/thewinerist
• Facebookfacebook.com/winerist
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winerist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Winerist