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Most of the pioneering studies related to wineries were conducted in famous wine regions, the results of which were not especially applicable to the small and emerging wineries in the United States. These wineries rely heavily on visitors’ on-site purchases; this highlights the importance of understanding winery visitors’ behaviors. This study explored the sequential relationships among winery visitors’ pre-trip characteristics (motivation, wine involvement), on-site experiences (perceived value), and post-trip evaluations (satisfaction, place attachment, winery loyalty). Intercepted winery visitors provided their e-mail addresses and were sent an online survey. Partial-least-squares structural equation modeling results showed that leisure-motivated and low wine-involved visitors perceive more diverse values in their winery experiences. Visitors’ perceived services, social benefits, and wine-quality values contributed to the positive post-trip evaluations. Winery owners stand to benefit from this research by being able to design winery experiences that are highly valued. Limitations are discussed and future research is suggested.

High year-to-year retention of seasonal employees can be a source of competitive advantage for tourism organizations. Past studies of seasonal employee retention have examined the issue from the perspective of job satisfaction. However, many tourism jobs have similar responsibilities from organization to organization suggesting another construct might also affect employee retention. The purpose of this study was to examine retention through the lens of employee sense of community (SOC) toward the tourism organization. Significant differences were found in SOC levels between those who returned to work at resorts and those who did not. Moreover, a logistic regression model showed SOC to be a good predictor of retention. Like in previous studies, factors that impact retention appear to be different for first year employees than experienced ones. However, the results suggest that somewhat different approaches for improving retention should be taken than the recommendations from past studies of seasonal employee retention.

Since 2000, the number of wineries in the US has nearly tripled. Many of the new wineries are small, located in regions not known for wine production, and often specialize in lesser known wine grape varieties that are suited to the local environment. With over 900 wineries, the Great Lakes region in the northern US accounts for a small percentage of US wine production, but the wine industry there plays an important role in rural economies that historically relied on manufacturing, extraction, and non-wine agriculture. The emerging wine industry in new locations is also providing new opportunities for people to experience a winery visit. In fact, most small wineries rely primarily on sales from their tasting rooms. However, the factors that impact the purchase decision at a winery are different than those at retail establishments and restaurants, and there is evidence that the people who visit wineries in emerging regions are different than typical wine consumers and visitors to the world's best-known wine regions. Given the importance of winery visitors to the success of wineries in emerging regions, it is critical that winery leaders and tourism stakeholders understand their consumers and the factors that impact their travel and wine purchase decisions. This article presents the results of a study of over 3,000 visitors to wineries in three Great Lakes region states. Findings show that the main reason for visiting wineries is for recreational experiences rather than to purchase wine; however, almost all wine tourists contacted for this study purchased several bottles of wine to take home. Moreover, visiting wineries is an important reason for travel decisions, and wine tourists spend a significant amount of money in the region while they are there. Additional findings can inform the decisions of wine tourism stakeholders and provide insights on visitors to emerging wine regions.