Aÿ-Champagne-based Winalist, a leading European marketplace for booking wine and spirits tourism experiences, has closed a €1 million round of funding in order to open a new branch in Porto, increase operational support for local partners, and drive international visibility for Portuguese wine tourism.
The round was supported by shareholders – including Vessoa Private Equity – and new strategic investors Plug and Play Ventures and Portugal Ventures.
“Portugal is one of Europe’s most promising wine destinations, and we’re proud to anchor our expansion here with the support of visionary partners,” said Nicolas Manfredini, CEO of Winalist. “This funding round not only accelerates our growth, it reinforces our commitment to building sustainable and authentic wine tourism in collaboration with local producers.”
Founded in France in 2019, Winalist connects travelers from around the world with thousands of authentic experiences at wineries and distilleries across Europe – from winery visits and tastings to private wine-pairing dinners and day-tours across the vineyards. The platform already works with over 1,700 partners in 10 countries, making their offers easier to discover and book online.
Winalist’s mission is to make wine tourism more accessible, authentic, and connected – for both producers and travelers.
In Portugal alone, the company already collaborates with more than 200 family owned wineries, renowned producers and institutions including Soalheiro, Quinta do Vallado, Graham’s Port Lodge, Taylor’s, Fonseca Port Wine Cellar, WOW Cultural District, Adega de Borba, Casa Relvas, and Quinta do Noval.
“We received a lot of booking requests and wanted a central platform to manage everything. Winalist’s commission is fair, the team is supportive, and the system is easy to work with. We’re excited about integrating the booking widget too!” said the team at Quinta dos Santos.
“Among all the platforms we’ve tried, Winalist has been by far the easiest and most intuitive to use. Onboarding was smooth, and the tools just work!” shared Talha de Frades.
The new capital will fuel the rollout of key innovations for wineries, helping them foster their relationship with their customers and services for high-end travelers. The company is also investing in team growth to support commercial development in Europe more globally.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/french-startup-winalist-secures-e1-million-to-boost-wine-tourism-and-expand-internationally/
