The wine and cultural regions of Vinhos Verdes and Douro: analysis of the website’s usability and accessibility

Abstract

Viticulture is historically linked to Portugal, being an integral activity of its culture and heritage, promoting the several demarcated regions. This article discusses this issue, aiming to contribute to a better perception of the levels of accessibility provided by websites related to two important wine regions. In this context, we analysed the websites of the demarcated regions of Vinhos Verdes (Sub-regions of Melgaço and Monção, Lima and Amarante) and Douro (Baixo and Cima Corgo), in the specific case of the websites of the municipalities of these regions, as well as the Portal of Vinhos Verdes and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto. To achieve our goal, we have verified compliance with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Con-tent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG). As we analyse it from the point of view of the wine tourist and considering the poor results obtained, we en-courage constructive suggestions, highlighting some examples of good prac-tices, using the five senses, to improve the personal experiences of users of this type of cultural heritage.