The development of wine and food tourism can reinforce local economies by attracting visitors and new inhabitants to small and picturesque rural areas. However, not all villages benefit equally from the same wine and food tourism trends. What makes some settlements and territories economically attractive and successful? What accounts for the difference between success stories and areas that are lagging behind, despite similar ‘hard’ factors? This article focuses on the soft elements: the role of community and entrepreneurial values, attitudes, networks, social capital and trust in the economic success of prosperous rural settlements. The article presents three empirical case studies of settlements in different wine regions in Hungary, based on semi‐structured in‐depth interviews. We conclude that the economic success of winemaking settlements is due either to lifestyle entrepreneurs moving in or to the strength of the locally bounded community.