Brazilian Wine Industry Research Articles

Wine consumer profile in wine regions of Brazil

Our article aims to analyze the main influences, experience and affective involvement that impact the consumer behavior of regional wines in Brazil. We used a descriptive quantitative survey. Our findings contribute to a greater understanding of the behavior of choice related to local experiences and what points are essential to involve the consumer with a product, in this case, wine. The Brazilian wine industry has been dealing with tariff disputes between countries, increased number of producers, reduction in consumption per capita and demand for higher quality wines. Our results show that cultural, social, personal, and psychological factors are crucial in this process.

Website stage model for Brazilian wineries: an analysis of presence in digital and mobile media

PurposeThis study aims to expand previous work on website stage models by proposing a new model including a dimension encompassing digital integration and the context of mobile, digital marketing and new technologies. Also, this study aims to classify Brazilian wineries using the stage model proposed and verify if the designated stages influence the wineries’ presence in digital and mobile media.Design/methodology/approachObservational research and quantitative content analysis were adopted to examine a sample of winery websites (N = 150) located in different states and regions of Brazil and create a new website stage model. After the new model’s development, the authors conducted a statistic analysis by running a one-factor analysis of variance to assess the influence of the company’s stage in the use of digital media and mobile strategies, as well as its impacts on market development.FindingsThe results suggested a quite mature market regarding website stage position, even though there is still room for growth and technological innovation. Also, the research findings show that there is a positive association between the company’s stage in the use of digital and mobile media strategies. In other words, the more advanced the winery stage, the greater its digital media and mobile presence.Originality/valueWhile previous studies attempted to identify wineries’ stages through models, this study presents a new approach by updating the past studies’ stages as well as providing and testing a digital media and mobile dimension. This research contributes to consolidating the Brazilian wine industry position regarding its presence in digital and mobile media, bringing reflections to organizations, society and theory development.

Strategic positioning, differentiation and performance of Brazilian wineries

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to verify whether managers’ strategic orientation influences decision-making related to differentiation and whether these two factors impact on the performance of the firms in the Brazilian wine industry.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted with representatives from 123 wineries located in the following Brazilian states: 78.86 per cent in Rio Grande do Sul; 13.01 per cent in Santa Catarina; 2.44 per cent in Paraná; 2.44 per cent in São Paulo; 1.63 per cent in Bahia; and 1.63 per cent in Pernambuco. The data were analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques, resulting in a structural equations model of the constructs.FindingsThe research findings show that there is a positive association between prospector orientation and differentiation. Analyst positioning was negatively associated with differentiation of winery companies. It was also possible to show that differentiation has a positive relationship with performance.Originality/valueWhile a previous study attempted to identify wineries’ strategic orientation using other theoretical constructs, this study makes a contribution to consolidating reflections on strategic orientation focused on differentiation and performance. The results contribute to expanding the scientific debate by filling a gap in existing theory and also provide information of use to decision-makers, demonstrating, which approaches improve differentiation, and hence, performance.

Use of solid phase microextraction to identify volatile organic compounds in brazilian wines from different grape varieties

Abstract The Brazilian wine industry has shown significant growth in recent years and the insertion of new concepts, such as geographical indications as signs of quality, has placed Brazil in tune with the tendencies of world wine production. The aim of this work was to apply the Solid Phase Microextraction technique in combination with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry to study Brazilian wines made from different grape varieties, in order to separate and identify their volatile organic compounds. These substances were identified by comparisons between the spectra obtained with those presented in the NIST library database, and by comparisons with linear retention indices and literature data. The amounts of the compounds were calculated based on the total peak areas of the chromatograms. Forty-seven volatile compounds were identified and grouped into alcohols, aldehydes, fatty acids, esters, hydrocarbons, ketones and terpenes. Most of them belonged to the ester function, conferring a fruity aroma on the wines. The alcohols may have originated from the yeast metabolism, contributing to the alcoholic and floral aromas. Ethyl lactate, 1-hexanol and diethyl maleate were identified in all the varieties, except Merlot. Decanal, methyl citronellate, (E)-2-hexenyl-3-methylbutyrate were only found in Merlot, while 2,3-butanediol was only present in the Tannat wines. 2-Phenylethanol was present in all varieties and is recognized as giving pleasant rose and honey attributes to wines. This study showed that the volatile profile of red wines is mainly characterized by esters and higher alcohols. The statistical analysis of the comparison of averages showed a greater amount of averages significantly different in the relative areas of Merlot wine. The Principal Component Analysis showed one grouping composed only of the Merlot wine samples, and this was probably related to the existence of the volatile organic compounds that were specifically identified in these wines.

Political perspectives of relationship networks to internationalization of firms in an emerging economy

The neo-institutional theory has been used to explain inter-organizational networks related phenomena from the economic and sociological perspectives. The political perspective has not been often used to study institutional contexts of networks. We aim to analyze the decision-making of the formal institutions in the internationalization process of firms in an emerging economy from a political bias. For the empirical field of study, we considered the Brazilian wine industry. Starting from a case study with twenty-three interviews with representatives of wineries and entities of this industry, our paper furthers the understanding of how institutions influence the internationalization of firms in an emerging economy. Based on the political perspective of the neo-institutional theory, our study describes how institutions, mainly the government, can influence an industry. Government cannot afford resources to benefit or protect all the industries, as well as cannot provide incentives to all firms, and those that are supported will lose competitiveness. For the firms, the choices are based on trying to achieve economic advantages through political influences. For the institutions, the choices are based on political influences considering institutional strategies.

A influência de instituições formais na internacionalização das empresas em um país emergente

Purpose – The goal of this study is to use the institution-based view as the background for an investigation of how formal institutions influence the internationalization processes of firms from an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach – Our case study is based on semistructured interviews with twenty-one representatives of formal institutions and firms in the Brazilian wine industry. Findings – It was noted that formal institutions have positive influences on the internationalization of Brazilian wineries by providing learning, relationship networks, intelligence about foreign markets, costs reduction, internationalization of business processes, and by promoting the home country’s image as a wine producer in foreign markets, and as a recognized supplier to the domestic market. They also have negative influences, as excessive bureaucracy, strikes, erection of legal barriers to trade with other countries, insufficient technical knowledge, high taxes, and favoritism benefiting the largest wine producers in the industry. Originality/value – The paper closes with suggestions for future research on how phenomena such as the relationship strategies established by the wineries impact upon internationalization and how decisions of a political nature made by formal institutions influence the wine industry, providing a new outlook on the internationalization of these firms.

New wine-growing regions of Brazil and their importance in the evolution of Brazilian wine

The objective of this work is to characterize the new Brazilian wine regions, describing their edaphoclimatic and productive characteristics, wine types, and their importance in the evolution of Brazilian wine industry. The Campanha Gaucha is characterized by flat lands, presents a high number of hours of light, and dry summers, guaranteeing a complete maturation of the grapes. Including the locations The Southeastern Region of Rio Grande do Sul presents pronounced ripples, located in altitudes between 400 and 600 m, presenting dry and sunny summers with cold nights, stony soil; Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the outstanding varieties. In the northern plateau of Rio Grande do Sul, at 1000 m a.s.l., the region of Campos de Cima da Serra has a characteristic high solar incidence, and due to the low nocturnal temperatures. The Altitude Region of Santa Catarina State presents similar characteristics to those found in the Campos de Cima da Serra, with vineyards located between 900 and 1400 m, the slow maturation promotes the preservation of acidity and high levels of aromatic compounds, which confer freshness and typical white wines, respectively, especially those made from the Sauvignon Blanc. Located at medium elevations of 900 to 1100 m, the region of Greater Curitiba with hot days and mild nights, stands out for the production of varieties of short to medium cycle, because it presents humid summers favoring the occurrence of diseases fungal infections. The South of Minas Gerais State presents mean altitudes of 800 and 1000 m, in which the technique of double pruning was adopted, leading the grapes maturation to occur during the winter, when a dry season with mild temperatures is found, making it an ideal place to produce high quality Syrah wines. In Sao Paulo State, altitudes between 1,000 and 1,300 m a.s.l. are found, where cool nights and excellent sunshine during the day provide thermal amplitude of 10°C at the time of harvest. Add to this a dry, well-drained and granitic soil, especially for growing Syrah and Viogner. The Sao Francisco River Valley presents flat lands, at an altitude of 400 meters. Located outside the suitable range for growing grapes, this semi-arid region presents low rainfall (less than 500 mm a year) and strong insolation. Its permeable clay soils have proven to be suitable for the acclimatization of grapevines such as Moscatel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Collective Competence and Systemic Thinking: An Inter-organizational Context

The collective competence is viewed as the ability of a group of individuals acting collectively towards a common goal. It is more than the sum of the individual competences, and its management asks for breaking barriers of segmented views and for understanding the importance of managing the interconnections. This study aims to identify the presence of a collective competence in the Brazilian Wine Industry. For this purpose, we collected and analyzed data through case study method, content analysis and systems thinking tools. We analyzed the data according to four elements: sensemaking, interactive action, know-how to communicate and know-how to cooperate. The systemic structure that resulted from the case analysis shows no well-established collective competence and the results show a lack of elements such as, cooperation, communication and pre-disposition to share knowledge and competences. This presents a situation similar to the archetype named “accidental adversaries” that is characterized by some unconnected elements. These elements may address the emergence of a collective competence. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n5p105

Como modificar as regras do jogo a fim de favorecer o setor vitivinícola?

Making use of institutional entrepreneurship concepts and organizational fields, this study and to discuss the possible use of agency power inherent in the concept institutional entrepreneurship within the national wine scene and seeks to situate the current structural configuration of the sector in any of the six theoretical perspectives on field organizational proposed by Machado da Silva; Guarido and Rossoni (2006). It was found that the main issue that streamlines the field of Brazilian wine are the taxes on wine, which arrive at the rate of 67%. This fact weakens the competitiveness of the national wine industry. As an alternative to alter the current situation, it was found that representatives of Brazilian winemakers in the sectoral House Viticulture, Wine and Derivatives can make use of epistemological mechanisms inherent in the institutional entrepreneurship concept, such as private persuasion and networkings, to modify the current rules of the game governing the national wine industry. Keywords: Brazilian Wine Industry. Taxs on wine.Institutionalentrepreunership.

Burgundy from the tropics: Images and references in Brazil / La Bourgogne vue des tropiques : images et références au Brésil

Relationships between Burgundy and Brazilian wine production are diverse, such as, the use of emblematic vine varieties or the fraternities and the wine tourism routes. The aim of this paper is to analyze how Brazilian experts and broad public perceive Burgundy, in order to identify influences of the Burgundy region in the Brazilian wine industry. The presence and the influence of Burgundy in the Brazilian wine industry were analyzed from an exploratory study based on the perception of experts was made using an electronic structured questionnaire, and publications available to the general public, observed from sites and blogs on the Internet using Google search, with two keywords in Portuguese and French: “Borgonha”, “vinho + Borgonha”, “Bourgogne” et “vin + Bourgogne”. The results were analyzed and organized and it can be observed that, even in different historical and environmental contexts, Burgundy is present in the wine production of Brazil, as a territory of reference and inspiration.

Organic wine production in Brazil: Challenges and limitations / La production de vin biologique au Brésil – défis et limitations

From the consumer pressure to healthier and sustainable food, and the search for quality of life, companies in various activities have reinvented to meet this demand. Organic products that have features to meet this trend, also took their place in the Brazilian wine industry, that is entered in this field to stay competitive. On the other hand, they found limiting factors that inhibiting the growth in supply of this product. In this perspective, the objective of this study is to describe and analyze what are the limiting factors for organic wine production in Brazil. To this end, an exploratory research was conducted from in-depth interviews, secondary data and direct observation. The collected data were crossed between companies and theory. The results are presented in the following chain of organic wine, based on primary resources - production - distribution - marketing and stakeholders. For conclusion, it is notable that wineries holding a major concern to maintain the certification, but the biggest challenge is to produce goodorganic grapes. On the other hand, it still requires marketing efforts, so that the product value can reach the end consumer

Innovation based on value co-creation: An alternative for Brazilian wine?

The Brazilian wine industry has been facing obstacles such as competition and high tax rates. Innovation is an alternative towards this scenario being it a major factor for any company's survival and growth in the market. Besides this, technological advances and access to information provide consumers with a larger number of choices and knowledge for an informed decision making. Despite differentiation efforts consumers did not obtain satisfaction. Customer interaction provides another way to generate innovation from its involvement in the production process (co-creation of value). The research was held in an awarded winery located in Bento Goncalves (Brazil) with the objective of understanding how the process of value co-creation between Brazilian award-winning wineries and consumers influences innovation generation. It is an exploratory and qualitative study collected through in-depth interviews with a semi-structured script. The winery identifies beneficial effects in the production process resulting from interactions because it narrows the bond with the consumer creating a better understanding of the consumers as well as develop a more tailored offer regarding value. The innovations generated based on co-creation can be taken as an alternative to imposed barriers in the current Brazilian wine sector.

An institutional approach to the history of wine in brazil

The history of wine in Brazil dates back to 1532, when Bras Cubas tried to cultivate the vine on Sao Paulo coast. As we can imagine, it was not a very successful venture. Later, other efforts were made by Jesuits in the seventeenth century. In 1739 Portugal prohibited the production of grapes and wine in the colony and this prohibition lasted until the Independence of Brazil in 1822. Although it is interesting to mention those fledgling efforts to produce wine in Brazil, the decisive impetus for the Brazilian wine industry only began with the Italian immigration of the late nineteenth century. These immigrants from Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige settled in the Serra Gaucha and received land from the government, for which they had to pay later. Some of today famous Brazilian wineries, like Miolo and Casa Valduga, began as small canteens initiated by Italian immigrants. These immigrants had not the intention to build a wine industry when they arrived in Brazil. The primary intention was to make wine for their own consumption provided that wine was considered as a food, a part of Italian culture and tradition, not simply an alcoholic beverage. Therefore, wine industry in Rio Grande do Sul emerged to supply a cultural demand of the Italian immigrants. A different motive can be identified in the reasons of the implementation of a wine industry in Sao Francisco Valley, backcountry of Northeast Brazil. We could say that the region became economically interesting since the development induced by investments in irrigation, conducted mainly by CODEVASF. Therefore, the drive for wine production in Serra Gaucha was culture, while the drive for Sao Francisco Valley wine industry was the business opportunities engendered by institutional policies conducted on the region. In this article, I will consider the history of wine industry in Serra Gaucha and in Sao Francisco Valley through the lens of Institutional Economics, initiated by Thorstein Veblen in the late nineteenth century, reworked by new institutionalists like Douglass North, and continued today by authors like Geoffrey Hodgson and others. I suggest three institutional dimensions that are usually considered by the seminal authors of Institutional Economics: (i) rules of the game, they are the formal and informal rules that structure human interaction; (ii) mental models, consistent of ideologies, habits of thought and all the internalized rules of the game; (iii) organizations, that are groups of individuals acting together with an at least temporary common purpose. The objective of this article is to tell the history of wine in Brazil and to compare the different motives for wine production in those two Brazilian regions. The question proposed in this article is: which institutional dimension was more important for the emergence of a wine industry in Serra Gaucha and Sao Francisco Valley? The hypothesis is that not only government policies in the Sao Francisco Valley were important for the emergence of a wine industry in Brazilian backcountry, but also the know-how acquired in winegrowing in Serra Gaucha. This article is divided in five parts. The first section introduces the topics proposed in the article. In the second section, the institutionalist theory will be presented, based on the idea of the three institutional dimensions. In the third section, the history of wine in the Serra Gaucha will be told. In the fourth section, the motives for a wine industry in Sao Francisco Valley will be presented. Finally, the fifth section concludes the article.

Innovations and Support Institutions: the 1st Geographical Indication in Brazil

The Geographical Indication (GI) is an intellectual property instrument that may allow the adoption of innovations through the appreciation and insertion of origin labeled products in the market. The purpose of this research is to elucidate the role of GI in the specific case of its concession in the Brazilian wine industry. Strategies embraced by producers and a national research institution (Embrapa Uva e Vinho) were aligned to international trends of technological patterns of wine production, noticing the GI as an instrument that could allow the entrance in the wine market as well as could increased the competition. The present analysis aims to prove the validation of this protection mechanism as an instrument that stimulates innovation (productive, organizational or marketing oriented), highlighting the role of support institutions and their possible impacts in the local scope, and also affecting institutional aspects that coordinate the concession of GI in a macro level.

The Brazilian Wine Industry: a case study on geographical proximity and innovation dynamics

This paper aims to analyze the cooperation and learning processes in the local system of vitiviniculture production of Serra Gaúcha's region (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), in order to characterize the dynamics of innovation of the firms located there. In methodological terms, a non-probabilistic exploratory study has been conducted. Field research in 20 wineries as well as interviews with related organizations were carried out in order to understand which learning mechanisms support innovative strategies adopted by enterprises. Since learning processes are also the result of local interactions, it was necessary to understand whether these interactions produced cooperative links. The results showed that innovations made by the firms were basically incremental. To do so, they use their intrinsic learning processes as well as external agents. These agents can be located in the region or elsewhere. The geographical proximity becomes more relevant for smaller firms. It was still possible to perceive the existence of cooperation in both vertical and horizontal level. Most frequent actions of vertical cooperation occur especially between firms and their suppliers. When horizontal cooperation occurs between enterprises, it takes place particularly in international trading.

Conditioning factors of consolidation phase in the cooperation networks: a case study of Brazilian Wine Industry

This paper describes the conditioning factors in the process of consolidation of Associação dos Produtores de Vinhos Finos do Vale dos Vinhedos (APROVALE). The theoretical basis used organizational approaches that define the concept of cooperation network as a coordination strategy of inter-organizational resources oriented around shared goals. The research comprises two studies: documentary analysis and interviews. The conclusions indicated that achieving economies of scale and enhanced competitiveness were the main conditioning factors in this network consolidation process. Further studies are recommended analyzing the evolution of cooperation networks in others Brazilian industries as well as the study of conditioning factors present in different analysis levels such personal and organizational.DOI: 10.12660/joscmv7n1p15-29URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.12660/joscmv7n1p15-29

Grape pomace bioactivity from Brazilian wine industry: toxicity and antioxidant properties in human hepatocarcinoma cells (830.31)

Wine industry produces large quantities of by‐products rich in bioactive compounds from grapes, which could be utilized for nutraceutical purposes. We aim to evaluate antioxidant activity (AC) and bioactivity of grape pomace extract from Brazilian wine industry in human hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2). The content of bioactive compounds and AC of extracts were determined by ORAC, TEAC (ABTS•‐) and TRAP assays. Bioactivity was assessed on HepG2 and on normal human fibroblasts (BEAS). Cellular viability was accessed by MTT reduction and cellular antioxidant capacity (CAC) by dichlorofluorescein oxidation, under short‐, medium‐, and long‐term incubation periods. Total phenolics, flavonoids and anthocyanins of extracts where, respectively, (mean±SD) 473.8±52.4 mg GAE/100g, 147.5±2.77 mg CE/100g and 105.5±7.27 mg cyanidin3‐glycoside/100g. Extract AC was (mean±SD; µmol TE/g) 27.1±0.33, 9.33±6.74, 122.2±2.40. HepG2 viability reduced in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. Short‐term incubation had no effect whereas medium‐ and long‐term incubation induced, respectively, a 37% and a 75% reduction in viability. BEAS viability was not affected by the extract, regardless of time and concentration used. Interestingly, short‐term incubation promoted a dose‐response increase in HepG2 CAC, suggesting that decreased oxidative stress signals to decrease HepG2 proliferation. Taken together, wine industry by‐products present important antioxidant activity and potential selective anticancer and antiproliferative effects on HepG2 cells.Grant Funding Source: Supported by FAPERJ, CNPq, CAPES, EMBRAPA (Brazil)

Identification and characterization of non-saccharomyces spoilage yeasts isolated from Brazilian wines

The industry of fine wines and also locally consumed table wines is emerging in Brazil with an increasing volume and economic impact. Enologists in this region currently lack information about the prevalence and characteristics of spoilage yeasts, which may contaminate and potentially undervalue Brazilian wines. Herein, we analyzed 50 local red wines including 27 fine wines (V. vinifera) and 23 table wines (V. labrusca). Presumptive spoilage yeasts were isolated on differential medium, and classified by RFLP-PCR and sequencing of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and D1/D2 26S rDNA loci. The prevalence of spoilage yeasts in fine wines (11%) was comparable to that reported in European and US wines, and significantly lower than that observed for local table wines (70%). The majority of isolates belonged to Brettanomyces bruxelliensis, followed by Pichia guillermondii, and more rarely Candida wickerhamii and Trigonopsis cantarelli. The Brettanomyces isolates varied greatly in off-flavor production, displayed ethanol tolerance (>10% by volume), tolerated sulfite (≥0.68mg/l mSO2), and 39% of them grew on ethanol as sole carbon source. We discuss the causes and consequences of spoilage yeasts in relation to the Brazilian wine industry.

Institutional design matters: institutional causes of the Brazilian wine industry’s poor performance

Triple Helix theory prescribes coordinated actions among government, research institutions and industry to achieve growth. However, the Brazilian wine industry case shows that simply having the institutions is not enough – the institutional framework matters. This paper shows three problems in the Brazilian institutional design that hamper wine quality improvements and impede the development of an effective, fully-fledged Triple Helix model in the Brazilian wine industry. They are: overlapping jurisdictions between the federal and state governments; dissociation between the policy-making locus and the industry; and over-institutionalization. The latter cause is not well developed in the Triple Helix literature as yet. These three factors create coordination problems that appear to be almost insoluble in the present state, and underscore the need for designing institutions carefully before this impasse is reached.

Social capital in collaborative networks competitiveness: the case of the Brazilian Wine Industry Cluster

This paper addresses the influence of social capital in collaborative networks. With the social context of collaborative networks becoming increasingly important, research has broadened the traditional concept of competitiveness to include and emphasise ‘soft’ elements, like social capital. The social capital concept can be attained in two different contexts: intra- and inter-groups. The objective of this study is to identify inter-organisational social capital elements and the relationship with collaborative network competitiveness. The idea is to answer some questions such as (1) what are the elements that explain inter-organisational social capital? (2) how are these elements related to competitiveness? (3) what organisational characteristics facilitate social capital formation? A survey was conducted in the enterprises from the Brazilian Wine Industry Cluster. The data were analysed using factorial analysis and bivariate correlations. The results point out three social capital factors that correspond to the social capital dimensions found in literature: structural, relational and cognitive. The research shows that the correlations among social capital dimensions and competitiveness are strong and significant, specially the structural and relational dimensions. Finally, implications for research and managerial practice were discussed.