Global Wine Industry Research Articles

Beyond terroir: a comparative analysis of Pinot Noir producers and business strategies in Burgundy, New Zealand and South Africa

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the convergence and divergence of business and production practices in the global wine industry, particularly focusing on Pinot Noir producers in Burgundy, New Zealand and South Africa (SA). This study explores the interplay between firm-specific factors and regional contexts to identify competitive advantage drivers among Pinot Noir producers.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a comparative analysis approach, using data from a comprehensive winery level survey. This study applies methodologies akin to value chain analysis to unravel the configuration of productive and technology/knowledge creation activities within wineries across three regions.FindingsThis analysis reveals both convergence and divergence in business and production practices among Pinot Noir producers in Burgundy, New Zealand and South Africa. Although there is a degree of convergence in marketing, distribution and competition strategies, differences exist in production practices and firms’ capabilities. Burgundy emphasizes tradition and terroir expression, contrasting with the modernization and innovation focus observed in New Zealand and South Africa. However, all regions share a commitment to quality as a competitive advantage.Research limitations/implicationsThis study acknowledges limitations such as the focus on a specific grape variety and regions, the absence of performance impact analysis and the need for additional variables like environmental, institutional and cultural factors and consumer preferences to provide a comprehensive understanding of industry dynamics.Practical implicationsThe insights from this study offer practical implications for winemakers, industry stakeholders and policymakers. Producers can optimize production and marketing strategies based on regional contexts and market segments, whereas stakeholders can identify emerging trends and opportunities in the global wine market. Policymakers can develop targeted policies supporting innovation, sustainability and competitiveness.Originality/valueThis paper provides a unique contribution by conducting a comparative firm-level analysis across distinct wine-producing regions, shedding light on the nuanced interplay of factors shaping competitive advantage among Pinot Noir producers. This study’s comprehensive data set and methodological approach enhance understanding and offer valuable insights for industry stakeholders and policymakers.

State of the International Wine Markets in 2023. The wine market at a crossroads: Temporary or structural challenges?

The global wine trade experienced a decline in volume and value in 2023 due to reduced real incomes, post-pandemic overstocking, and shifting consumer preferences. Non-sparkling red wines were more affected than sparkling wines, white wines and wines in bag-in-box formats, with notable declines in non-sparkling bottled wine imports across major markets. Despite this, an exceptionally low wine harvest in 2023 prevented a global oversupply. Regionally, some countries and appellations face an imbalance where grape supply exceeds demand due to misalignment with current consumption trends. The critical question for the wine sector is whether these declines are due to temporary factors, structural changes, or a combination of both. Excessive inventories accumulated in the post-pandemic period suggest a temporary decline in trade. However, there are growing concerns about changing consumption habits, particularly among younger consumers in Europe and the US. The relative influence of these factors remains uncertain. Premium wines still enjoy demand among traditional aficionados, but there is a clear shift in consumer preferences towards more refreshing products, including white wines, sparkling wines, and low-alcohol wines. To address these challenges, the wine industry must innovate and adapt its regulatory framework to support consumer-oriented innovation and diversified portfolios. The global wine industry is at a pivotal transition point, requiring a strategic response to evolving consumer preferences to maintain its market position.

Developing new boutique winery businesses—Lessons from the Australian experience

The global wine industry has been growing strongly for many years with entrepreneurs often seeking to establish boutique wineries in new or established wine-producing regions, partly to indulge their passion for wine but also to develop successful, long-term business ventures. Within this context, Australia has successfully grown its wine industry over several decades and is now one of the world’s largest wine exporters. The country is known for its robust mix of large and small wine producers and wine tourism. This paper explores key issues that should be considered by entrepreneurs contemplating new boutique winery ventures to increase their chances of business success. This is done by reviewing the general wine industry in Australia and comparing the situations of five successful smaller wine producers scattered around the country. To carry out the comparisons, the authors reviewed public promotions, customer reviews, and other materials about the case businesses and industry and interviewed proprietors as needed. A representative convenience sample of successful boutique wineries from several major Australian wine regions was chosen for review so that the whole Australian industry was covered. Based on their analysis, the authors firmly believe that boutique winery entrepreneurs must examine all aspects of the business model for their proposed venture and especially their interface with wine tourism to improve their chances for long-term growth and business success. Like most real estate investments, the location of the vineyard is critically important. Then, as well as producing high-quality grapes and wines and developing strong cellar door sales, they should also incorporate food offerings that emphasize pairing their wines with local produce. In addition, they should establish onsite “experience” focused lodging options that showcase local arts and crafts, with “glamping” style accommodations providing a particularly suitable option. These are all matters which should be considered from the very outset when the venture is initially being conceptualized and plans are being formulated for the development of the chosen property. For the sake of clarity, within this study, the term “boutique winery” refers to a wine-making facility with an adjoining vineyard.

Elucidating the Subcellular Localization of GLRaV-3 Proteins Encoded by the Unique Gene Block in N. benthamiana Suggests Implications on Plant Host Suppression.

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) is a formidable threat to the stability of the global grape and wine industries. It is the primary etiological agent of grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) and significantly impairs vine health, fruit quality, and yield. GLRaV-3 is a member of the genus Ampelovirus, Closteroviridae family. Viral genes within the 3' proximal unique gene blocks (UGB) remain highly variable and poorly understood. The UGBs of Closteroviridae viruses include diverse open reading frames (ORFs) that have been shown to contribute to viral functions such as the suppression of the host RNA silencing defense response and systemic viral spread. This study investigates the role of GLRaV-3 ORF8, ORF9, and ORF10, which encode the proteins p21, p20A, and p20B, respectively. These genes represent largely unexplored facets of the GLRaV-3 genome. Here, we visualize the subcellular localization of wildtype and mutagenized GLRaV-3 ORFs 8, 9, and 10, transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. Our results indicate that p21 localizes to the cytosol, p20A associates with microtubules, and p20B is trafficked into the nucleus to carry out the suppression of host RNA silencing. The findings presented herein provide a foundation for future research aimed at the characterization of the functions of these ORFs. In the long run, it would also facilitate the development of innovative strategies to understand GLRaV-3, mitigate its spread, and impacts on grapevines and the global wine industry.

Sustainable Viticulture and Organic Farming in Romania: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Development

Abstract Sustainable agriculture is a concept based on different pillars that include the need to nurture healthy ecosystems and support the sustainable management of land, water and natural resources while ensuring profitability and social and economic equity. In order to achieve agricultural productivity in a sustainable way it is important to meet the environmental and climate challenges regarding food security, quality and sustainability. Nowadays, the global wine industry is facing profound changes that echo in the Romanian wine sector as well. In order to face these challenges, the Romanian wine sector must concentrate on its future to achieve sustainable development goals. In addition, the Romanian Organic agriculture has great potential of development that serves both the domestic and foreign markets. Starting from the new EU financial frameworks, Romania has the chance to develop the organic sector, based on the EU funding. Investing in organic farming is timely and strategic. The organic sector can prevent the loss of biodiversity; improve the ways of living of all actors in the food value chain, and help farmers move to more sustainable agro ecological practices. The ways of action for the sustainability of the sector should target the area of standards for competitive sustainability and the protection of human health in close connection with the one health concept. The article focuses on the Romanian wine and organic agricultural sectors and the need to achieve a sustainable development in order to face future challenges.

Isolation and Enzymatic Characterization of Fungal Strains from Grapevines with Grapevine Trunk Diseases Symptoms inCentral Mexico.

Grapevine production is economically indispensable for the global wine industry. Currently, Mexico cultivates grapevines across approximately 28 500 hectares, ranking as the 26th largest producer worldwide. Given its significance, early detection of plant diseases' causal agents is crucial for preventing outbreaks. Consequently, our study aimed to identify fungal strains in grapevines exhibiting trunk disease symptoms and assess their enzymatic capabilities as indicators of their phytopathogenic potential. We collected plant cultivars, including Malbec, Shiraz, and Tempranillo, from Querétaro, Mexico. In the laboratory, we superficially removed the plant bark to prevent external contamination. Subsequently, the sample was superficially disinfected, and sawdust was generated from the symptomatic tissue. Cultivable fungal strains were isolated using aseptic techniques from the recovered sawdust. Colonies were grown on PDA and identified through a combination of microscopy and DNA-sequencing of the ITS and LSU nrDNA regions, coupled with a BLASTn search in the GenBank database. We evaluated the strains' qualitative ability to degrade cellulose, starch, and lignin using specific media and stains. Using culture morphology and DNA-sequencing, 13 species in seven genera were determined: Acremonium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Dydimella, Fusarium, Sarocladium, and Quambalaria. Some isolated strains were able to degrade cellulose or lignin, or starch. These results constitute the first report of these species community in the Americas. Using culture-dependent and DNA-sequencing tools allows the detection of fungal strains to continue monitoring for early prevention of the GTD.

Wine tourism as a catalyst for green performance: the mediating role of green knowledge sharing

ABSTRACT As the global wine industry faces the pressing challenges of sustainability, the exploration of wine tourism emerges as a key tool to promote the dissemination of sustainable practices developed by wineries. In this context, the present research focuses on analyzing the impact of wine tourism on the green performance of Spanish wineries, as well as the mediating effect of green knowledge sharing on this linkage. In addition, age, size and membership in a protected designation of origin are introduced as control variables to increase the precision of the cause-effect relationships examined. The study proposes a conceptual model based on previous studies, which is tested using structural equations with data collected from 196 Spanish wineries between September 2022 and January 2023. The findings of the research reveal the existence of a positive and significant relationship between the development of wine tourism and the green performance of Spanish wineries, as well as the partial mediation of green knowledge sharing in this association. The uniqueness and significance of this study can be attributed to several crucial factors. On the one hand, it enhances the understanding and knowledge regarding the advantages associated with wine tourism development. On the other hand, this study contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive exploration of how wine tourism serves as a catalyst for green performance among Spanish wineries, filling theoretical and practical gaps as it examines the mediating role of green knowledge exchange in this dynamic, an aspect so far scarcely explored in the academic literature.

How is the Wine Consumers Behavior Changing After Pandemic: A Descriptive Analysis of the Chinese Wine Market

The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on the global wine industry, leading to dramatic changes in consumer behavior as well. Although the pandemic has significantly impeded the global economy, international trade, and social development, it has given an impetus to the process of digitalization, digital market has been growing prosperity, especially in China, a country as the bellwether in digitalization. The China wine market is one of the most potential markets in the world, Per capita expenditure of wine in China has increased quite significantly after 2021, compared to the Asia Pacific and global levels. Therefore, understanding how the changes in the Chinese wine consumer occurred after the pandemic will help wineries better enter the Chinese market and develop a digital marketing strategy. After the United Nations proposed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, sustainability has become a primary theme of the world's concern. Therefore, the wine industry has also regarded sustainability as its primary goal. Digital transformation is an inevitable trend that foreign wineries have to face, which is also in conformity with the SDG targets. This paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the wine consumer behaviors’ existing circumstances after the pandemic through an exhaustive descriptive analysis, which helps foreign wineries lay down a new business strategy and realize digital transformation in the Chinese wine market.

THE BIOSTIMULATORY EFFECT OF BROWN ALGAE ASCOPHYLLUM NODOSUM ON GRAPEVINE

Currently, the global wine industry is facing numerous challenges related to climate change and the unpredictability of weather conditions. The administration of biostimulants derived from algae to grapevines brings a series of benefits that translate into increased and quality productions.Two biostimulators containing Ascophyllum nodosum were tested in a vineyard on Chasselas Dore grapes. The testing involved three foliar applications at a 0.5% concentration during the vegetative phase. The use of the products with algae led to increases in yield cu 33.3% (AN product) și 38.7% (AN-ME product). The application of the three foliar treatments with an vegetable biostimulant increased by 46.6 – 48.5% the process of photosynthetic assimilation in the vineyard. Also, the nutrient content in the plant (leaves and clusters) has recorded a significant increase.

Developing a Sustainability Vision for the Global Wine Industry

Interest in sustainability has increased significantly in the wine sector in the past few years, driven by customer interest, as well as the impact of global warming-intensified weather extremes on wine growers. For a sustainable future the wine industry must design its entire value chain in such ways that it conserves and regenerates the natural environment and at the same time promotes human rights, inclusion and equality. The current paper identified five key challenges which have to be overcome in order to reach this goal: (1) climate change impact and adaptation strategies, (2) the reduction of GHG emissions and creation of carbon sinks, (3) vineyard inputs, (4) packaging and (5) social and economic sustainability. For each of these five challenges research gaps and possible solutions are presented which enable a holistic improvement of the sustainability of the whole wine value chain from the vineyard to the consumers. Examples for this are strategies to reduce the use of pesticides in the vineyard as well as carbon insetting options in the vineyard. Additionally, it is of utmost importance that every educational institution integrates facts and vision into their teaching programs in a holistic manner. Together, these approaches form the basis for a realistic sustainability vision for the global wine industry.

Market Making and the Contested Performation of Value in the Global (Bulk) Wine Industry

Recent economic geography scholarship has emphasized (1) the performative work of market making (i.e., the geographies of marketization perspective) and (2) value-creation practices in markets (particularly the geographies of association and dissociation perspectives). In this article, we propose making stronger connections between these bodies of literature to gain a better understanding of how the performative constitution of markets and of brand and commodity value in markets are connected. More precisely, we argue that not only the b/ordering of the market and market outside (i.e., the world outside the market) but, equally, b/ordering processes within markets are essential components of performative market making and key to the contested attribution of value to commodities and brands. We flesh out this conceptual argument by empirically investigating the global wine market, which is characterized by high significance of brand building and of symbolic qualities—particularly geographic origin. In recent decades, the global wine market has been marked by a massive globalization process, strongly linked to the trading of wine in bulk form and outsourced bulk wine assembly for retailers’ private labels. Building on ethnographical research, we analyze the associative and dissociative b/ordering of the bulk wine market vis-à-vis the (premium) wine market, arguing that this performation struggle is key to the attribution of value to wine. Bearing in mind that we are witnessing an increasing aestheticization of consumer goods in the global economy, resulting in a dramatic rise in branding activities, contested b/ordering processes within markets, we argue, will grow in importance in the future.

Examining motivations and challenges of black wine entrepreneurs using the push–pull theory of entrepreneurship

PurposeThe two major entrepreneurial motivations of being “pushed” or “pulled” to start a business have been frequently explored in the entrepreneurship literature. In the global wine industry, thousands of small entrepreneurial wine businesses are flourishing, but few have been started by Black entrepreneurs. What is missing from the research is an exploration of the motivations of these entrepreneurs and what the industry can do to encourage the entrance of more minority entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to apply push–pull theory to better understand the motivations and challenges of what prompts Black entrepreneurs to start and succeed in the wine industry.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study uses a qualitative methodology of 42 in-depth interviews with US Black winemakers, retailers, and other wine business owners conducted over Zoom. The data were analyzed using Otter software and a thematic coding process for 2,120 pages of rich text.FindingsFindings included 12 motivation themes and 12 challenges for Black wine entrepreneurs, with more emphasis on “push” versus “pull” motivation factors. Many of these entrepreneurs were “pushed” to participate in the industry to create a more inclusive space for Black wine consumers and to create opportunities for other Black professionals and minorities in the industry. Managerial implications include solutions for more inclusive marketing and workplace culture.Originality/valueThis study contributes to push–pull theory by offering a unique perspective on the motivations of Black wine entrepreneurs, as well as being the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to focus on this issue.

Identification of Oak-Barrel and Stainless Steel Tanks with Oak Chips Aged Wines in Ningxia Based on Three-Dimensional Fluorescence Spectroscopy Combined with Chemometrics.

With the increased incidence of wine fraud, a fast and reliable method for wine certification has become a necessary prerequisite for the vigorous development of the global wine industry. In this study, a classification strategy based on three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy combined with chemometrics was proposed for oak-barrel and stainless steel tanks with oak chips aged wines. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares analysis (PLS-DA), and Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) were used to distinguish and evaluate the data matrix of the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of wines. The results showed that FDA was superior to PCA and PLS-DA in classifying oak-barrel and stainless steel tanks with oak chips aged wines. As a general conclusion, three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy can provide valuable fingerprint information for the identification of oak-barrel and stainless steel tanks with oak chips aged wines, while the study will provide some theoretical references and standards for the quality control and quality assessment of oak-barrel aged wines.

Metabolic composition of healthy and infected Grüner Veltliner grapes and wine assessed by high resolution mass spectrometry

Grapevines are susceptible to a wide range of fungal diseases that result in significant annual economic losses in the global wine industry. The present study uses a non-targeted mass spectrometry approach to explore metabolic profiles of healthy and infected Austrian Grüner Veltliner grapes and wine. The samples were analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry and ion mobility-mass spectrometry combined with multivariate statistical data analysis. Clear differences between healthy and infected samples were observed using multivariate analysis, allowing sample classification according to infection. In total, 111 grape and wine markers were identified as a result of infection, of which 68 were identified with confidence levels 1 or 2. The statistical analysis results outlined metabolites such as (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, astilbin, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, gluconic acid, alpha-lipoic acid, caftaric acid, galactaric acid, fumaric acid, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, indole-3-lactic acid, dipeptides and tripeptides, to be discriminant in detection of grapes and wine infection.

Pourquoi terroir? Reflections on French influences on Australian winemakers’ senses of place

Terroir is an untranslatable, unstable, and often undefinable French term frequently used in the global wine industry. This article focuses on the transnational potentialities and cultural transferability of terroir in reflecting on French influences on Australian winemakers’ senses of place. After outlining the evolution of terroir in France to demonstrate how and why it appears to have become a floating signifier, I examine the use of terroir in the Australian winemaking context. I thereby provide an example of how this French concept has travelled and been translated by Australian proponents of the term at the other end of the New World of wine. Finally, I present conclusions drawn from the particular case of French-Australian cultural transfers to demonstrate key features of the current state of terroir's globalisation.

Review: Imperial Wine: How the British Empire Made Wine’s New World, by Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre

Review: <i>Imperial Wine: How the British Empire Made Wine’s New World</i>, by Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre

Population genomics of the grapevine pathogen Eutypa lata reveals evidence for population expansion and intraspecific differences in secondary metabolite gene clusters.

Eutypa dieback of grapevine is an important disease caused by the generalist Ascomycete fungus Eutypa lata. Despite the relevance of this species to the global wine industry, its genomic diversity remains unknown, with only a single publicly available genome assembly. Whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomics was performed on forty Australian E. lata isolates to understand the genome evolution, adaptation, population size and structure of these isolates. Phylogenetic and linkage disequilibrium decay analyses provided evidence of extensive gene flow through sexual recombination between isolates obtained from different geographic locations and hosts. Investigation of the genetic diversity of these isolates suggested rapid population expansion, likely as a consequence of the recent growth of the Australian wine industry. Genomic regions affected by selective sweeps were shown to be enriched for genes associated with secondary metabolite clusters and included genes encoding proteins with a role in nutrient acquisition, degradation of host cell wall and metal and drug resistance, suggesting recent adaptation to both abiotic factors and potentially host genotypes. Genome synteny analysis using long-read genome assemblies showed significant intraspecific genomic plasticity with extensive chromosomal rearrangements impacting the secondary metabolite production potential of this species. Finally, k-mer based GWAS analysis identified a potential locus associated with mycelia recovery in canes of Vitis vinifera that will require further investigations.

Changes in sustainability in the global wine industry

PurposeThe wine industry is the one that is tightly linked to sustainability as its processes both impact and are impacted by the environment, society and companies’ financial well-being. However, data show that this may not be recognized in practice. Thus, this research paper aims to examine what has changed with respect to sustainability practices over the past 10–15 years in this industry.Design/methodology/approachA development-based multi-method approach was used to examine the purpose. In Phase 1, a grounded theory study conducted between 2009 and 2015 from wine businesses in 12 different global regions brought to light a potential disconnect between theory and practice in the importance of sustainability. In Phase 2, a comprehensive literature review and analysis of updated online content from the Phase 1 companies was conducted to paint a picture of the progression of sustainability focus and its implementation in company processes.FindingsUsing legitimacy theory as a foundation, it was found that the choice to pursue sustainability in this industry generally begins with a focus on environmental practices followed by financial sustainability and more recently social sustainability. Producers are also starting to emphasize overall sustainability often encompassing all three dimensions. The industry has also progressed through “levels of sophistication” in the different major supply chain processes (supply, production and distribution) over the years with their environmental efforts.Originality/valueA framework of sustainability growth in the industry through a matrix of process sophistication is developed from the data. The results offer implications for theory, practice and industry policy and informs the future trajectory of sustainability within global business.

A review of the techniques for mitigating the effects of smoke taint in wine production

Smoke taint has become a prominent issue for the global wine industry as climate change continues to impact the length and extremity of fire seasons around the world. When grapevines are exposed to smoke, their leaves and fruit can adsorb volatile smoke compounds (for example, volatile phenols such as guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, o-, m- and p-cresol, and syringol), which can initially be detected in free (aglycone) forms but are rapidly converted to glycoconjugate forms due to glycosylation. During the fermentation process, these glycoconjugates can be broken down, releasing volatile phenols that contribute undesirable sensory characteristics to the resultant wine (i.e. smokey and ashy attributes). Several methods have been evaluated, both viticultural measures and winemaking techniques, for mitigating and/or remediating the negative effects of grapevine smoke exposure. While there is currently no single method that universally solves the problem of smoke taint, this paper outlines the tools available that can help to minimize the negative impacts of smoke taint (Figure 1).

A Rule-Based Quality Analytics System for the Global Wine Industry

The global wine-making industry has faced challenges due to the increasing demands of consumers, particularly in emerging markets such as China, Brazil, India, and Russia. Controlling the quality during wine production is one of the key challenges faced by global winemakers to produce wine with appropriate sensorial properties tailored to specific markets. The wine production quality is constituted from a number of environmental factors such as climate, soil, and temperature, which affect the sensorial properties and the overall quality. This paper proposed a rule-based quality analytics system (RBQAS) to capture physicochemical data during wine production and to investigate the hidden patterns from the data for quality prediction. It consists of IoT for data capture on a real-time basis, followed by association rule mining to identify relationships between sensorial and physicochemical properties of wine.