Zealand Wine Industry Research Articles

Identification of the best viticultural areas by spatial optimisation. Application in New Zealand South Island in the context of climate change

The global winegrowing sector is under pressure due to the effects of global climate change. This is particularly true for New Zealand, where the wine industry is limited to a few regions. This study focuses on the South Island of New Zealand. It uses the Multi-objective Optimisation for Agrosystems (MOA) model to (i) investigate how potential exposure to climate risks and phenological stages will evolve under climate change, (ii) assess the suitability of current vineyards for viticulture in the future, and (iii) investigate potential emerging areas favourable for viticulture.The results show that a significant shift in the phenological stages of veraison and ripeness can be expected in the future due to the warming of the South Island of New Zealand. The projected phenological stages advancement is around one week in the near term for both Shared-Socioeconomic Pathways studied (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) and is more than three weeks and one month in long-term for SSP2–4.5 and SSP5-8.5 respectively. A regional to local increase in frost risk (Canterbury, Otago, and Southland) and a slight increase in disease risk (especially on the coast) are also projected in the future, while the South Island of New Zealand is not expected to be affected by heatwaves. The results show that Marlborough, New Zealand's most important winegrowing region, will continue to be one of the best areas for viticulture in the 21st century. On the other hand, new winegrowing opportunities are expected to emerge inland and southwards.Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the impact of climate change on the New Zealand wine industry and emphasises the need to adapt to changing climate conditions. It also provides insights into the future suitability of vineyards and identifies potential expansion areas for the New Zealand viticulture sector.

Design code review on seismic demand and base detailing criteria: an application to wine tanks in Marlborough

Marlborough is the largest wine-growing region in New Zealand. The seismic events of Lake Grassmere 2013 and Kaikōura 2016 caused severe business disruption to the wineries due to the poor performance of wine storage tanks and connected non-structural components. The damage recorded raised two main discussions concerning the NZSEE 2009 guidelines for seismic design of liquid storage tanks. The first is related to the appropriateness of the determination of the importance level to adopt for the design of tanks. In fact, importance level 1 (IL1) (structures presenting a low degree of hazard to life and other property) was adopted for most wine tanks, and therefore, the horizontal forces designed were extremely low. Adopting importance level 2 (IL2) (normal structures) would have increased the overall seismic demand to design them for and therefore limited their structural damage but potentially increased the structural cost. The second concerns the design detailing of the critical connections. In fact, the current guidelines/standards lack provisions. The authors compare the NZSEE 2009 guideline with Eurocode 8 (EC8) and API 650 through the design of six tanks with typical dimensions used in the New Zealand wine industry. Results show that assigning importance level 1 results in seismic design demand similar to EC8 and API 650, thereby showing that other countries have a similar approach to New Zealand. A further comparative analysis also highlighted that connection detailing design including the hierarchy of strength is totally missing in all three standards/guidelines, which lacks information.

Determining acceptance and rejection of nano-enabled agriculture: A case study of the New Zealand wine industry

This paper gathers gatekeeper views and perceptions on nano-enabled viticulture in Aotearoa New Zealand. While the science of nanotechnology is indicated to offer improvements to conventional vineyard inputs and operations, its acceptability by potential users and consumers has an impact on the governance of nano-enabled agriculture. This governance takes place not just at the state level through regulation and policy, but also through corporate, and community sectors' use of branding and narratives about nanotechnology and nano-based agrichemicals, and the (non)consumption of nano-enabled products. This paper investigates the technical and market acceptability, or governance, of nanotechnology by elucidating the attitudes of industry gatekeepers towards wines grown with nanotechnology. This necessarily informs the ‘market permissibility’ of such technologies, and illuminates sensitivities, concerns, and consumer-based barriers to adoption. We conducted 15 semi-structured, key informant interviews and a thematic data analysis. Our results suggest a high level of technical acceptability, particularly if environmental sustainability benefits are made clear. Wine producers are interested in nano-solutions to labour, pest and disease, and cost of production issues. However, key actors in the production-consumption network of New Zealand wine have concerns about nano-enabled approaches. Regulatory approval and safety assurances are expected prior to adoption in food or wine. Respondents argue that consumer acceptability is less clear, and that thought leaders like wine writers, intermediaries and ‘influencers’ will be critical in shaping public opinion. This research highlights the potential risks of nanotechnology development and adoption.

Commentary – Look east young sojourner!

With developments like China's Belt and Road and Maritime Silk Road initiatives, the nation is flexing its economic and political muscle and demonstrating its vision for the 21st century and beyond. In a study of grape-based wine consumption in southern China and Hong Kong, we found that people would typically drink wine with a Western meal, but not a Chinese meal (Groves and Belk, 1998). The paper, in the context of the New Zealand wine industry, is about competition versus cooperation. In the case of Crick and Crick's study of the New Zealand wine growers, the hypothesis supported that there was an inverted U-shape between amount of cooperation and performance, attenuated to some degree by intensity

Family logics and environmental sustainability: A study of the New Zealand wine industry

AbstractThe majority of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the wine industry are family owned and operated providing a unique organisational structure to study environmental sustainability engagement. However, researchers at the intersection of environmental sustainability (ES) and family businesses tend to oversimplify family businesses as homogeneous regarding ES. Therefore, the broader goal of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of heterogeneities among family firms related to ES. The paper aims to understand how family firms portray different aspects of family influence (family goals, family values, culture and ethics, and the imprints of the founders and the next generation) in their ES disclosures. Family logics are used as a theoretical lens to analyse family influence. A qualitative content analysis of 72 corporate websites of family firms operating in the New Zealand wine industry was conducted. Antecedents of heterogeneities were revealed with a discussion of three typologies of family firms: family first, business first and upstarts.

Aroma and Sensory Profiles of Sauvignon Blanc Wines from Commercially Produced Free Run and Pressed Juices

Sauvignon blanc is the most important grape cultivar within the New Zealand wine industry, and wines from the Marlborough region are renowned for their intense aromas including tropical, passionfruit, and green capsicum. Quality Sauvignon blanc wines are usually made from free run juice, although press fractions can be included. The chemical aroma composition and sensory profiles of two wine sets made from three press fractions (free run, light press and heavy press) were compared. The compounds 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate were found to decrease between free run and heavily pressed wines while hexyl acetate, hexanol, and benzyl alcohol increased. The accompanying sensory analysis showed that free run wines were marked by aromas of Passionfruit/sweaty, Boxwood and Fresh green capsicum, while the heavy pressed wines were described by French vanilla/bourbon, Floral and Banana lolly attributes, consistent with the aroma chemical composition.

Damage to legged wine storage tanks during the 2013 and 2016 New Zealand earthquakes

The New Zealand wine industry has experienced several strong earthquakes over the last decade. The research presented herein documents the damage data to legged wine storage tanks following the Seddon earthquake (New Zealand, Mw 6.5) on 21 July 2013 and Lake Grassmere earthquake (New Zealand, Mw 6.6) on 26 August 2013, and the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake (New Zealand, Mw 7.8). The data covers the damage assessment results of 1512 legged wine storage tanks from the 2013 earthquakes and of 599 legged wine storage tanks from the 2016 earthquake. Several parameters were investigated, including tank capacity, liquid level at the time of the earthquakes, and damage to different elements of legged wine tanks. Frame/leg parts of the legged wine tanks sustained the greatest damage, with 40% of legged tanks sustaining frame/leg damage in the 2013 earthquakes and 44% of legged tanks sustaining frame/leg damage in the 2016 earthquake. Based on the results, liquid level and tank capacity were identified as parameters that most greatly influenced the seismic performance of legged wine tanks.

The facets, antecedents and consequences of coopetition

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the facets, antecedents and consequences of coopetition using three dimensions of entrepreneurial marketing. Coopetition is the interplay between competition and cooperation in which companies seek to collaborate with their rivals with the aim of enhancing performance compared to if they operated independently.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports on 38 interviews across 25 firms competing in the New Zealand wine industry. Triangulation procedures were via primary and secondary methods. This data was analysed through a series of techniques to produce credible findings.FindingsCoopetition is comprised of resource- and capability-sharing activities. These activities are driven by an industry-wide cooperative mind-set; also, firms having access to competitors’ resources and capabilities. Coopetition was found to increase performance in ways that would not be possible if firms did not collaborate with their rivals.Originality/valuePrevious studies have focused on the facets and consequences of coopetition rather than its antecedents. Whilst exploration of these facets was undertaken in this study to reinforce prior research, this paper also investigates the antecedents of coopetition underpinned by the resource-based theory to contribute to the entrepreneurial marketing literature.

New Zealand Winegrowers Attitudes and Behaviours towards Wine Tourism and Sustainable Winegrowing

There are significant economic, environmental, social, and marketing issues that exist from the supply-side perspective in response to sustainability. This study examines New Zealand winegrowers in terms of their attitudes and behaviours towards wine tourism and sustainable wine production. A national survey was conducted at the end of 2015, which was the fourth such survey to be undertaken as part of a longitudinal study of wine tourism in New Zealand. This survey drew on issues of wine and biosecurity, climate change, and eco-labelling, as well as wine tourism. These issues were examined within the context of three key drivers of sustainability: the physical aspects of sustainable wine production, the internal drivers within wine businesses for the adoption of sustainable practices, and the external regulatory aspects that govern the adoption of sustainable wine production practices. The findings indicate that there were substantial concerns with the perceived value provided by both wine tourism and sustainable winegrowing practices. These concerns exist at both the firm level and with the governing bodies that are responsible for implementing sustainable winegrowing initiatives. Unless this perception of the value of sustainability within the New Zealand wine industry is altered in the future, it appears that there will continue to be an ongoing issue as to how sustainable winegrowing initiatives are implemented.

Sustainability: A tool for governing wine production in New Zealand?

Governance mechanisms facilitate sustainability transitions by ensuring that people are engaging in socially and environmentally sound practice. This paper analyses the history of the New Zealand wine industry over the past twenty years to trace how agricultural actors handle regulatory and voluntary modes of environmental governance and navigate between them. The empirical basis for the paper comprises 22 semi-structured interviews with industry actors addressing the ‘Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand’ programme. This qualitative methodology facilitated the collection of historical data as well as the interrogation of the meanings interviewees attributed to particular events, practices or behaviours. A narrative analysis examined how interviewees situated themselves in relation with the sustainability programme and their wider environment. The research identifies the key moments that lead the industry to ground its environmentalism in markets, and to coordinate wine production practice through associated auditing. The historical development of the programme suggests that this was achieved through the industry's wholesale adoption of what had been a voluntary programme. The analysis also reveals that diverse actors involved in New Zealand wine production refer to similar intertwining narratives about the programme that demonstrate a shift from a voluntary to a de facto compulsory scheme. We argue that actors have acquiesced to the expansion of the programme, allowing it to shape wine production in New Zealand. In this context, winegrowers and winemakers relate to the sustainability programme as simultaneously a regulatory and a market-motivated form of governance. The findings provide insight to how collective market strategies paired with sustainability assessments can create a new kind of governance mechanism that bridges economic and social spheres.

Intergenerational knowledge sharing in family firms: Case-based evidence from the New Zealand wine industry

This paper examines intergenerational knowledge sharing within family firms in traditional industries. We position our analysis against the background of the knowledge-based view of the firm and utilize knowledge creation theory and perspectives on knowledge sharing behavior to analyse how knowledge is shared in an organization. We employ a multiple case study approach and use the New Zealand wine industry as the context of our analysis. Our study extends family business and knowledge sharing literature by challenging traditional views of incumbent-successor relationships. We reason that family business literature is sympathetic to the senior generation nurturing the next generation while leaving a gap in our understanding of how the next generation contributes knowledge to the firm. We suggest that the knowledge bases of the senior and next generation are different in terms of how they are generated and the relative weight of tacit and explicit knowledge they contain. We also argue that knowledge sharing in family firms is bidirectional leading to innovative outcomes and change.

Market Function and Diversification of Marketing Channels of the Small-Scale Winery in New Zealand Wine Industry

Market Function and Diversification of Marketing Channels of the Small-Scale Winery in New Zealand Wine Industry

Enacting Multiple Audiences

Science communication makes science relevant to nonscientist audiences, but relevance and audience can be resolved at multiple levels. This study in the New Zealand wine industry suggests that written science communication can make science topically relevant without building relevant relationships with individual audience members. Paradoxically, winemakers and winegrowers describe research as relevant to industry generally but not to their own work in particular. Analyzing science communication documents shows rhetorical moves connecting research and industry but distancing research from individual readers. This case suggests the utility of attending to rhetorical relationships in science communication and the need for unique rhetorical strategies.

Prioritizing Sustainability Indicators: Using Materiality Analysis to Guide Sustainability Assessment and Strategy

AbstractDespite the growing awareness of complexity in sustainable development, the practical implementation of sustainability assessment through the use of sustainability indicators requires prioritizing the myriad indicators available. This study identifies the highest priority sustainability indicators for the New Zealand wine industry using materiality analysis. Thirteen information sources representative of different stakeholder perspectives considered to drive the need for sustainability assessment are analysed to provide a measure of sustainability issue salience and risk. Based on a meta‐analysis of relevant information, it is found that environmental issues make up the highest priority issues, followed by social issues relating primarily to worker wellbeing. Significantly, economic and governance issues were not found to be high priorities. These findings are discussed in the context of the common bias in agricultural sustainability assessment towards environmental issues, and the broader business implications for sustainability assessment, strategy and policy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Environmental entrepreneurs facilitating change toward sustainability: a case study of the wine industry in New Zealand

This research explores the roles and strategies of environmental entrepreneurs in fostering wider change within their sociotechnical system, employing a qualitative case study in the context of the New Zealand wine industry to provide illustrative depth. A combination of strategic niche management and evolutionary theory of organizational change is used to explain the findings, focusing on the three key aspects of learning, networking, and articulation taking place at niche level. The research proposes that while environmental entrepreneurs facilitate processes of change through their actions, they are strongly influenced by broader business environment factors such as financial pressures and acceptance of their philosophies among the wider population; as a consequence, their actions indicate role shifts between being proactive, influential actors and reactive, self-centered players.

Learning and decision making in marketing planning: a study of New Zealand vineyards

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how decision making and learning are related to marketing planning among owner/managers with lifestyle in comparison to growth-oriented objectives in the New Zealand wine industry. Design/methodology/approach – The study reports on 12 interviews with owner/managers of New Zealand vineyards. The vineyards were small to medium sized and independently owned to avoid bias from parent company decision making within larger scale corporate wine producers. Findings – Different degrees of causation and effectuation-based decision making were found to exist among owner/managers starting from the nascent stage in their respective marketing planning processes. Learning to different degrees was evident in order to remain competitive in a climate of uncertainty and not least of which due to problematic exchange rates. An important issue influencing decision making was whether owner/managers were running the vineyard to maintain a lifestyle or a growth strategy; an issue affecting perceptions of risks and rewards. Originality/value – The originality of the study is that it employs an effectuation lens in respect of the marketing planning process; specifically, decision making among owner/managers with differing objectives, experience and perceptions of risks and rewards.

Export Commitment and the Global Financial Crisis: Perspectives from the New Zealand Wine Industry

The study investigates how firms adjusted their export commitment in response to the recent global financial crisis. Findings based on New Zealand wine companies suggest that firms' commitment to exporting is influenced by both their export performance achieved before the crisis and the negative effect that the crisis exerted on their subsequent export performance. These two performance‐induced influences can be further moderated by managerial attitude toward exporting and managers' perceptions of export market uncertainty. Theoretically, the study builds on the behavioral theory of the firm and extends the past performance–strategy relationship to the situation of exporting in a financial crisis.

Virtue Ethics and the Practice–Institution Schema: An Ethical Case of Excellent Business Practices

This paper aims to contribute to a greater understanding of the theory of virtue ethics and its applications in the business arena. In contrast to other prominent approaches to ethics, virtue ethics provides a useful perspective in making sense of various business ethics issues with an emphasis on the moral character of the individuals and its transformational influences in driving ethical business conduct. Building on Geoff Moore’s (Bus Ethics Q 12(1):19–32, 2002; Bus Ethics Q 15(2):237–255, 2005; Bus Ethics Q 18(4):483–511, 2008) treatment of Alasdair MacIntyre’s practice–institution schema, the paper discusses how individuals, as moral agents, can serve to promote virtuous business conduct and help foster a moral and ethical climate in the organization and in society at large. Using interview data from a broader study of the New Zealand wine industry as explanatory examples, the paper argues that while many companies’ sustainable practices are still largely market based, such excellent business practices are often driven by individuals’ moral and ethical pursuits.

On Oenological Authenticity: Making Wine Real and Making Real Wine

On Oenological Authenticity: Making Wine Real and Making Real Wine

Quantifying separation and similarity in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metapopulation.

Eukaryotic microbes are key ecosystem drivers; however, we have little theory and few data elucidating the processes influencing their observed population patterns. Here we provide an in-depth quantitative analysis of population separation and similarity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the aim of providing a more detailed account of the population processes occurring in microbes. Over 10 000 individual isolates were collected from native plants, vineyards and spontaneous ferments of fruit from six major regions spanning 1000 km across New Zealand. From these, hundreds of S. cerevisiae genotypes were obtained, and using a suite of analytical methods we provide comprehensive quantitative estimates for both population structure and rates of gene flow or migration. No genetic differentiation was detected within geographic regions, even between populations inhabiting native forests and vineyards. We do, however, reveal a picture of national population structure at scales above ∼100 km with distinctive populations in the more remote Nelson and Central Otago regions primarily contributing to this. In addition, differential degrees of connectivity between regional populations are observed and correlate with the movement of fruit by the New Zealand wine industry. This suggests some anthropogenic influence on these observed population patterns.