Problems and opportunities within the wine industry in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected and still affects various sectors, including the agricultural sector. A specific industry deriving from agriculture is the wine industry. The purpose of this article is to find out and analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wine sector, especially regarding the Slovakia wine sector. To achieve this, a wide literary research study was conducted through which an overview of the global wine industry situation was obtained. Subsequently, the impact of COVID-19 on a selected wine business in the Slovak Republic was determined via interviewing. The findings were further analysed and compared with the situations of other Slovak and foreign wineries. It follows from the observations that both risk diversification within supplying and purchasing relations and the business's essential need to adapt to new circumstances under adverse conditions are very important factors. The article's contribution lies in a summarization of the problems and opportunities within the wineries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a wide literary research review and interviews with an employee of the large wine company, and the conclusions can also be applied to other agricultural industries.

Wine, sustainability, and the dynamism of changing lifestyles

Economic globalization characterizes the 21st century. A digital world has replaced the analog world. "Time is money, and thinking is money." Thinking and time are patentable. Branding is a metaphor for a lifestyle change. The "Big Brother" described by Orwell in his novel "1984" is relevant today. We have moved from a world of thoughtful synthesis to one of analysis mediated by "likes," "thumbs-up," and "opinion leaders."Wine, a social marker and cultural base, is being diluted in an interconnected world where it is easy to lose identity, principles, and economic worth (Pareto's ofelimity). The perception of the value of the wine is changing from a cultural symbol to mercantilism. The pandemic lockdown has shown many fragilities of the wine system, fueling e-commerce and digital search, creating an immediatist, identity-less, and easy-to-disinform society.In general, people talk about "Eco-friendly," "sustainability," "climate change," "resilience," and more very lightly and without awareness, limiting themselves to hashtags for viral dissemination, influencers, and the transmission of incomplete, easy sensationalism or false documents (fake news).It outlines Italian viticulture at the great crossroads between sustainability established on a value chain or that of semi-finished products and built on years of observation, possible with a paradigm based on years of statistical and empirically significant observation It outlines Italian viticulture at the great crossroads between sustainability established on a value chain or that of semi-finished products, built on years of observation, possible with a paradigm based on statistical and empirically significant observation. By leaving its specific place centered on typicity, wine can become a commodity product, sharing the same destiny as agricultural raw materials.

Gastronomy tourism and the revival of Italian villages after the pandemic

The effects of COVID-19 on tourism include a rapid growth of some consumption behavior trends, such as an urge for escapism, a desire to (re)discover minor and rural destinations, and a wish to live memorable moments. Moreover, literature and industry reports highlight the importance of contemporary demand for authenticity and experientiality. This work analyzes visitors' perceptions once in the destination, focusing in particular on small villages' gastronomic tourist offer. An exploratory study was conducted on tourists visiting Italian small villages of historical origin, the borghi, and nearby wine producers to record their perceptions and sense any significant difference. In-depth interviews were combined with participating observation to test elements from the literature on consumption behavior and identify a set of parameters, which could be applied in further studies. The results show that the borghi offer is perceived as authentic and not replicable, that wine- and foodrelated activities, often more direct and totalizing, helped the visitors to connect with the destination;thus, gastronomic tourism can represent a valuable asset in the sustainable development of the minor communities. Nevertheless, destination competitiveness is the result of an interplay of multiple factors and on top of the experiences offered (prerequisite of the tourist activity) additional aspects have to be considered in order to properly enhance small villages' tourist offer.

Challenges of the wine industry of Baja California, Mexico

The Baja California wine industry has developed significantly in recent decades, based on the increase in wine consumption in Mexico and the state government's interest for the development of regional vocations. However, its growth has not been accompanied by an integration of the sector among the producers and with the communities where it is based. This work presents an analysis of the current situation of viticulture in the state from its value chain, to identify the challenges before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the actions carried out from the production of the grape, transformation of the wine, distribution, marketing and commercialization, highlighting the social problems that affect the development of the sector and cultural identity. In this research was used the systematization methodology, which articulates the experiences of key actors related to the industry in the territory. To obtain the information, focus groups organized by activities related to the wine sector in Valle de Guadalupe were held.

Research regarding the changes that happened on the Romanian wine market during the COVID-19 pandemic period

Even though it is among the top ten European wine producers and the top 20 worldwide, in Romania, the wine culture is not as well developed as in countries such as Portugal, Italy and France, considered the largest consuming countries of wine, from the European Union. In addition, there is a differentiation between urban and rural preferences for wine consumption. Romania is one of the major wine producers, at the European level, ranking 6th, with a total production of 5.4 million hl in 2021, being on an upward trend in last years. The national wine market is in a continuous rise, being determined by a growing demand, supported by the health benefits of wine products. The quality of the wines and the way they are presented, the innovation of flavors and the new distribution networks, combined with the changes that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, impose new consumption models.

43rd World Congress of Vine and Wine, Ensenada, Mexico, 31 October-4 November 2022

These proceedings contain over 100 articles discussing the latest developments and challenges facing the vine and wine industry, focusing on 4 major themes such as viticulture, oenology, economy and law, and safety and health. Specific topics discussed include the adaptation and optimization of viticultural resources, the characterization of different microclimate to improve grape quality, the validation of new oenological techniques, and the resilience of the wine sector after the COVID-19 pandemic. Other topics included the impact of climate change on viticulture, the market competitiveness of the wine sector, and public health aspects wine consumption.

Analyzing diversity amongst visitors of Portuguese wine routes based on their wine involvement

Purpose>This paper focuses on the wine tourist market in the central region of Portugal, and it aims to analyze the wine tourist's demographic and travel behavior and preferences profile, based on their level of wine involvement.Design/methodology/approach>This paper presents results from an exploratory study with a quantitative design, including a total of 1,029 survey responses from visitors of three wine routes. A K-mean cluster analysis was carried out, and the emerging groups of wine tourists were statistically compared (ANOVA or Chi-squared test).Findings>Participants present a demographic profile of the wine route visitor similar to that found in other studies, with an average involvement with wine. There were three clusters of wine tourists, with different levels of involvement with wine: less wine-involved;medium wine-involved;and highly wine-involved. Significant differences between the three mentioned categories are visible for gender, age and attractions visited and expenses, suggesting the possibility of a differentiated market approach. Additionally, most respondents report high interest in a variety of attractions that are not exclusively wine-related. This finding supports the conceptualization of (particularly rural) wine tourism as "terroir tourism.”Research limitations/implications>The pandemic context in which data collection was undertaken led to a smaller sample than expected, which was also more domestic than would have been in "non-COVID” times.Practical implications>This study provides relevant insights about visitors of wine routes in Central Portugal, which may resonate in other wine tourism destinations. Implications for both theory and practice are also discussed.Originality/value>This paper fulfills an identified need to study the wine tourism market in the Central Region of Portugal and expands our understanding about wine tourists' profiles, behavior and interests, adding with empirical findings to the debate on heterogeneity in the wine tourist market, the role of wine involvement and of terroir.

Modelling lifestyle-based segments of Indian wine consumers using the latent profile analysis approach

Purpose>This study aims to identify and validate the different clusters of wine consumers in India based on the wine-related lifestyle (WRL) instrument. It also investigates how the identified clusters differ in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, income, education, employment and marital status.Design/methodology/approach>The authors conducted a survey using a structured questionnaire to collect data from wine consumers in India. The number of participants totalled to 432. The authors first identified the clusters using latent profile analysis. The authors then used the decision tree analysis based on a recursive partitioning algorithm to validate the clusters. Finally, the authors analysed the relationship between the identified clusters and socio-demographic characteristics using correspondence analysis.Findings>Three distinct segments emerged after data were subjected to latent profile analysis, namely, curious, ritualistic and casual. The authors found that the curious cluster had a high mean score for situational and social consumption while the ritualistic cluster had a high mean for ritualistic consumption. The findings also suggest that the casual cluster had more female wine consumers.Originality/value>This study makes methodological contributions to the wine consumer segmentation approach. First, it adopts a latent profile analysis to profile Indian wine consumers. Second, it validates the obtained clusters using the decision tree analysis method. Third, it analyses the relationship between the identified clusters and socio-demographic variables using correspondence analysis, a technique far superior to the Chi-square methods.

Laimburg research centre: research and innovation for the winegrowing industry. (L'Accademia per il post Covid-19.)

Laimburg Research Centre is the research centre for agriculture and food quality in South Tyrol. Agriculture in the Alpine region is suffering the intense pressure of its less favourable socio-economic and topographical conditions, together with the effects of climate change. The Laimburg Research Centre carries out research projects to provide in-depth knowledge about winegrowing, from growing techniques through to plant protection systems. The aim is to provide a solid knowledge base and practical answers for farmers and growers to be able to better face the challenges of the future.

CHANGES IN THE INTERNATIONAL WINE TRADE AND POLICIES FOR THE PROMOTION OF MOLDOVAN WINES

From an economic perspective, the COVID-19 crisis has been an exogenous shock to most local and international markets. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physical separation (or social distancing) to prevent the spread of the virus has led to feelings of isolation and loneliness, increasing the prevalence of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, and insomnia in the population. However, during the lockdown, technological devices have provided a way for people to maintain social connections with friends, family, their social networks, and/or the wider community. This article analyzes the changes on the international wine market and estimates the exports of Moldovan wine, especially in the neighboring region, which includes Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria to Nigeria, considered a new market and characterized by the lack of traditions in wine consumption. © 2022 Kiel Institute for the World Economy. All rights reserved.

Marketing geographical indication products in the digital age: a holistic perspective

Purpose>This paper analyses the impact of digitalization in the marketing of geographic indication (GI) products. Specifically, the objective is to provide a systemic and comprehensive view of marketing issues and challenges arising from evolving digitalization in the agriculture sector.Design/methodology/approach>The authors employed an explorative cognitive mapping technique on a sample of key informants among Italian companies and a consortium of registered food, spirits and wine products.Findings>This study describes the key concepts dominant in the discourse of informants concerning digitalization and its influence on the GI market. Three clusters and two loops were also identified to explain the relationship among key concepts, which stress changes regarding the relationship with the consumer, product experience and innovation, and the integration between physical and virtual space.Research limitations/implications>This is the first attempt to apply cognitive maps to GIs. However, the study does have limitations: it was conducted on a small number of producers and was restricted to only Italy. Another limitation is that interviews were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implications>The results suggest important practical implications that stress the need for learning and increased digital competences for the efficient embedding of digital technologies in all business areas, increase product value and innovation, and the need for governance in support of digital transformation.Originality/value>This work creates the new and valuable literature on food marketing and, specifically, on a changing market environment resulting from digitalization, by providing a holistic overview of digitalization in reference to the marketing of GIs.

Application of intelligent sensory technology in the authentication of alcoholic beverages

Alcoholic beverages play an important role in social gatherings and the consumption of alcohol drinks keep increasing worldwide in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic months. The authentication of alcoholic beverage is usually evaluated by trained panels or chromatography analysis. Over the last few decades, intelligent sensory technology (IST) that imitate the human sensory organs have been developed for quality control and authentication of alcoholic beverages. The artificial sensing system consist of arrays of sensors with cross-sensitivity and various pattern recognition methods, which can be used to discriminate or classify the samples based on the detection requirements. Application of IST on wine authenticity have been extensively studied, however, application of IST in authentication of other alcoholic beverages lacks of systemic study. This paper firstly describes the basic mechanism of current IST instruments and then summarizes the applications of IST in alcoholic beverages authenticity assessments, including discrimination of varietal and geographical origins, detection of frauds and adulterations, discrimination of years of aging, distinction of brands and types, aroma analysis, detection of spoilage and off-flavors, and monitoring of the production process. The potential applications and future development of IST in the brewing industry are also discussed.

Consuming Location: The Sustainable Impact of Transformational Experiential Culinary and Wine Tourism in Chianti Italy

Tourists visit wine and culinary destinations for unique, geographically indicated experiences that are place specific. The objective of this research is to understand how the transformational potential of experiential wine and culinary tourism best promotes sustainability in the context of international educational travel. Our case study in the iconic Chianti Region of Italy applies a ‘Hopeful Tourism Enquiry’ perspective and focuses on participatory, co-transformative learning, and mindful sustainability. A mixed qualitative research strategy was implemented that integrates the results of in-depth interviews with industry experts, excerpts from expository travel journals simultaneously captured during the experience, and focus group dialogues with participating students at the end of the field course. This case study revealed three overlapping thematic results that illustrate the influence of experiential educational tourism on the sensory and cultural experience of sustainable food and wine to produce co-transformative learning. The co-creation of memorable experiences establishes a unique sensual representation of provenance through the interaction with the region through narrative so that not only is the food and wine being consumed, but also the consumption of place through the storyscape of a positive and memorable experience.

A time series projection model of online seasonal demand for American wine and potential disruption in the supply channels due to COVID-19

Purpose>This study statistically examines the shifting distribution channels in the American wine industry based on the growth trajectory of sales, seasonality and disruption due to consumers switching to online platforms. The purpose of this paper is to design a model that will have general applicability beyond the wine industry.Design/methodology/approach>The research uses regression-based additive decomposition of time series data to predict the trajectory of the market share for the digital distribution channel. The study develops a statistical prediction model using time series data between 2007 and 2020, inclusive, sourced from US Annual Wine Reports and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms databases.Findings>The results show an increasing trajectory of wine sales through the online distribution channel with predictable seasonality. The disruptive effects of consumer switching behavior point to a steady increase in sales due both to increasing demand and accelerating switching. Nevertheless, the model shows that bricks and mortar purchases will remain strong and continue to account for the bulk of wine sales. COVID-19 has caused a step function increase in online sales but this should moderate after the crisis subsides and can be tested further.Originality/value>This study is original in developing a model for an industry where bricks and mortar sales are growing and are expected to remain strong while there is still identifiable switching to online sales. The wine industry presents a classic case of accelerating switching behavior where there is still a strong franchise for in-store purchases. The model should have general applicability to distribution channels beyond the wine industry where steady growth, marked seasonality and disruptive consumer switching are in evidence.

Study of awareness among hospitality student on mulled wine with respects to health benefits of wine

The aim of the study was to know awareness among hospitality students with respect to health benefits of mulled wine and to know about wine knowledge. During the COVID-19 pandemic situation it's important to take care of health and increase immunity system. The research to find about wine knowledge and importance of mulled wine awareness. Spices used for mulled wine are cloves and cinnamon and grated nutmeg. The awareness of mulled wine were taken from the participant over the age of 18. Responses were collected by means of an online questionnaire. The gained results showed that most of the hospitality students are not aware about mulled wine or they consider it can be taken during winter only but once they are aware more exposure will be there in wine market found by researcher. Mulled wine have less alcoholic content compare to red wine as well it has health benefit by its content can increase immunity system amongst consumer and in hotel it can be advice by server to guest explaining its benefits and most of the hotel can keep in their beverage menu.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of New Implemented Sustainable Wine Tourism Strategies during the COVID-19 Crisis

To compensate for loss of business during the COVID-19 crisis, wineries in the tourism industry had to apply new strategies. In order to collect and compare these newly developed sustainable strategies, a cross-cultural study has been conducted in 2021. This study is based on a qualitative survey using purposeful sampling with key decision-makers of 70 wineries from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Hungary, and Romania covering wine growing countries both from the Old and New World. The aim was to identify new and sustainable initiatives and resilience strategies implemented to deal with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, noting any cultural differences in each country’s response and to analyse the perspectives of wine tourism in the future. The findings highlight the wineries’ impressive focus on creativity and flexibility while also bringing attention to cultural differences. The insights form a preliminary suggestion for best practice strategies that businesses within wine tourism may consider helpful in their future business planning.

Transmission of Place Branding Values through Experiential Events: Wine BC Case Study

Sustainability is to promote economic growth that generates equitable wealth for all without harming the environment, becoming one of the objectives that serve as a starting point for many place branding strategies. Cultural heritage, environmental sustainability, and the valorization of the territory are nowadays unavoidable elements to sustain brands. This research analyzes the transmission of place branding values through experiential events, as a formula for business improvement according to the principles of sustainable development. The research is focused on the case of wine in British Columbia (Canada). The methodology applied was based on a theoretical framework as a starting point for the study. From there, on the one hand, an analysis of the contents of the events carried out by the winegrowers of British Columbia during the harvest months in 2019 and 2020 has been carried out. On the other hand, interviews were conducted with relevant professionals and academics in the sector in order to determine the extent to which they meet the needs of promotion of the site, taking into account the impact on the sustainability of the territory. The results show the link between the events and the territory brand, which is a means to generate growth through wine tourism promoted by the wineries, thus revaluing the winegrowing landscape and, in general, the traditions of the place, among others. There is also a need to look for strategies that seek collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve the creation of integrated events that transmit the branding values of the place. Events are a tool to generate territory branding and can, if well-conceived, contribute to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). In the case study, the results show that the vast majority of events organized by BC wineries aim to promote place branding within the framework of sustainability. A methodology that could be applicable to other territories and countries.

THE AHP QUANTIFICATION OF STUDENT POPULATION ATTITUDES IN WINE PURCHASING

According to the FAO (2021), slightly less than 6 litres of wine is consumed per capita. (2016) confirmed, based on the North Macedonian National Strategy for Viticulture and Wine production, that the wine market in the country has two consumer groups: middle-aged who have lower purchasing power and consume larger quantities of cheaper wine and younger to middle-aged with higher purchasing power who prefer smaller quantities of high-quality wine. [...]the research was conducted among students of Banja Luka University. (2017) stated that of all the factors analyzed in relation to consumers' behavior and preference, the dominant factors identified are demographic factors-age, region, family size and place of living, social factorseducation and income, and behavioral factors-price importance, place of purchase and product characteristics.

Covid-19 lockdown and wine consumption frequency in Portugal and Spain

Aim of study: This study aims to analyse how psychological factors related to the Covid-19 lockdown affected the frequency of wine consumption among Iberian consumers. Area of study: To achieve this goal, we used data collected from an online survey in Europe comprising 4489 observations from Portuguese and Spanish samples. Material and methods: Using an ordered probit model, we analysed the wine consumption frequency as a function of a set of explanatory variables related to psychological factors, sociodemographic variables, consumption characterisation and channels of trade variables. Main results: The identification of the hedonic nature of wine consumption explains the increase in frequency, while the negative feelings associated with the lockdown and health concerns are not relevant, which implies a different effect on consumption than in the case of other disasters. Consumer loyalty before the lockdown and the role that technology has played in explaining the frequency of consumption in the form of apps, online purchasing and digital drinks opens up a new horizon in the study of consumer behaviour. Research highlights: Although econometrically different, the impact of the Covid-19 crisis tend to be felt similarly among the Iberian countries. The effects of psychological impacts related to feelings of Covid-19 of the lockdown does not show impact in wine consumption behaviour. The consumer background and behavioural attitude towards wine explain most changes in consumption patterns.