Abstract:
As a rapidly evolving sector the international wine industry represents an interesting
subject for analysis. Over the past two centuries the industry has experienced a number
of major innovations and direction changes. The organizational shifts involved in these
changes have been profound. From a monopolization of wine culture through the nineteenth
and much of the twentieth century by Europeans, to the emergence of New World operators and
their democratic influence, the international wine industry now stands at the edge of another
major paradigm shift. This paper traces the industry’s historical changes and speculates on the
implications of such issues as global production, distribution, technology transfer, branding
and the escalation of mergers and alliances. It argues that with the increasing global tendency
of the industry, ‘New’ and ‘Old World’ distinctions may blur and disappear. Furthermore, as
the wine landscape continues to evolve, we may well see a new set of rules, where the emergence
of localized branding, an enhanced role for small to medium enterprises and the decline of
national industries results in an irrevocable reconfiguration of the industry.
