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This study investigates organic wine consumption and analysed the motives, preferences and basic characteristics of German consumers of organic and non-organic wines.

The comparative study is based on data from a representative survey conducted with 2,000 consumers in Germany. Two segments of wine drinkers were created according to their consumption of organic wine. Consumers of organic and non-organic wine were compared by analysing the differences in wine-related behavioural factors and socio-demographic variables.

The study reveals that consumers of organic wine differ significantly from those who do not drink organic wines. Socio-demographic factors (e.g. age and social class) and behavioural attributes (e.g. frequency of wine consumption and involvement with and preference for other organic products) demonstrate the differences between the two consumer groups.

To our knowledge, no findings exist to date regarding differences between consumers of organic wine and consumers of non-organic wine. Therefore, these results fill a research gap and provide valuable inputs both to the wine industry as well as to the scientific community dealing with organic food preferences.

The health effects of alcoholic beverages and the differentiation between moderate consumption and alcohol abuse are discussed controversially in medicine, sociology and politics. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse how consumers assess the relation among health, wine consumption and alcohol abuse.

A representative survey in Germany and in Hungary was conducted with 2,000 and 1,500 respondents, respectively. The survey included questions regarding the assessment and definition of alcohol abuse and moderate wine consumption.

The results show that in Hungary, moderate wine consumption is defined similarly as in Germany; on the contrary, in the case of alcohol abuse, there are significant differences. Regardless of cultural background, the respondents agreed that excessive wine consumption harms health and certain consumer groups (pregnant women or people under 16 years old) should avoid drinking wine.

These findings can contribute to a long-term goal-oriented wine in moderation strategy for consumers and support policy advice on moderate and excessive wine consumption.

The results help to understand how consumers perceive moderate and excessive wine consumption in everyday life, and how they judge wine as an alcoholic beverage. To the best of authors’ knowledge, there has not been similar study published on the perceptions of wine consumers in this regard, neither in Germany nor in Hungary.

The significance of fungus-resistant grape varieties (FRGVs) has markedly increased across the entire value chain in recent years, becoming increasingly pertinent for the wine industry. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of consumer behaviour in the wine industry through the identification of different clusters and the analysis of their accessibility to the FRGV on the basis of various criteria.

A quantitative survey was conducted involving 644 participants that was screened based on socio-demographic factors to ensure representation of the German population. The collected data were analysed using factor and cluster analyses, alongside various multivariate tests, to statistically elucidate similarities and differences between clusters.

In total, six clusters were examined, each displaying varying responses to and pre-existing knowledge of resistant grape varieties. In general, as one becomes more involved in the world of wine and develops a sustainable and progressive outlook towards innovations in the wine industry, a positive inclination towards resistant grape varieties can be observed.

Practical implications for each cluster were subsequently derived, potentially facilitating the market entry or penetration of wines produced from FRGV. Experts and Quality-averse consumer desire wines from FRGV to have a unique terroir experience, while young casual drinkers interpret them as part of pop culture. LOHAS can be addressed with sustainability-oriented approaches. Price-sensitive consumer expect good qualities in the entry price segment, and Traditionalists can be reached by preserving traditions in a changing environmental context.

This paper fulfils the identified need to investigate consumer preferences for resistant grape varieties.

The purpose of this paper is to use a new segmentation approach based on objective variables to calculate direct tourism-related sales volume and revenue by selling wine at a winery in the Rheingau region of Germany.

In the framework of a 2015 face-to-face survey in the Rheingau, 1,555 tourists were interviewed. For segmentation, two-step clustering was applied to classify survey participants into homogeneous groups. To calculate tourism-related wine sales volume and revenue, a special model based on official statistics and the survey’s results was used.

Four wine-tourist segments were identified by using cluster analysis with objective variables, such as nationality, visiting frequency and volume of wine purchased in the region: wine and Rheingau lovers who have a high interest in wine, wine-oriented tourists who do not come to the region very often, first-time tourists who came to the region mainly because of the nature and history and international tourists. With the help of calculations on tourism-related wine sales volume and revenue, it can be stated that approximately 18 per cent of total wine production will be purchased directly in the region by tourists, valued at €36m.

This paper contributes to existing wine-tourism research because a multi-dimensional segmentation model was applied using objective variables, such as nationality, visiting frequency and volume of wine purchased in the region. Using the calculation of tourism-related sales volume and revenue, winemakers in the Rheingau can gain a clear picture of tourism’s importance.

The pioneers of online wine tastings have set a new standard and introduced an innovative tool that combines various goals: contacting existing and recruiting new customers, entertaining participants and boosting sales. Within the framework of the study, the authors addressed questions such as the reasons for offering online wine tasting, profitability and the basic characteristics and future perspectives of this new interactive online tool.

A mixed-methods research was conducted using a sequential exploratory design to analyse online wine tastings during Covid-19 pandemic. First, 40 in-depth interviews in Germany were conducted and, based on these results, a global online survey was undertaken with 1,423 wineries from more than 40 countries.

The survey results clearly show the effect of Covid-19 on the growing tendency to employ online wine tastings. This tool is about more than just providing entertainment for wine lovers in that it also has a tangible business aspect.

Based on these results, the authors assume that online wine tastings will continue to be offered after the Covid-19 crisis.

This paper offers a situation analysis of the first 10 months of the Covid-19 pandemic in the field of online wine tastings worldwide. The authors conducted a quantitative online survey that built on a qualitative pre-study. Given the fact that no academic paper has been published on the topic, this paper provides first insights on a global scale.

This paper aims to put Germany on par with other countries in terms of academic research on the topic of wine tourism from a producers’ perspective.

For this study, 199 in-depth interviews and 703 online questionnaires with winery operators in Germany were collected and analyzed according to a mixed-methods framework.

The results indicate that wine tourism is highly relevant not only for wineries but also for the families behind the predominantly small companies. The respondents reported increased demand for wine tourism activities, particularly those that are close to large cities. The findings show that the main challenges in the German wine tourism sector are to achieve a coordinated collaboration among stakeholders and to stop the ongoing concentration process in the restaurant industry.

Appropriate strategic decisions backed by governmental support may help to enhance Germany’s developing wine tourism industry, thereby preserving cultural heritage and strengthening some of the country’s structurally disadvantaged rural areas.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first mixed-methods framework study in the research field of wine tourism that includes producers from all wine regions in one country.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between organizational systems, market orientation, family culture and the long-term business performance of family businesses in the wine sector in three countries.

A survey by questionnaire was undertaken with 123 wineries in Australia, Germany and Italy. Multiple-item measurement scales and multiple regression models were used to investigate mediation effects.

The findings indicate a marked influence of organizational systems and family culture on financial performance. Market orientation fully mediates the effect of family culture and partially mediates the effect of organizational systems on financial performance.

From a managerial perspective, this research indicates the central role of family culture when evaluating a firm’s capabilities and potential in the long term. The findings and their implications are of immediate concern for family firms in the wine sector.

For the first time, the antecedents of market orientation are investigated through simultaneous application of two key frameworks from marketing research and family business research in a single joint analysis.

The purpose of this study is to test the segmentation based on the usage of sales channels and to compare the segments with each other in terms of socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics.

This study was conducted using representative data collected in Germany through a face-to-face interview. 2,000 German consumers answered questions towards the usage of different sales channels when purchasing wine as well as socio-demographic and other behavioural questions. A hierarchical cluster analysis was run, to classify the respondents into segments.

The results illustrate the usefulness of this kind of segmentation and show significant differences between the six consumer groups: discount-customers, food-retail-customers, supermarket-customers, cellar-door-customers, wine-store-customers and multichannel-customers. These segments differ in their socio-demographic as well as in their behavioural structure. Furthermore, the six segments could be split into two groups depending on their average purchase value: a basic group and a premium group.

This segmentation provides an analysing tool for the German retailers, which is able to identify the loyal and potential consumers of the different sales channels.

This segmentation was conducted using the purchase activity of German consumers in different sales channels. This segmentation approach has been never used to identify, describe and classify wine consumers.

This paper aims to conduct two studies to investigate the use of social media tools by wineries in Germany and assess the impact of Facebook membership on customers by comparing them with customers who were not members. Today, a vast number of books and studies are being published about social media in general, but less is known about their usage and effectiveness in the wine industry.

The first study was conducted among 321 German wineries. It focused on the attitudes and preferences of the winemakers regarding social media, and it analysed the daily use of this new communication tool. The second study took place in August 2012, and it set out to define the value that accrued to a winery from having Facebook fans. This analysis was based on an online survey with customers of the winery as well as on a comparative analysis of the buying patterns of customers who were Facebook fans and those who were not. The analysis compared the turnover from the purchases of both groups over a period of three years.

It was determined that 60 per cent of German wineries did communicate with their customers using social media. Facebook was the most important social media channel, followed by Twitter and YouTube. Of the winemakers interviewed, 40 per cent planned, in the near future, to implement additional activities involving social media. The consumer study proved that Facebook fans had a higher turnover compared to the non-Facebook fans of the winery studied. This finding emphasises the loyalty of Facebook fans. In addition, the study revealed that Facebook fans are open to receiving sales offers from the company which they support.

Winery owners should be aware of the effectiveness of this modern communication tool. This is not only because Facebook fans generate a much higher turnover but also because of the possibility that they are interested in additional special offers on Facebook, which could mean an expansion of the available sales channels.

To our knowledge, this kind of overview about the Germany wine sector as well as about the value of a Facebook-fan of a winery has not yet been undertaken.

At present, the whole hospitality and tourism sector is severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and related lockdowns have been producing severe transformations in the industry. Several business reports and academic studies have highlighted that, compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak, tourists will likely choose to visit less crowded tourism destinations, and will tend to prefer accommodation facilities that can deliver their services with reduced face-to-face interactions and guaranteeing fair levels of physical and social distancing. This said, there is only a limited number of scientific studies dealing with this topic so far. This, coupled with the extremely dynamic and turbulent environment we are currently experiencing, urges scholars to further intensify the academic discussion on this area of research. Further examination would give practitioners knowledge to assist them in their decision-making in an era of tourism where everyone seems to be moving towards a ‘new normal’ of unknown duration. The present study was thus conducted to make a contribution to this debate by providing and discussing the results of a factor analysis on a sample of 200 German respondents, to dig into the criteria that travellers use to select the destination and the accommodation for their vacation. Findings contribute to deepen the scientific debate about how tourist behaviour is transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic and, potentially, by any other type of virus that could replicate a similar emphasis on hygiene and safety, as well as on social distancing. Meanwhile, our results will provide policy makers, destination marketers, and accommodation managers with useful information on effectively planning and implementing their service design in order to meet tourists' expectations and needs.