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What types of wine business practices have the most impact on employee productivity, leading to profitability? This qualitative study attempts to answer this question based on interviews and survey data from 109 winery and vineyard operations across the US. A total of 33 management practices were identified using a qualitative content analysis methodology; including the major categories of management communication, hiring, training, and positive incentive systems. Results suggest areas for future research, as well as simple and cost‐effective management practices which wineries and vineyards can implement now.

One of the main difficulties for wine managers is understanding and interpreting how some strategies and company behaviours could affect firms’ performance. This study aims to contribute to improve these concerns by examining the evolution of the competitive wine industry structure over time using the strategic group membership dynamics approach.

This study empirically analyses a data set spanning the period 2004–2014 to identify the strategic groups in the Spanish wine industry and to model their evolution over time. A time inhomogeneous hidden Markov model (HMM) is used for this purpose.

Three strategic groups are identified: Young Makers, Quality Lovers and Major Players. Young Makers are small wineries that produce low-quality wines. They are not part of a collective brand – Protected Designation of Origin – and do not invest in marketing campaigns. Quality Lovers produce the highest quality wines but offer a narrow assortment. They invest modestly in advertising, and most of them belong to a Protected Designation of Origin. Major Players produce medium-quality wines, offer a wide assortment and invest heavily in advertising. The groups seem stable over time.

The results show that strategic group analysis can be used to identify and compare patterns of strategic activity within the wine industry, providing a better understanding of the competitive environment.

No previous studies have analysed the competitive structure of the Spanish wine industry. This study delineates the structure of this industry using strategic groups, which is supported by a valid econometric model. Therefore, from a theory base perspective, this study adds new evidence to the stream of research on strategic groups by investigating their evolution over time in the wine industry and the effect of strategic group membership on performance.

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.