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This paper aims to examine the role of tourist-generated and other network relationships in small Italian wineries’ internationalization.

It is based on 14 cases of which four are discussed in detail. All 14 cases are summarized in two tables and analyzed in the Discussion section.

Most firms did not pre-plan their foreign activities. International wine tourism was a major source for creating the contacts necessary for their internationalization: they created relationships/networks in tourists’ home markets and, as a result, expanded there either through selling directly to tourists or to the importers they recommended. In addition, they relied on contacts created at trade fairs or by friends/relatives. Some internationalization attempts failed, as the firms were passive and lacked long-term strategic plans. Thus, these producers have not fully realized the potential of wine tourists’ contacts and other network relationships in their internationalization.

It shows how wineries benefited from tourists’ networks and other co-operative relationships and how, as a result, they started exporting, but also which problems they faced. These topics have not received considerable research attention yet.

This paper aims to determine which factors are the most important for French wine small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to focus on to improve their export performance. French wine companies, mostly SMEs are acting in a market where being internationally competitive is essential. This is becoming increasingly challenging because of the strong growth of New World wines in international markets. Moreover, they have to face the saturation of their domestic market compounded by a decline in per capita consumption domestically. Having a high export performance could help them be more competitive.

The first step to reach this goal is reviewing the existing literature on export performance determinants in SMEs and more particularly in the wine industry. A theoretical model is built and used to structure an empirical analysis of the determinants of the export performance of French wine SMEs.

Export performance determinants can be theoretically divided into internal, external and strategy‐related determinants. Empirical analysis indicates that in the French wine industry, business partnerships, innovation, a greater size and an effective export commitment are linked to higher levels of export performance.

This research reveals that financial determinants of export performance are missing in the literature. Besides, duplicating the study with another export performance determinant is necessary to confirm the validity of the results.

This article brings an overall theoretical approach to export performance determinants in SMEs. Moreover, it provides a basis for understanding and then improving the viability of French wine companies through export development.

The purpose of this paper is to show that globalisation (or de-regionalisation) in the wine business is entering a new phase in which grape production, wine production and wine exports are increasingly decoupled. In order to illustrate the case, the authors present Lithuania, compared to Romania, as a case study.

The authors tested the hypothesis that grape production and wine trade are increasingly decoupling. Based on the notion that transformation countries act as an avant-garde where new developments show first, the authors use Central and Eastern Europe as a case in point. The authors apply a mixed and a fixed effects model, where self-sufficiency in grapes explains wine exports to a reducing degree.

In the descriptive part the authors demonstrate how Lithuania, since EU accession, has become a major hub for wine trade, importing from the main export countries, and exporting mostly to Russia. In the multivariate section, it can then be shown that this decoupling between grape production and wine exports is a significant development in international terms.

The division of labour in wine trade has entered a new phase where wine production and wine marketing are decoupled. If extrapolated into the future, this may indicate that in the future world market, grape production and wine production may also decouple.

The paper has traced a new and un-described phenomenon on the global wine market. It shows that the division of labour is still advancing.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of internationalisation among late starters in the wine sector. Strategic implications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a young wine producing region are derived based on the findings.

Data were collected through a quantitative survey among 38 wineries that are engaged in export activity in the Romagna wine producing area (Italy). Both multivariate analysis of cardinal company data through multiple and fractional regression models as well as nonparametric analysis of Likert-type survey elements were carried out.

The study identifies several determinants that affect the export intensity of businesses in the sample: Resources within the business turn out to be important, as well as the choice of distribution partners. Characteristics of exported goods were found to differ on comparing intra- and extra-EU exports.

Competitiveness in the international marketplace is closely linked to the product quality, distribution network and productivity of a firm. Regional networks can help businesses to develop these factors, overcome export barriers and strengthen the competitiveness of a region as a whole.

This study investigated the determinants of internationalisation in a wine producing region which is considered a late starter of internationalisation in the wine industry and it is the first one spotlighting on a regional firm-level in the Italian wine industry.

The purpose of this article is to study the export strategies used by the Argentina wine industry. The implementation of export strategies is related to the comparative advantages that Argentina has in wine‐making and wine‐exporting. Using the concept of competitive advantage, the authors found that Argentina has benefited from a low cost of production and several other strengths to develop a strong wine industry. To develop further they must minimise their weaknesses and capitalise on current opportunities.

With the “internationalisation” of tastes amongst wine consumers, the need to export wine has become ever more acute for wine producers worldwide. As an example of how wine producers have attempted to gain access to overseas markets, this case study examines the export drive of a major Australian winery.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the macroeconomic determinants of Port wine exports, taking into account the diversity and various quality levels associated with this product.

Port wine is a fortified wine only produced in Portugal. In the period 2006-2014, an extended gravity model is applied to data on the exports of the top 20 importing countries, accounting for 94 per cent of total exports. The authors base their empirical strategy on the Hausman–Taylor estimator (1971), overcoming endogeneity and accounting for time invariant variables. They estimate the impact of several factors on the total trade of Port wine, namely: gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, tariffs, exchange rates, distance from original supplier, mutual language familiarity, landlockedness, wine consumption per capita and presence of Portuguese emigrants, all measured in volume and value terms, and for each of the four categories (Standard, High Standard, Vintage and Aged).

The findings show that the quantity and value of total Port wine exports are positively determined by overall GDP per capita, the presence of a Portuguese emigrant community (which implies that to some degree a common language and culture are shared), while exports are negatively influenced by landlockedness. In contrast to the traditional gravity model, distance from the source of supply does not appear to be a significant determinant, a fact explained by the specific and singular nature of Port wine and by the long tradition of this product in international markets. In addition, the results revealed specific determinants for specific product categories – such as GDP for aged Port and wine consumption per capita for high standard, vintage and aged Port, suggesting that Portugal needs to increase its exports of high-quality Port wine to markets that exhibit a tendency towards increased wine consumption per capita and are coming to be considered large and fast-growing economies.

This paper extends the literature, by respecifying the typical gravity model for aggregate goods to permit the analysis of wine exports. There has been relatively little application of this model to assess the determinants of the wine trade, and when it has been used, generally it has been in studies focusing on aggregate wine trade between countries. This paper seeks to fill this gap by focusing on the determinants of exports of a specific wine – Port wine, which is an internationally recognised product, with a clear internal product differentiation according to distinct quality levels – and in this regard provides new insights into the international patterns of trade in wine.

Wine exports from Australia are expected to double within the next five years and much of this growth has been forecasted to occur in the traditionally non‐wine drinking countries of the Pacific Rim. This paper, based on lengthy interviews with importers, agents, and buyers for various retail institutions in Thailand, uses a case study approach to argue that export strategies based on successful entry into the UK and US markets will be less efficient in the Pacific Rim. A detailed analysis of the market structure, including the types of wines and strategies of institutions from the top to the bottom end of the price spectrum is presented. The success of Australian producers entering the Thai market will be achieved only by changing the strategy they have used in the UK and US. A stronger focus on Australia must be made along with the use of fewer, but bigger agents and distributors. Marketing strategies for each type of retail institution are provided as well.

The fundamental political and economic reforms taking place in Eastern and Central Europe pose some difficult questions for the future of the agri‐food industries in Hungary and Bulgaria. A major sector facing the problems of transition to a market economy is wine, traditionally an important source of export earnings. The loss of the volume markets in the former COMECON countries has forced the wine sectors to look to West European markets and the UK in particular, where wine consumption is rising. Hungary is currently a minor source of wine in the UK and has a generally poor reputation in servicing the requirements of the market. Bulgaria now accounts for over 3 per cent of the UK′s total wine imports and is perceived widely to be an example of highly successful marketing. This is due largely to tight control over export activities by a former state‐controlled export body. Since the fall of Communism, this control has been weakened as individual wineries export on their own account – undermining the consistency of marketing effort. Overall both Hungary and Bulgaria have the potential to meet the wine import requirements of the UK wine buyers, although both have to overcome common and divergent problems of transition and are developing from different historical bases.

The purpose of this paper is to determine and analyse that factors that could potentially influence price premiums of Australian wine in the UK market. The authors integrated the economic-based hedonic pricing theory and marketing export pricing literature. The authors demonstrate a potential solution to limitations in knowledge of market-level data and industry wide competition, currently lacking in export pricing studies.

Using data extracted from wine-searcher.com and using multiple regression as the main analytical technique, the authors examined the relationships between actual retail prices UK consumers pay for Australian wine and product attributes. The authors compared the moderating influence of distribution channel (retail choice) on these relationships.

The results provide insights in export pricing literature, and the authors support better theoretical explanations for hedonic pricing studies in export marketing. The authors found two types of wine attributes – “brand” and “region of origin” – that attract price premiums. While relationships between variety and retail price, as well as age and retail price are less clear, the authors provide some support.

One limitation of this hedonic pricing study is the inability to explain why certain relationships between product attributes and price premiums exist. Studies such as these could be improved by utilising both consumer- and firm-level data.

Whilst final prices paid by consumers are beyond the control of producers, understanding the relationships between retail prices, retail choices and product attributes are of strategic importance. Understanding the role consumer preferences play in determining prices they ultimately pay is of great value when determining export/retail pricing strategies.

Consumers and firm managers are jointly able to provide comprehensive explanations on why certain attributes attract price premiums. The integration of economic and consumer-based theories provides a holistic understanding of the influence of retail choices and product attributes on retail prices.

The authors drew on the hedonic pricing theory linking product attributes with retail prices, which is vital for understanding market share and brand image. The authors identified which product attributes and which distribution channels (retail choices) are valuable to consumers. Deeper understanding of these issues is important for producers.