Human beings have been dealing with wine for thousands of years, from the Mesopotamians to the ancient Egyptians, from the Greeks to the ancient Romans, the latter which under their vast empire spread viticulture through the Mediterranean region. Through centuries countries, such as France and Italy, obtained a consolidated position in the wine industry, both in demand and production.
In the last part of the 20th century newcomers (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, USA, etc.) have successfully challenged the leadership of the so-called Old World that represented the majority of global market share.
Wine Industry Analysis using the Porter’s Five forces Model
A brief Porter’s five forces analysis can help understand how the evolving of competitive environment is actually composed and why this market shake occurred.
Figure 1.1: Porter’s Five Forces Model
For what concerns the threat of new entrants; the Old World companies completely underestimated this threat. When the newcomers entered the market they could bargain market share of the pre-existing ones without facing real opposition, exploiting better marketing strategies and more efficient organizational approaches.
Regarding to the threat of substitute products; this seems to be a challenge for the future, with the introduction of branding as a marketing approach; the threats from the beer industry and “soft drinks” producers must be taken into account.
Referring to the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, the entrants are in a much better position because of bigger production plants which allow them to gain a stronger contractual power towards distributors; moreover their value chains are more concentrated removing the troubles of the too much fragmentation and variety of actors between the producer and the consumer, which on the contrary, Old World’s competitors are facing.
References: Adams Beverage Group, (2003) Adams Wine Handbook, Connecticut: Bev-Al Communications Inc. Business Report, (2004) “French Wine Producers Beaten at Point of Sale in US,” 21 June Internet: available from http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=565&fArticleId=2120848, accessed 30 June 2004.. Cholette, Susan, (2004) “A Tale of Two Wine Regions: Similarities, Differences and Trends in the French and Californian Wine Industries,” International Journal of Wine Marketing, 14 (2). Echikson, W., F. Balfour, K. Capell, L. Himelstein & G. Khremoch, (2001) “Wine War: Savvy New World Marketers are Devastating the French Wine Industry,” Business Week, 3747, 3 Economist, (1999) “A Rum Business,” 16 December 1999, available from http://www.economist.com/surveys/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=327361, accessed 30 June Food & Drink, (2003) “Spanish Wines Increase Exports Again,” 24 December 2003. Internet, available from http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-NG.asp?id=48644, accessed 10 Fuller, Janet, (2004) “Americans Snap Up Affordable Wine Imports,” Chicago Sun, 20 June 2004.. German Wine Society, (2003) “Consumption of German Wine Around the World,” Internet: available from http://www.germanwinesociety-hongkong.org/PDF/consum.pdf, accessed 12 Gettler, Leon, (2003) “Giants Tipped to Dominate Industry,” 23 May 2003. Internet: available from http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/22/1053585644354.html, accessed 30 June Heijbroek, Arend, (2003) “Major Drivers Reshaping the Wine Industry: A Global Perspective,” 2003 Wine Industry Symposium, September 25-26, Napa, California. Himelstein, L. (2002) “This Merlot’s for You: As Sales Languish, U.S. Winemakers Go Mass Market, Like Beer,” Business Week, 3801, 30 September 2002. Hulot, Mathilde, (2003) “French Producers Still Investing in World Wine,” Wine Business Monthly, 9 June, 42-45. Jimena, Jaquelina, (2003) “Argentina Launches ‘Strategy 2020’,” Decanter.com, 23 December. Lechmere, Adam, (2004) “Bordeaux Slashes Wine Sales as Crisis Deepens,” Decanter.com, 29 June 2004 Lukacs, Paul, (2000) American Vintage: The Rise of the American Wine, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Molesworth, James and Davis Sax, (2003) “Argentina’s Red Wines Are Emerging from Obscurity” Wine Spectator, 106, December 2003. Moulton, K., A. L. Spawton, and M. Bourqui. 2001. “Introduction: Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategies,” In K Murphy, D., (2003) “California Grape Industry Is Crushed,” International Herald Tribune, 26 May 2003. Porter,M.E (1985), Competitive Advantage.Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, New York, The Free Press Porter,M.E. Silverman, M., R.Castaldi, S.Baack & G. Sorlien, (2002) “Competition in the Global Wine Industry: A U.S