Strategies for Developing Reputations in the Wine Industry
DEVELOPING REPUTATION: INDIVIDUAL OR COLLECTIVE STRATEGIES
Do wineries in the US state of Virginia benefit more from collective or individual strategies in developing their reputations?
Sandra E. Taylor
Wine MBA 2011-2012
Bordeaux School of Management (BEM)
March 2012
Introduction:
Virginians have made wine for more than four centuries. The settlers who came from England had such hopes that Virginia would become a major source of wine for the British Empire that in 1619 they signed into law a requirement for each male settler to plant and tend at least ten grape vines. Little came of it. Every effort to grow vinifera, or vines of European origin, met with failure from an unknown pest, Phylloxera as well as diseases in a new environment.
The discovery in the late 1800s that native American and European vines could be grafted gave Virginia’s nascent wine industry a lift – but in the early 20th century, Prohibition promptly brought it to a standstill.
In the late-1950s, experimental plantings of vinifera showed promise. With the establishment of six new wineries in the 1970s, the recovery was officially underway. By 1995, Virginia had 46 wineries; by 2005, 107 and today a total of 200. Several wines have been recognized with national and international awards, especially Viognier.
There are five primary wine regions in Virginia, each marked by distinct characteristics in terrain, climate, and varietals. Yet the array of wines produced in the region’s red-clay soil is staggering. It’s not unusual for a winery in Virginia to have 30 or more different releases a year. The economics of producing a little bit of everything may encourage such overachievement—there’s something for everyone—but the lack of focus means that even after all these years, Virginia hasn’t discovered which wines it does best. The result is that only a small percentage of wines have established good individual reputations.
This reputation for poor quality is quite prevalent in
Do wineries in the US state of Virginia benefit more from collective or individual strategies in developing their reputations?
Sandra E. Taylor
Wine MBA 2011-2012
Bordeaux School of Management (BEM)
March 2012
Introduction:
Virginians have made wine for more than four centuries. The settlers who came from England had such hopes that Virginia would become a major source of wine for the British Empire that in 1619 they signed into law a requirement for each male settler to plant and tend at least ten grape vines. Little came of it. Every effort to grow vinifera, or vines of European origin, met with failure from an unknown pest, Phylloxera as well as diseases in a new environment.
The discovery in the late 1800s that native American and European vines could be grafted gave Virginia’s nascent wine industry a lift – but in the early 20th century, Prohibition promptly brought it to a standstill.
In the late-1950s, experimental plantings of vinifera showed promise. With the establishment of six new wineries in the 1970s, the recovery was officially underway. By 1995, Virginia had 46 wineries; by 2005, 107 and today a total of 200. Several wines have been recognized with national and international awards, especially Viognier.
There are five primary wine regions in Virginia, each marked by distinct characteristics in terrain, climate, and varietals. Yet the array of wines produced in the region’s red-clay soil is staggering. It’s not unusual for a winery in Virginia to have 30 or more different releases a year. The economics of producing a little bit of everything may encourage such overachievement—there’s something for everyone—but the lack of focus means that even after all these years, Virginia hasn’t discovered which wines it does best. The result is that only a small percentage of wines have established good individual reputations.
This reputation for poor quality is quite prevalent in
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