Natural wine has gained visibility in recent years, yet the role of established origin certifications in price formation remains poorly understood. This study examines how geographical indications (GIs) interact with disclosed low-intervention production practices in their association with retail prices. Using price and product information for 848 EU wines from an Italian online retailer, the analysis applies hedonic models and quantile regressions incorporating GI status and a Naturalness Intensity Index (NII) based on reported vineyard and cellar practices. The interaction estimates indicate that GI wines are associated with lower conditional prices than wines without GIs when the index is low. These price associations become more positive as the index increases, although positive GI premiums are not statistically established. These results suggest that origin certification and reported production practices should be considered jointly in explaining price formation among wines marketed as natural. The study contributes to the economic analysis of natural wine markets, with implications for pricing and product positioning.
This study examines the manifestation of regional reputation in online wine markets and its association with value capture across Geographical Indications (GIs). Using consumer data from Vivino for Italy and Spain, we propose a three-dimensional framework for GI reputation comprising recognition (share of ratings), evaluative reputation (average ratings), and market valuation (average prices). The analysis of 54 Italian and 27 Spanish GIs, as well as segmentation of 2,358 Italian and 1,335 Spanish producers, shows that these three reputation dimensions are analytically distinct. High recognition does not necessarily correspond to higher ratings, and the relationship between market valuation and ratings may be nonlinear. Italian wines generally achieve higher prices than Spanish wines despite comparable ratings. Producer clustering further highlights heterogeneity within GIs. These findings provide a consumer-based perspective on GI reputation and value in platform-mediated wine markets.
While existing research identifies managerial support as a critical antecedent of digital transformation, the origins of this supportive intent remain under-explored. Integrating Upper Echelons Theory and Absorptive Capacity Theory, this paper uses technology-agnostic organizational learning—general learning routines not specific to digital technologies—as an entry point to uncover the sources of managerial support for digitalization, and examines the mediating role of this support between such learning and digital transformation. This study empirically tests the proposed theoretical model by applying Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to survey data from 321 wineries in the Spanish wine industry. The results indicate that both external communication and internal training are significantly and positively associated with managerial support, uncovering the organizational learning sources of such support. Managerial support partially mediates the relationships between organizational learning behavior and digital adoption, confirming its theoretical positioning as both an outcome and an explanatory variable. External communication and internal training thus play complementary roles in the digitalization process, corresponding respectively to knowledge acquisition and knowledge assimilation. This paper extends beyond the common treatment of managerial support as a purely independent variable, revealing its mediating role as both an outcome and an explanatory variable. It provides a theoretical explanation from the perspective of organizational learning behavior for the persistent lag in transformation intent among traditional SMEs. In practice, the findings emphasize that wineries must not only identify opportunities through external scanning but also transform fragmented knowledge into organizational capability through institutionalized internal training, with managerial support serving as the strategic hub linking learning to digital change.
Italian wine consumers encounter multiple certification labels, yet their self-reported understanding and perceived importance of these labels vary across certification categories and consumer groups. This study examined self-reported knowledge and perceived importanceof three certification categories among Italian wine consumers: Protected Designation of Origin/Protected Geographical Indication (PDO/PGI, assessed jointly), organic certification, and sustainability certification (represented by the VIVA, Equalitas and SOStain schemes, assessed jointly). Data were collected through online surveys conducted in the first quarter of 2023, 2024, and 2025 (N = 3,550). Regional differences were examined using Kruskal–Wallis tests with post hoc comparisons, while cumulative-link proportional-odds logistic regression models were used to assess associations with age, gender, income, macro-region, survey wave, and, for importance outcomes, self-reported knowledge. The PDO/PGI category showed the highest self-reported knowledge and the sustainability category the lowest, although comparisons between categories are limited by the different numbers of logos presented for each. Self-reported knowledge was positively associated with perceived importance for all three certification categories and significantly improved model fit. Moving from Level 1 to Level 3 of self-reported knowledge was associated with an increase of 8.4 to 12.8 percentage points in the predicted probability of rating certification importance as high (≥ 4). Sociodemographic and regional associations varied by certification category: macro-region was associated with Organic and Sustainability importance but not PDO/PGI importance. The findings indicate that self-reported certification knowledge and valuation are related but category-specific, highlighting the importance of clear communication about the meaning and requirements of different certification schemes.
This study analyzes blockchain-based traceability in Italian wineries and its effects on information governance, coordination, commercialization, and competitive dynamics in regulated wine value chains. Rather than treating blockchain as a disruptive substitute for trust mechanisms, the study shows that its effects are complementary and conditional. Based on a multiple-case study of six wineries and a blockchain platform provider, three adoption patterns emerged: operational integration, externally mediated communicational use, and implementation discontinued due to informational and organizational limitations. Blockchain complemented rather than replaced certifications and formal controls, operating effectively when reliable records and internal coordination were in place. Commercial effects were heterogeneous, including buyer-specific demand and respondent-reported economic outcomes, while sustained business relevance depended on market demand, product value, scale, and implementation costs. The study reframes blockchain as an organizationally conditioned governance mechanism and proposes a framework based on readiness, data governance, application design, operational integration, and strategic use.
