Crafting the image and telling the story: a cross-cultural analysis of winery identity in France and Australia

Abstract

This research explores the construction of winery identity in France and Australia. Focusing on wine producers’ perspectives, it is based on case studies of four wineries in Bordeaux (France) and The Grampians (Australia). The research concerns premium, boutique wine producers in both regions. To situate the study in context, the thesis begins with an historical account of the global wine industry, and of each of the two regions. An ethnographical grounded theory approach was used to collect and analyse data from the four case study wineries. Data was collected in the form of interviews, observations and published material, and was analysed using a coding process to organise the data into thematic categories. A detailed ethnographical account of each winery was drawn, revealing producers’ motivations, aspirations, philosophies and values. Relationships and change emerged from the data as the two most significant concerns for the wineries as a group. In a rapidly changing market, increased competition and changing consumption habits have augmented the importance of relationships in the wine world and forced producers to rethink how they operate. The research revealed that their principal question is how to continue producing authentic, quality wine while adapting to globalisation, fierce competition, new modes of communication and changing consumer desires. Through exploring the significance of relationships and change, the analysis produced a theory of the way wineries define their identity, craft their image and tell their story in response to the changing market and as a means of ensuring future success. Thus, via the case studies, the research explores the development of winery identity in France and Australia in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in a global context. As a cross-cultural study that considers the many factors that constitute and influence how wineries craft their image and tell their story, it aims to elucidate the interaction between production, consumption, commercialisation and culture in a global marketplace.