Internationalization of Family Business in High-Range Italian Wine. The Perspective of Some Italian Key Players.

In the last fifteen years the process of internationalization of the wine business has been considerably accelerated. The structure of production and distribution on one side, the consumer practices and experiences on the other appear radically changed. Italy and France share the leadership of the world wine exports in 2014, with a significant difference: Italy leads in export volumes (20.5 against 14.7 MHL of France); France in revenues (7.94 billion/€ against 5.11 billion/€ of Italy). The internationalization strategies of Italian wine are still influenced by a positioning problem, expressed by the average export price: € 2.49 / litre of Italian wine against € 5,4 / litre of French wine, compared to a world average export price of € 2.6 / litre. This paper, after a brief analysis of the global competitive scenario and the new geographical, cultural and experiential map of consumption, shows the first results of an exploratory research about the internationalization paths of a particular strategic group: the family businesses of high-range Italian wine. The selected sample involves eight family companieslocated in different Italian regions, holding historical brands and operating at least ten years in international markets with a competitive formula that creates value for Italian wine around the world. The survey, through semi-structured interviews with owners or top management, focuses on the corporate vision and the concrete actions of internationalization.