Actors, strategies and constraints in the valorisation of territory: Insights from an exploratory case of the protection consortia in Italian wine sector

Purpose This paper explores the vine and wine protection consortia phenomenon to better understand the role of consortia in territorial valorisation. Three aspects are considered: the pertinent regulatory framework, the role of the actors in the consortia and the value creation dynamics. Design/methodology/approach This study was a qualitative study based on document analysis and case study methodology. Findings The dense regulation of the protection consortia should give rise to a vine and wine system that manifests harmonious growth both of the individual companies at the various levels of the supply chain and of the territory as a whole; however, these intermediary organisations encounter various critical issues in fulfilling their mission of protecting and valorising the DOs and the territories to which these DOs refer. Research limitations/implications The contextual nature of our analysis could be considered a limitation, but the validity and reliability of our research are preserved. Vine and wine protection consortia assume greater or lesser importance in the valorisation of a territory depending on the context, the regulatory framework, the actors involved and the strategies implemented. Practical implications The reflections in this paper are aimed at disseminating our review of the development of a territory closer to ‘how it is’ than to ‘how it should be’, relativising normative and prescriptive approaches in favour of an approach aimed at understanding phenomena. Originality/value The situationist perspective, point of originality of this work, is far from predictive models used in territorial governance.