O mondovino de cabeça para baixo: As transformações no mercado internacional do vinho e o novo empresariado vinícola

Abstract

The backdrop of this paper is the radical transformation of the entrepreneurial world in winegrowing that has been brought about by the entrance of new producers and the emergence of a new and now global culture of wine consumption. I analyze this transformation in the light of contributions made by a new Economic Sociology, as well as by social science perspectives on science and technology. The "popularization" of consumption is a reflection of the growth in the offer of quality wines as well as the price drop that has been made possible through the dissemination of technology and knowledge. This process has led to a loss of the "secrecy" that once surrounded the production of quality wines: what was once the privilege of a few producers and regions, kept under lock and key by family producers, has now become an object that can be apprehended and obtained through investments in technology and training. As a result, new producers of high quality wine have emerged in countries like Chile, Australia, South Africa and Brazil, among others. This transformation may be seen from two particular angles: one which focuses on the product's lost "aura" and with it, producers' and consumers' loss of privilege, and another which is linked to the social production of a new market including new producers and widening consumer access to quality wines.. This expansion of supply and consumption of quality wines has, nonetheless, been accompanied by the transformation of traditional winegrowers into cult objects that have become synonymous with exclusivity and distinction. The latter have thus become more restrictive and their wines, overvalued.