Integrating tradition and innovation within a wine tourism and hospitality experience

Abstract

This study explores the strategic choices among wineries involved in wine tourism experiences, including whether they rely on tradition, fully embrace innovation, or combine both. The study, conducted between December of 2018 and January of 2019, draws on face-to-face interviews with 32 owners/managers of New World wineries that, on average, have operated for nearly three decades. The findings illustrate the predominance of the ‘traditional-innovative school’, where production and winemaking processes amalgamate existing and emerging principles, methods, and technologies. The chosen inductive approach resulted in the development of several theoretical frameworks; based upon these, empirical and theoretical implications are drawn.