A Strategic Roadmap for the Wine Sector in the Setúbal Peninsula

Abstract

The wine sector contributes significantly to economic, environmental and social development. In Portugal, the Setúbal Peninsula is one of the fourteen wine regions. Operated by numerous local businesses in a rural area, the wine industry generates enhanced value and provides jobs in the region. The main purpose of this research is to study the wine sector in the Setúbal Peninsula, Portugal, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and propose a roadmap, which includes strategic mitigation options regarding the impacts of the crisis. This study is based on qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews and focus group interviews. The results show that the wine sector presents a tendency toward concentration with the emergence of producers with scale and notoriety at a national level who, due to the greater dynamism of their activity, have sought international markets of great dimension and with a purchasing power, which values quality products. Finally, a business model is proposed, where companies are advised to offer competitive value propositions, which capitalize on the uniqueness of national grape varieties and traditional production processes in order to offer high-quality products at competitive prices on the global market.