The Main World Exporters and their Development Strategies in the American and Soviet Markets. Comparison and Evolutionary Trends.

Abstract: The global wine market has undergone significant changes in the last three decades, because of increased international trade that has, in fact, changed production in terms of quantity, quality expectations from consumers and market structure. In fact, the gap has widened between traditional producers in the EU (Italy and France in the lead) adopting a managerial policy based on the principle “selling out to produce” and new export-oriented competitors such as the USA, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa, representing “The New World of wine”, whose strategy draws on the “producing to sell” principle. The present paper aims, first, at highlighting an overview of such factors as the evolution of production, both quantitatively and qualitatively as well as the organization and trade worldwide involving the leading producers (with particular reference to the Italian market) and, subsequently, at assessing the impact of the current world economic crisis on the sector, influencing, as a fact, the entrepreneurs’ production and marketing strategies in the present competitive scene. Afterwards, attention will be focused mainly on the evolution of consumers’ attitudes as to alcoholic drinks consumption in two particularly dynamic markets as those involving two world superpowers, namely the USA and Russia. Lastly, starting from the results of the above analysis and after selecting the different typologies of consumers characterising the two markets, the most suitable competitive strategies to be adopted will be examined, concerning organization as well as production and distribution, that have been carried out by the world major exporters (Italy in the lead) to make their way in these markets representing, especially in view of the growing trend expected for the near future, a remarkable source of profit for those companies that will be able to survive the current international crisis.