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The purpose of this paper is to identify the wine consumption preferences and behavior of Gen Z wine consumers in the USA and to determine if and how Gen Z differ from other major generational cohorts in the USA. This study applies the concepts of generational cohort theory to the US wine market to examine similarities and differences between age cohorts and their potential impact on future wine sales.

A quantitative survey was conducted with a quota sample of 1,136 US wine consumers located in all 50 states. Data analysis included one-way ANOVA analysis to test the null hypothesis that the generational cohort means are equal. If the test detected at least one mean difference across cohorts, then pairwise comparisons were performed to identify, which groups differed. The Tukey–Kramer method was used for all post hoc tests. Basic descriptive statistics were also calculated.

The results show some parallels in terms of similar consumption levels and a higher preference for red wine across all cohorts. However, on the majority of other common wine consumer research topics, Gen Z shows significant differences. Of specific interest, Gen Z consumers report higher levels of preference for sparkling wine than other cohorts; prefers to drink in social situations; are much more interested in labels and package; make decisions based on varietal and alcohol level and are much more engaged on Instagram and Snapchat social media platforms – all pointed to new marketing tactics needed to reach this new consumer segment.

This is the first empirical wine research study to explore the wine preferences and behaviors of Gen Z in the US market. This is valuable because Gen Z is a very large population of consumers, comprising 32% of the world population (Miller and Wei, 2018) and already represent more than $143bn in buying power (Dill, 2015). They are expected to have a huge impact on consumer products, not only in the USA but also on a global basis. Given that the USA is currently the largest wine market in the world in both volume and value (Wine Institute, 2019; VinExpo, 2018), it is important that research is conducted on this new and powerful generation.

The two major entrepreneurial motivations of being “pushed” or “pulled” to start a business have been frequently explored in the entrepreneurship literature. In the global wine industry, thousands of small entrepreneurial wine businesses are flourishing, but few have been started by Black entrepreneurs. What is missing from the research is an exploration of the motivations of these entrepreneurs and what the industry can do to encourage the entrance of more minority entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to apply push–pull theory to better understand the motivations and challenges of what prompts Black entrepreneurs to start and succeed in the wine industry.

This exploratory study uses a qualitative methodology of 42 in-depth interviews with US Black winemakers, retailers, and other wine business owners conducted over Zoom. The data were analyzed using Otter software and a thematic coding process for 2,120 pages of rich text.

Findings included 12 motivation themes and 12 challenges for Black wine entrepreneurs, with more emphasis on “push” versus “pull” motivation factors. Many of these entrepreneurs were “pushed” to participate in the industry to create a more inclusive space for Black wine consumers and to create opportunities for other Black professionals and minorities in the industry. Managerial implications include solutions for more inclusive marketing and workplace culture.

This study contributes to push–pull theory by offering a unique perspective on the motivations of Black wine entrepreneurs, as well as being the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to focus on this issue.

The purpose of this research study is to identify differentiation factors Burgundian wineries use to distinguish their brand, and to determine whether these methods align or conflict with luxury marketing differentiation attributes.

A qualitative methodology of 23 in-depth interviews with various sized wineries, as well as Burgundy market experts, was used. In addition, document analysis of websites and marketing materials was carried out along with a comprehensive review of the luxury marketing literature.

Results show that Burgundian wineries have adopted some, but not all, of the luxury marketing differentiation attributes. Furthermore, there are a series of core tensions in the industry, including disagreement on using luxury marketing strategies. These findings contribute to the theory base in luxury wine marketing by illustrating how general luxury marketing attributes are used for wine brand differentiation.

This research is the first of its kind to investigate luxury marketing differentiation practices of Burgundy wineries. The results are relevant for new wineries in Burgundy, as well as those in different regions of the world who desire to emulate, and perhaps come close to achieving, some of the luxury price points that certain Burgundy wine producers achieve. The information is also useful to assist related industries, such as food and spirits, which struggle in implementing luxury marketing strategies.

The questions of when and what types of human resource (HR) support are needed tend to be unanswerable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This article addresses this gap in the strategic HR literature. Hiring, training, employee retention/satisfaction, wages and benefits programs, and worker's compensation insurance are important to SMEs seeking to build strong capabilities and resources and to increase their competitive advantage.This article presents an analysis of the existing HR literature for SMEs. It introduces a decision model to help SMEs choose a cost-effective HR strategy, listing a range of options from hiring the HR function to electronic HR (eHR) and outsourcing

The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the engagement of Generation Y consumers with champagne and sparkling wine across five Anglophone countries.

A qualitative approach was adopted using focus groups with young consumers, including images and wine tasting as projective stimuli.

There were significant trans‐cultural similarities between consumption behaviour (sparkling wine is a women's drink, and a separate category from still wine, and that they will “grow into” drinking it) but also noticeable differences (responses to images and colours varied substantially, as did attitudes to price and the particular status of champagne).

Research into the behaviour of Generation Y as a cohort needs to take account of cultural as much as generational context. However, as a qualitative study the findings need further quantitative validation.

Marketers cannot view Generation Y as a single group; even within countries marketing strategies may need to be refined depending on where a product is being sold.

No trans‐cultural study on Generation Y has been carried out to date, nor has their engagement with sparkling wine been specifically explored.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on one product category, organic wine, to provide a possible explanation for consumers' purchase behaviors regarding organic wine. Specifically, the authors consider the role of environmental protection and hedonistic values and their impact on organic wine purchases.

Hypotheses are proposed to examine relationships between environmental and hedonic values in organic wine purchasing. Online survey data were collected from 321 wine drinkers in the USA. Partial least‐squared analysis was used to test hypothesized paths between latent variables.

In total, ten of the 13 proposed linkages were supported by the data. Values reflecting the need for environmental protection and for living a hedonistic life were found to lead to belief systems that influence the purchase of organic wines.

The results demonstrate that hedonistic and environmental protection values and beliefs can partially explain the propensity to purchase organic wines. The study is limited in that only two values were investigated.

The results indicate several marketing implications for professionals around communication, promotion, and point‐of‐sale information for organic wine.

This is the first study to integrate environmental and hedonistic values to explain the purchase of organic wines.

The purpose of this paper is to present a model for promoting professional sales in winery visitor centers, as well as the results of an exploratory study to test the model.

A survey methodology was used to evaluate the sales behavior of winery personnel in three popular wine tourist regions of California, USA. In total, 284 mystery shopper evaluations were completed and analyzed. In addition, a professional sales model for winery visitor centers was developed based on secondary sources drawn from the literature.

Results indicate that some of the winery visitor centers have adopted professional sales techniques and trained their staff to perform these tasks, but there is still ample opportunity to improve. Sales presentations could become more interactive in many cases, and relationship and trust building actions could be emphasized more.

The study was limited to three wine regions in California, and only provides descriptive statistics of service and sales in the tasting room. Further testing of the model in new locations with expanded statistics would be useful.

The study highlight effective professional selling tactics used in winery visitor centers which could be adopted by managers. It also identifies areas for improvement.

This paper introduces a new model on professional sales in winery visitor centers. This is the first of its type to be applied to the wine industry for direct to consumer sales.

Recent marketing debates in the wine industry highlight two distinct viewpoints on how new wine consumers are created — through lifestyle choices or via lifecycle maturity. Qualitative research with a quota sample of American wine drinkers suggests that lifestyle choice is the more reliable source for new wine consumers. Based on the research results, several wine lifestyle options are identified and described. In addition, suggestions for further quantitative research models are recommended, as well as marketing strategics to capitalise on the wine lifestyle selections.

The purpose of the study is to examine the attitudes of millennial wine consumers and determine if positive affect in tasting room situations leads to higher levels of brand equity for the winery.

A survey was developed to evaluate winery tasting room experiences based on standardized brand measurement scales. In total 80 millennials visited tasting rooms and then completed the survey to evaluate their experience.

The results of this research empirically support the anecdotal evidence that, through positive emotions associated with the tasting room experiences, wineries can cultivate relationships with millennial customers that may lead to long‐term, profitable relationships through continued patronage and brand loyalty.

Practical application of this study suggests that carefully orchestrating a tasting room experience to create a positive experience for the millennial customer appears to be a critical component of post‐purchase attitudes and building brand equity. In addition, customer commitment, product quality, service quality, and fair pricing are also significant predictors of brand equity.

As the number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) continues to increase on a global basis, more leaders are called upon to develop their M&A transition skills. But what is the role of a leader when it has just been announced that their organization has been acquired or merged? How do leaders keep themselves and others motivated and focused on work goals, customer satisfaction, and revenue growth? This article introduces an M&A leadership model, describing six skill categories leaders should develop to support themselves, their employees, and their organizations through successful M&A transition.