INNOVATION AND TRADITION IN THE WINE BUSINESS: AN ENQUIRY INTO FAMILY BUSINESSES’ APPROACH TO THE DILEMMA

In the last twenty years the winemaking sector has witnessed considerable change due to an increase in competition and in the competence of wine consumers, who now look for quality rather than quantity. Some firms decide not to focus on the product or the brand, but rather on the moment of consumption and the philosophy underlying such moment. Such an approach might be considered as an example of the combination of tradition and innovation: the history and the uniqueness of the territory are not affected by dramatic changes; in fact, they benefit from innovation in the meaning of the product. Most firms try to pursue strategies seeking to take advantage of both tradition and innovation. Even though the opposition between innovation and tradition has not been solved yet, meaning-driven innovation definitely opens a window on a series of issues that deserve to be taken into consideration for further research.