This book examines how wine tourism is designed, interpreted and strategically justified by wineries through a comparative analysis of two emblematic wine regions: Rioja (Spain) and Mendoza (Argentina). Commonly associated with the Old World and New World traditions, respectively, these regions offer contrasting yet comparable settings for analyzing how wine tourism strategies are shaped by territory, history and institutional context. Adopting a producer-centered perspective, the book draws on resource and capabilities theory, network-based approaches and institutional theory to explain how wineries mobilize territorial resources, coordinate with regional actors and respond to regulatory and legitimacy pressures. Wine tourism is analyzed not as a transferable managerial model but as a territorially embedded strategic practice that evolves through path-dependent processes.
The analysis pays particular attention to contextual factors that condition strategic choice, including cultural heritage, environmental conditions, governance structures and regional economic trajectories. Through its comparative design, the book shows how similar strategic intentions lead to different wine tourism configurations when filtered through distinct territorial logics. Moreover, it contributes to a deeper understanding of wine tourism as a strategic activity grounded in place, producer interpretation and long-term regional development.
Javier Martínez-Falcó is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Alicante (Spain) and a Research Fellow at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). His research agenda centers on wine tourism, wine business, and wineries' intellectual capital, with a strong focus on sustainability, innovation, and competitive strategy. He has authored an extensive body of scholarly work, including numerous articles in international journals, as well as books and book chapters published by leading academic outlets.
Eduardo Sánchez-García is Assistant Professor and Researcher in the Department of Management at the University of Alicante (Spain). His research focuses on factors influencing innovation performance and sustainable development in companies. He has published widely in journals, books, and book chapters, and frequently participates in national and international scientific conferences.
Bartolomé Marco-Lajara is Professor and Head of Business Organization Department at the University of Alicante (Spain). Previously, he was Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Alicante (Spain). His research focuses on topics related to strategic management of tourism companies. He has published many articles in scholarly international journals as well as books.
Gustav Visser is Professor Geography at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). His research focuses on urban and tourism geography, and he is renowned for his pioneering research on post-apartheid urban transformation, socio-spatial inequality, and tourism-led development in the Global South, with a strong impact on international scholarship and pollical debates. He has published over 130 journal articles and book chapters, serves on the editorial board of several academic journals and is co-editor of the Urban Perspectives from the Global South book series with Springer.
