E-business and terroir-linked products in Italy: a case study on Romagna wine producers

Viticulture and oenology in Romagna can boast a distinctive cultural tradition: Romagna wine makers are recognised to be able to reach high standards, and wine produced in this terroir seems to fit the attributes identifying a ‘typical’ product connotation. This study considers the opportunity to use electronic commerce as a meaningful instrument for selling the terroir-linked product abroad, both on the EU and overseas markets. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the level of e-commerce readiness for Romagna wine producers via a questionnaire-survey submitted to the members of the protection consortium ‘Ente Tutela Vini di Romagna’. The main issues addressed in the analysis will be the role played by the attribute ‘area of origin’ on present marketing initiatives taken by the producers and whether e-commerce is considered a viable solution in order to improve the value of Romagna wines.