Sustainable wine and food products as precursors of sustainable wine tourism: a qualitative cross-national analysis

This study sheds light on how sustainable wine and food production can influence the wine tourism experience, drawing on the insights from winery owners and managers. Semi-structured, open-ended, face-to-face, and online interviews were conducted with participants in eight different nations. The analysis uncovered multiple conceptual dimensions that help explain sustainability in the above domains. Among others, the wine production antecedents and production philosophy dimensions depict participants’ involvement in sustainable practices, while the benign gastronomy philosophy and the sustainable local food-wine linkages dimensions explain sustainable gastronomic production. Additionally, the conceptual, internally-based and alliance-based dimensions deepen the understanding of ways to develop wine tourism sustainably. Theoretical implications emphasise the significance of these underpinnings to illuminate sustainable food and wine development and the uniformity of associated initiatives and strategies. A practical viewpoint considers embracing the territory’s food and wine resources and consumer education, regularly reassessing them through product diversification, creativity or investments.