To Make or to Buy? A Managerial Trade-Off of Winemaking Process in the Burgundy Vineyards
Résumé
The share of harvest sold as fresh grapes, grape must or juice increased from 10% to 16% between 2000 and 2010 in the French wine-producing region of Burgundy. This outsourcing pertains to the core stage of business for wineries: the winemaking process. We explore the strategies of 3430 wine estates operating in Burgundy in 2011 with respect to outsourcing versus integration of winemaking. A cluster analysis was carried out in order to identify the main differences among Burgundian wine estates in terms of winemaking outsourcing versus integration. A principal component analysis was then used to highlight the latent variables underlying the different strategies. Finally, the difference in profitability existing between wine-grape growers making their own wine and those outsourcing the winemaking process is shown. The results indicate that winemaking integration has a positive effect on estates’ profitability in Burgundy.