SEGMENTS OF COMPETITION IN SOUTH BRAZILIAN WINERIES

ABSTRACT: The international restructuring process in the beverage sector reached the winemaking business in the 1990s, changing its panorama. Increasing competitive pressure is a characteristic of this period with significant impact in regions such as the countries belonging to the Mercosul block. To support firm strategies and public policies, the goal of this study was to identify the competition segments in winemaking in Rio Grande do Sul, the southern state of Brazil, and in a specific form to propose a typology of wineries based on the Industrial Organization literature. The data used are from the State Wineries Data Bank of Rio Grande do Sul, which were submitted to multivariate statistical analysis, integrating a cluster and principal components analysis in a group of 381 observations. The results showed the existence of two factors, one related to scale and diversification, and the other related to the quality of the products and of the raw material. From these factors, six groups of wineries were identified that can be named segments of competition in winemaking. Group 1 is characterized by quality and specialization; group 2, by a large production scale and diversification; group 3, by a low added value; group 4, by a micro production scale; and groups 5 and 6, by a low added value, small scale, and specialization