The Industrial Structure of the Wine Industry in France : A Case Study of Alsace District

Abstract

This paper clarifies the industrial structure of the wine industry in France through a case study of Alsace district, in which small-scale family-operated businesses account for a large proportion of production. In the grape farming sector, while small-scale part-time farm households dominate numerically, middle-scale family farms account for the majority of production. In wine brewing, in a somewhat different combination, while' small-scale family-run businesses likewise constitute a majority, a small number of large brewers, such as enterprise brewers and large cooperatives, account for the largest production share. This means that the majority of grapes produced in the area circulate from small and medium-sized farm to large-scale brewers.