The grapevine model for brand development: Examples from Napa Valley winery in the U.S.

The French wine industry views itself as a culture industry, similar to perfume and fashion industry, which creates a very high competition barrier. This paper studies brand construction and development process of wineries in Napa Valley, California, USA. We propose a bottom-up Grapevine Model to interpret how Napa Valley upgrades itself from wild lands to the most prestigious wine appellation. After Napa Valley is recognized as great wine appellation, the industry expands to sightseeing, food, music, sustainability, charity, etc. Its value creation model pursues lifestyle of enjoyment and abundance in natural and social environments, which can be summarized as Wine Taoism.