Strengthening regional identities and culture through wine industry cross border collaboration

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the potentialities of cross border projects to develop and promote wine culture, and consequently tourism and hospitality; paying particular attention to the process and actions supporting the development and refinement of cultural attributes, traditional values and regional identity. Design/methodology/approach - Methodologically, it is a deductive reasoning exploratory research, based on the findings of an extensive undergoing project across ten countries, spanning from Italy to Eastern Europe, and theoretically founded on an extensive literature review. Findings - The findings identify the spectrum and nature of opportunities and constraints of cross border collaborations in developing the wine industry and reaping of its wider economic and cultural benefits. Further to the scholarly value of the findings, the paper identifies and presents the descriptive managerial/industrial implications, along with prescriptively explicit directions toward practical implementation. Research limitations/implications - The research is exploratory and therefore, by nature, in need of further empirical validation. Practical implications - The research constructs a viable framework for an integrative approach involving the improved definition of regional cultural image and identity, proper strategic industry-region and cross-border collaborations, and socio-economic development. Social implications - To promote cross border countries and cultural territorial values and identity. Originality/value - The research's value lies in its multi-perspective outlook which keeps the wine business at its focus, but investigates its development outside the strict confines of its own industry to present potentialities through strategic collaborations with the tourist industry and other regions/countries in integrative synergistic approach and with strong cultural elements.