The global wine industry is shifting from high-volume production to quality-focused "premiumization," creating tension between efficiency (volume per unit of input) and resource-intensive technologies (using inputs to increase quality). This paper provides an evidence-based framework to assess how value chain choices, from viticulture to bottling, influence performance across market segments. Using data from 10 countries, we apply a two-stage approach: first, we measure relative efficiency scores for Value- and Premium-specializing wineries via Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA); second, we use Simar-Wilson regression to assess the impact of several technological factors on these scores. Results show that Value wineries have 41–44% efficiency, while Premium wineries reach 50–53%, indicating more efficient resource use in higher-end firms. For Value wineries, modernization and automation boost efficiency. In Premium wineries, practices such as manual irrigation and stainless-steel aging are key. Manual harvesting decreases efficiency by up to 10.6%, confirming that a focus on quality reduces productive volume. We identified a consistent set of significant variables, with the same signs and similar absolute values, influencing efficiency across both wine types under different hypotheses about returns to scale. This study links detailed technologies to global efficiency, showing that quality investments can be managed for performance.

Acceder al documento: https://doi.org/10.36253/wep-20614