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This study explored the view that distributors have towards the most valued wine attributes by consumers in the US market, applying the discrete choice experiments technique. Furthermore, to explore the extent to which the distributors’ perspective may reflect consumers’ preferences, the results are analyzed considering previous evidence with consumers in the same market. The results from a scaled multinomial logit, mixed logit and generalized logit models reveal similarities with consumer studies’ findings, especially for the influence of medals/awards, the origin of the wine, grape variety, and price, and it also identifies possible trends in the market. This evidence suggests that data collected using the knowledge and experience of wine distributors generates valuable information through a smaller sample at a lower cost than through applying consumer surveys, which is relevant in large markets with a higher number of consumers.

Using export market shares as a measure of international competitiveness, this paper studies wine exports in terms of propensity and intensity. Based on data for the period 1999-2014, a two-part fractional regression model is applied. The results suggest that for importing countries GDP per capita, their own wine production, and EU membership have a positive effect on the probability of importing wine but tend to evolve inversely to market shares, as taste for variety becomes more important. Additionally, export propensity is positively affected by regional trade agreements, common language, similarity of religious culture, wine production in the exporting country, and the exporting country being from the Old World, while export intensity is boosted by common language and wine production in the exporting country. Bilateral distance has a negative effect on both margins of trade.