categories, whether one takes product knowledge, spending capacity or a combination of the two. And so, to give an example, someone who buys a bottle of Romanée Conti may do so either because he is a great connoisseur of Burgundy wines, or alternatively because the exorbitant price range makes it attractive as a status symbol. Now, if certainly for the latter type of consumers price is the main parameter guiding their choice, for the former it is conversely the information profile that is relevant. Connoisseurs are mainly interested in knowing, for example, the pedoclimatic characteristics, the working methods in the vineyard, the oenological practices, the ageing times. There is therefore an obvious aspiration on the part of producers, especially of quality wines, to attract this segment of consumers (who generally, due to socio-cultural characteristics, also have a medium to high spending capacity) by providing them with the required information. Hence the need to form associations between producers with similar production philosophies, and to issue external certifications attesting to the product's characteristics. As for the former, these are generally part of the 'activism' of producers14 , who generally identify themselves with the 'alternative' wine movements, e.g. biodynamic or natural. It has been demonstrated, in fact15 , the positive role of the producer's reputation and membership of 'ecological' movements in market penetration, in one with the changed social consciousness of individuals, who are increasingly inclined to value the sustainability of what they consume16 . Producer associations generally have a statute, or at least a set of rules, which members are required to apply: for example, on SO2 content, on the need for fermentation with indigenous yeasts, on types of treatment in the vineyard. 14 M. F. GARCIA-PARPET, French biodynamic viticulture: militancy or market niche?. London, Bloomsbury, 2014. 15 P. FANASCH, Survival of the fittest: The impact of eco-certification and reputation on firm performance, in Business Strategy and the Environment, 2019, 28.4: 611-628. 16 M. PINK, The sustainable wine market in Europe-introduction to a market trend and its issues, in Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Oeconomia, 2015, 14.2.
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