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Case Study Article

Beyond Consumer Trust: Blockchain-Based Traceability as Complementary Information Governance in Italian Wine Value Chains: Special Issue: "Transforming wine value chains – Adapting to a changing world"

Daiane Goncalves de Carvalho
Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS)
Bio
Rafael Giovanella
Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS)
Bio
Daniela Callegaro de Menezes
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Bio

Published 2026-10-23

Keywords

  • Blockchain,
  • Wine value chains,
  • Information Governance,
  • Institutional regulation

How to Cite

Goncalves de Carvalho, D., Giovanella , R., & Callegaro de Menezes, D. (2026). Beyond Consumer Trust: Blockchain-Based Traceability as Complementary Information Governance in Italian Wine Value Chains: Special Issue: "Transforming wine value chains – Adapting to a changing world". Wine Economics and Policy. https://doi.org/10.36253/wep-19969

Abstract

This study analyzes blockchain-based traceability in Italian wineries and its effects on information governance, coordination, commercialization, and competitive dynamics in regulated wine value chains. Rather than treating blockchain as a disruptive substitute for trust mechanisms, the study shows that its effects are complementary and conditional. Based on a multiple-case study of six wineries and a blockchain platform provider, three adoption patterns emerged: operational integration, externally mediated communicational use, and implementation discontinued due to informational and organizational limitations. Blockchain complemented rather than replaced certifications and formal controls, operating effectively when reliable records and internal coordination were in place. Commercial effects were heterogeneous, including buyer-specific demand and respondent-reported economic outcomes, while sustained business relevance depended on market demand, product value, scale, and implementation costs. The study reframes blockchain as an organizationally conditioned governance mechanism and proposes a framework based on readiness, data governance, application design, operational integration, and strategic use.

 

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