Competitiveness of Lebanese wine: new shoots from ancient roots

Abstract

Since the Phoenicians inhabited the land of Canaan (the modern Lebanon), wine earned historical, cultural, social and economic dimensions in the life of its population. Through their trade network, evidence shows that the Phoenicians distributed wine, wine grapes and the winemaking technology that they had acquired from the east, throughout the Mediterranean region. However, the Lebanese wine sector did not take the required attention of the scientific community. Thus, this study gathers agri-food trade data, from national and international sources to analyse the Lebanese wine sector and evaluate its competitiveness in the international market using the revealed trade advantage and the revealed competitiveness indicators. Both indicators show that Lebanese wine has average competitiveness in the world market. This level of competitiveness can fluctuate depending on the political situation and the trade region and is highest for America and Asia. Finally, the study urges a long-term, general political framework that involves all stakeholders and policy-makers to work towards a sustainable Lebanese wine.

Keywords:

• wine sector
• Lebanon
• trade
• revealed competitiveness
• revealed trade advantage
• sustainability

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the role of the Mediterranean Association of Wine Economists (MAWE) for the achievement of the study. Furthermore, assistance and support provided by Dr Victoria Janes and Ms Deon Glasgow are greatly appreciated.

Notes

1. This tool, developed by the World Bank, measures performance along the logistics supply chain within the country. Allowing for comparisons across 155 countries, the index can help countries identify challenges and opportunities and improve logistics performance.

2. The notion of ‘Systems of Innovation' as an analytical tool, contrasting two approaches: (i) An interactionist approach, taking into account relations, actors and institutions involved in concrete changes observed in the vineyards and (ii) an institutional approach, assessing the evolution of the set of institutions formally dedicated to research, education, training and innovation oriented towards the wine industry.

3. Personal communication with the staff involved in the creation of the union at the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.