Research Objective: The objective of this article is to examine crisis management as a strategic competitive advantage for wine companies and to analyse the growing relevance of crisis preparedness in the context of contemporary international and Georgian wine industry challenges.
Methodological Approach: The study employs an analytical and comparative approach, drawing on crisis management theory, strategic management, corporate culture analysis and a critical review of recent industry data. The article uses international wine industry statistics, case-based analysis of crisis situations, and the author’s doctoral research on CSR integration in wine companies’ international business strategies.
Main Results and Implications: The analysis demonstrates that climate change, declining wine consumption, market concentration, geopolitical risks, supply-chain disruptions, inflation, slow digital transformation and rising ESG expectations increase the probability and intensity of crises in the wine sector. The Georgian wine industry’s experience with the Russian embargo illustrates that crises can generate severe short-term damage, but can also stimulate quality improvement, market diversification and stronger international positioning. The article argues that crisis management should be understood not as a reactive administrative function, but as a strategic capability based on scenario planning, market diversification, financial resilience, transparent communication, ESG integration and organisational learning.
