Wine is an industry of intermediaries (or „middlemen‟), who provide services of different forms that distribute wine from the producer to the retailer or consumer. There are many different forms of intermediary, each with a different role to
play and each of whom has the potential to add cost and, hopefully, value to the wine. Because the types of intermediaries are many and varied, there are an overwhelming number of permutations for a winery when it comes to the selection of intermediaries. This is especially the case for smaller wineries that, unlike their larger counterparts, do not usually have the selling power, volume of production or resources to by- pass intermediaries and sell directly to retailers or to negotiate contracts that benefit both winery and intermediary. The nature of the relationships between winery, intermediary and retailer is, therefore, critical to the ability of a supply chain involving intermediaries to add value to the wine. Premium wine, as a complex, symbolic and highly technical product, relies on a complex interaction of information sources and impressions for the development of brand image. Image is an abstract concept that incorporates the influences of past promotion, reputation, and peer evaluation of the alternatives and connotes the expectation of the user (Gensch D.H., 1978; Stern B.M., 2001).