The Douro Demarcated Region

Abstract

This chapter seeks to understand the motivations that lead companies to internationalize and how they do it since this has been a constant challenge for business research. For this purpose, a descriptive research was conducted with a qualitative strategy applied on different companies in the wine sector. International trade is a Portuguese tradition that started and reached its peak in the 16th century with the Portuguese and Spanish discoveries, which justifies this study. The wine industry, particularly in the Douro Region, has also always been closely linked to foreign trade and has even benefited from a historic trade agreement with the United Kingdom. The empirical results show that companies are practically born international. The size of the domestic market was the main justification for the demand for external markets. The constant evolution of markets and industries generates opportunities and potential threats to which companies must be able to respond.