Adopting a structuralist perspective, this study furnishes new empirical data on the configuration of one of the most important production sectors in the province of La Rioja (Argentina): the winemaking sector. It profiles the sector’s stakeholders, identifies challenges and opportunities, and documents and classifies the support policies implemented over the last decade while suggesting avenues for improvement, given the need to strengthen companies, institutions and policies in a context of structural heterogeneity. The province’s agricultural and climatic conditions, business capabilities and institutional history and strength, together with the market opportunities available, mean that the wine sector has the potential to enhance its productive and commercial position in both the domestic and the international market if it implements contextualized, far-reaching and segmented production policies.