Region is Not Important; Wine Drinkers Say

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This article is of great benefit to people in the wine business.  The most important thing about wine is what the consumers consider it to be not what the marketers wish it to be.  The people involved in the wine business would like to define wine by whatever helps to sell the bottles.  The shape of the bottle? The price? The varietal? The region? The label? The winemaker? The producer? And the list goes on and on.  The consumer has a great deal more than what is accepted by the industry.  The industry pretends to listen to the consumer but also complains without-an-end of how bad the business.  If one would listen to the consumer, the chances are great to find angles helping market the product and move the bottles.  The common wine is to consumer a liquid of some color in a bottle getting transferred to a glass before being drunk.  The consumer cares a great deal less about the details of that liquid than we would like to.  Traditionally and historically that is how the wine has been.  In the Old World, people drank wine of local origins and the current vintage as customary.  A great deal of mediocre and even terrible wine can be drank without any objection.  The modern consumer is not much different.  The wine is only one of the items in a meal and not as incredibly important as the wine business would like to.  The wine business is not about quality wine drinking.  They are most interested in whatever raises the bottle price and the frequency of purchase.  The consumer is about whatever drinks well at the right price.  It should be very easy to understand the few requirements truly attached to the wine by the consumer.  Region is not important should not be a surprise.

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Rebecca Gibb

Less than half of UK wine drinkers think region is important when they buy wine, a new report says. 

In the Wine and Spirit Trade Association's latest Consumer Intelligence survey, 48% of respondents said that region or origin is important, while 59% said country is important when making the buying decision. 

This will come as no surprise to major producers such as Lindeman's, Blossom Hill and Echo Falls. All are now producing wine in a number of countries under the same brand. 

Clare Griffiths, VP European Consumer Marketing for Constellation Europe said country of origin and regionality were low on the list for Echo Falls consumers. 

'What is important to these consumers is the right taste profile, a recognisable grape variety and an easy drinking wine at the right price,' she added 

The survey also shows promotions are more important than ever. 77% of respondents said discounts like three for £10, or money off deals were very important to their buying decision. This is compared to 61% three years ago. 

The report also showed Pinot Grigio has overtaken Sauvignon Blanc as the UK's second most popular white grape variety. 

Pinot Grigio is experiencing a surge in popularity with 54% of the UK's regular wine drinkers consuming it in the past six months. While Chardonnay maintains its leadership of the UK white wine market, it has lost fans in the past three years. 

Sergio de Luca, director of buying for Italian specialist Enotria, told decanter.com, 'The strength of Pinot Grigio sales, despite euro exchange rate problems and duty increases, demonstrates the flexibility of the grape variety. 

'It shows that the neutrality of this wine makes it easier for consumers to choose it'. 

Wine Intelligence, for the WSTA, surveyed 3,059 regular UK wine drinkers between March and April 2009. 

http://www.decanter.com/news/286213.html?aff=rss

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