Factors affecting wine purchase decisions and presence of New York wines in upscale New York City restaurants.

Abstract

Substantial industry and winery efforts in recent years have centered on improving access of New York wines into upscale restaurants in New York City (NYC), albeit with limited success. A survey of upscale restaurants and wine stores in NYC was conducted to identify important attributes influencing wine purchase decisions and to better understand the primary factors affecting the level of New York wines included on restaurant wine lists. Larger restaurants with higher entree prices and a larger dependence on wine sales were shown to include fewer New York wines, while restaurants serving higher proportions of Riesling, Cabernet Franc, and domestic wines included more. A wine’s collective regional and varietal reputation was found to influence overall wine purchasing decisions, indicating that marketing efforts targeted on these attributes may be a beneficial strategy.