Understanding Australian Wine Consumers’ Preferences for Different Sparkling Wine Styles

Naomi Verdonk,Karma Pearce,Renata Ristic,Kerry Wilkinson,Julie Culbert

doi:10.3390/beverages6010014

Naomi Verdonk, Karma Pearce + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages6010014

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Journal: Beverages	Publication Date: Mar 1, 2020
Citations: 4	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Adelaide, University of South Australia

Abstract

This study investigated the perceptions and preferences of Australian wine consumers towards different styles of sparkling wine, including French Champagne and Australian sparkling white, red and rosé wine, Moscato and Prosecco. An online survey of 1027 regular sparkling wine consumers captured demographic information, sparkling wine perceptions and preferences, and typical spending and consumption patterns. Consumers were segmented into three distinct clusters (‘No Frills’, ‘Aspirants’ and ‘Enthusiasts’) using the Fine Wine Instrument model. The majority of No Frills consumers were female and typically consumed sparkling wine once per month. Almost 55% of Aspirants were male with a household income of more than AU$75,000. Enthusiast consumers were also predominantly male and well educated, and 64% were under the age of 35 years. Sparkling white wine and Champagne were generally the preferred styles for each consumer group, followed by Moscato and sparkling rosé wine. Interestingly, Moscato scored favorably with both No Frills and Enthusiast segments. Almost 25% of respondents indicated that they were not familiar with Prosecco, while sparkling red wine was perceived similarly by male and female consumers. The findings from this study can be used by sparkling wine producers to better target their products and marketing to the specific needs and expectations of consumers within different segments of the Australian domestic market.

Highlights

When summarizing the key findings from wine consumer behavior research published over the past decade, Lockshin and Corsi highlighted the importance of researching premium and luxury wine behavior, successful marketing practices, and consumer behavior in emerging markets [1]
It is clear that a research gap exists with respect to classification of sparkling wine consumers and that categorization of consumers of this fine wine style would assist marketing strategies to target specific segments of the Australian domestic market
In the current study, when survey participants were asked whether they would consume different sparkling wine styles at a number of pre-determined occasions, the results showed highly significant differences between the ranked medians of the FWI segments for all occasions (p < 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

When summarizing the key findings from wine consumer behavior research published over the past decade, Lockshin and Corsi highlighted the importance of researching premium and luxury wine behavior, successful marketing practices, and consumer behavior in emerging markets [1]. This included the value of wine tourism and marketing for value, as well as the relationship between grape and wine quality, and consumer behavior. It is clear that a research gap exists with respect to classification of sparkling wine consumers and that categorization of consumers of this fine wine style would assist marketing strategies to target specific segments of the Australian domestic market.

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Conclusion