Wine Market Council surveyed 1,159 drinkers who consume wine more often than once a week. Focused specifically on how consumers identify and understand the various production methods, they inquired about the apparent benefits to consumers and how relevant green methods are to pricing and buying decisions. The complete report is now available to Wine Market Council members and will be discussed at the association’s upcoming Annual Membership Meeting taking place May 11, 2018, at The CIA at Copia in Napa.
The association shared a few highlights including:
- Consumers are more confident that they understand what “made from organic grapes” means than what “sustainable” or “biodynamic” mean. There was a strong correlation between confidence of understanding and interest in these wines.
- Sustainable and biodynamic wines are significantly more often associated with external environmental impact (water and CO2 issues) than organic wine and wine made from organic grapes, which in turn are more often associated with input issues (no SO2, no synthetic pesticides/fertilizers, non-GMO).
- There was little difference perceived between “organic wine” and “wine made from organic grapes,” but substantial differences between those wines and biodynamic and sustainable production.
- The data indicates a willingness to spend slightly more for wine made from organically grown grapes than from conventional grapes, and slightly more still for sustainably/biodynamical produced wines than wine made from organically grown grapes.
The study also dove deeper into consumer habits through a 3-day online discussion with 11 selected high frequency wine drinkers. Among the highlights:
- A commitment to organic food doesn’t directly translate into a similar commitment to “organic” wine. Other decision-making factors supersede how the wine was produced.
- Barriers to purchasing wine made using these production methods include: perceptions that they cost more, not liking one they had tried, skepticism about there being standards behind the designations, availability, visibility, and a lack of awareness.
- The willingness to pay more for these wines is dependent on occasion, previous trial, or recommendation.
- These designations could be a tipping point for decisions to purchase a wine among those who see green production as a positive.