Steve Charters

Consumer Responses to Wine Bottle Back Labels

This paper reports on an exploratory study of consumer responses to the information contained on wine bottle back labels. It was based on research conducted with respondents in Australia in early 1999. Its central findings were: (1) that experienced consumers have difficulty in matching the tastes of wines with their back label descriptions; (2) that 57% of the respondents claim regularly to read back labels in making their purchasing decisions; (3) that the information they found most useful in helping them to identify the wines was simple descriptions of the tastes or smells of the wines; and (4) that it is difficult to draw general conclusions about the effects of gender, age, income or occupation on such responses.

Is wine consumption an aesthetic experience

Abstract There has been occasional debate amongst aesthetic theorists about whether or not the consumption of wine can be considered an aesthetic process. This paper examines this debate empirically, using data from an exploratory study into wine consumption practices to elucidate the arguments. The findings of the study suggest that consumers perceive some key similarities between the consumption of wine and the appreciation of art forms. These similarities include: the pleasure provided by each; the interrelated role of sensory, emotional and cognitive responses; the focus on evaluative processes, particularly in relation to the concentration and training which they require; and the issues of personal taste. It can also perhaps be argued that both wine and art forms prompt a common perception of beauty.

Wine Routes in Portugal: A Case Study of the Bairrada Wine Route

Over the last few years Portugal has been developing several wine routes, each one with its unique structure. Despite such development, research has been scant, particularly in evaluating their performance. This study uses the Bairrada Wine Route as a case study and attempts to make the first evaluation of the route. In doing this the study gathered data from winery managers about a number of issues. These included their initial objectives when their wineries joined the route; the problems and constraints that they have faced since then and the level of satisfaction with the route, especially regarding the investments made and jobs created. Additionally the study obtained their views on the actual management model for the route; advantages for their business; their views on current signage; partnerships and collaborations developed, and levels of demand. The study also gathered information about perspectives on the future of the route. The study was carried out in two stages. During the preliminary stage exploratory interviews were used and meetings attended in order to get an overview of the subject. During the second stage of data collection in‐depth interviews were conducted as well as observations at the wineries. The interviews were done with the managers of the wineries. The data collected allowed the development of the first evaluation of the Bairrada Wine Route.

Generation Y and sparkling wines: A cross-cultural perspective

Purpose – The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the engagement of Generation Y consumers with champagne and sparkling wine across five Anglophone countries.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was adopted using focus groups with young consumers, including images and wine tasting as projective stimuli.Findings – There were significant trans‐cultural similarities between consumption behaviour (sparkling wine is a womens drink, and a separate category from still wine, and that they will “grow into” drinking it) but also noticeable differences (responses to images and colours varied substantially, as did attitudes to price and the particular status of champagne).Research limitations/implications – Research into the behaviour of Generation Y as a cohort needs to take account of cultural as much as generational context. However, as a qualitative study the findings need further quantitative validation.Practical implications – Marketers cannot view Generation Y as a single group; ev...

Wine Tourism in Champagne

The goal of this article is to expand the understanding of wine tourism in a European context (less closely researched than that of New World countries) by examining aspects of its operation in Champagne. Two separate studies contribute toward this goal. The first qualitative project examined the perceptions of small champagne producers on a range of tourism-related issues. The second quantitative project investigated the perspectives of visitors to the region. The article offers three conclusions. First, it suggests that producers show three varying approaches to wine tourism (related to structural factors in the businesses concerned) with most feeling it was not relevant to them even though they sell wine direct. Second, producers may have little idea of what tourists find acceptable. Finally, it demonstrates that tourism may be a way for smaller producers to add value to their product, as tourists display a propensity to pay more than local purchasers.

Imbibing, inscribing, integrating and imparting: a taxonomy of wine consumption practices

Wine consumption has been an integral part of Western civilisation for millennia. Its role in society goes beyond mere consumption as an end in itself. So what do people do when they consume wine? This article utilises Holts taxonomy of consumption to address this question. It considers wine consumption as an experience, as a process of classification, as a means of social interaction (integration) and as a vehicle for play. The behaviours discussed include celebratory and humorous aspects of consumption. It also applies Holts taxonomy to the varying circumstances of the wine consumer and tasting practices.

Does a brand have to be consistent

Purpose – This conceptual paper seeks to examine the issue of whether or not a brand needs to be consistent. Whilst this assumption often seems to be made within the marketing literature, it has not previously been examined.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the example of wine to explore the consumers desire for consistency. The paper is not based on a specific research project, but rather reflects the findings of a number of projects, and of an engagement with commentators on wine over a number of years.Findings – The paper suggests that rather than wine invariably being the same it is necessary for it to offer a regular standard of quality within varying external constraints, and that consumers may actually search out such inconsistency. By extension, it is argued that this is relevant for other goods, such as a foods and fashions, and aesthetic and ludic products.Practical implications – It may be relevant for managers to build inconsistency into product design in some cases to give consume...

Alcohol consumption motivations and behaviours in Hong Kong

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the way Hong Kong drinkers have internalised the meanings associated with alcoholic beverages and how these meanings influence the motivation to drink. Also of interest was how symbolic meanings and motivations are similar or different to those in Western nations and the implications for the marketing of alcohol products.Design/methodology/approach – An ethnographic approach comprising participant observations and interviews is used to generate data relating to alcohol consumption. Observations are conducted at 11 venues including pubs, clubs, restaurants, and a convention centre. More than 40 h of observations yield data pertaining to public drinking while the interview data also provides insight into the nature of private drinking in Hong Kong.Findings – Alcohol consumption in Hong Kong may be primarily a function of the need to convey desired images to specific and generalised others. The finding that product symbolism dominates taste considerations...

Strategies for wine territories and clusters: why focus on territorial governance and territorial branding?

In June 2012 Néoma Business School hosted a research day, entitled ‘Strategies for Wine Territories: Clusters, Governance and Branding’. The aim of this event was to stimulate an exchange on the relationship between wine and territory and particularly, as the title suggests, the challenge that viti-vinicultural regions, and particularly the notions of appellations and ‘terroir strategy’, pose to the field of management. The results of this research day, which featured 17 presentations by 29 contributors, have been brought together in an edited book (Charters & Michaux, 2013). In addition, this special issue presents four of the leading papers as a summary of some current thinking about territorial organisation in the wine industry. This area of research is of major significance for the contemporary wine industry, something we will illustrate by examining our own country – France. In a context of reduced demand for wine, the total vineyard area fell by one-third between 1974 and 2006, whereas the area of appellations d’origine (AOC) vineyards nearly doubled, and now represents 60% of the total vineyard area. The growth of AOC wines is therefore a significant trend in the wine market, and has risen from 70 appellations in 1935 (when the system was established), to 470 at present. All over the world this trend towards regional labelling has been strengthening since the end of the sixties (1963 in Italy, 1978 in the USA, 1994 in Australia, etc.). However, with the growing crisis of overproduction and changing consumer expectations, many question the AOC system. Is it appropriate for European wine-producing regions in the face of increasing competition from large-scale international players in new countries? Some observers think that the AOC system is more of a hindrance: it over-emphasises the past; its regulations for grape and wine production are too strict when compared with the practices of New World wines; its systems of labelling confuse the consumer with an over-abundance of different quality signals (vins de pays, etc.). Others believe that, with a core global market of increasingly educated consumers, the AOC, with its guarantees of character and quality, will give competitive advantage in the future. Together with these economic and strategic approaches, historians, geographers and researchers in other fields shed light on how the AOC helps to build territorial identity, which is linked to territorial reputation through the uneasy and transitory cooperation between local players, often with differing interests. Roger Dion, in his the famous ‘History of Wine in France, from its Origins to the Nineteenth Century’ suggested that wine is not a ‘geological fact’. ‘Terroir’ is a ‘social fact’; it is the human construction of a territory, both historically and strategically, in order to make better use of its

Seriously pink: a cross-cultural examination of the perceived image of rosé wine

Purpose – This paper aims to examine consumer preferences and perceptions of rose wine with an ultimate purpose of constructing a perceived image of rose in the cross-cultural context. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in four markets, comprising the USA, New Zealand, France and the UK. The data were collected via a structured questionnaire through a combination of survey administration modes (pen-and-paper and online). Descriptive statistics, chi-square, factor analysis and ANOVA were used for analysis. Findings – One of the key findings revolves around the construction of the perceived image of rose and how this image varies in different markets. Effectively, this study presents an overview of the perceived reputation of rose in four different market structures, shaped by different cultural and image management issues. Practical implications – The most crucial implication of this research is the cultural variation in consumer attitudes toward rose wine and its impact on marketing str...