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Journal of Consumer Marketing Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences: implications for wine product marketing Johan Bruwer Anthony Saliba Bernadette Miller

Article information: To cite this document: Johan Bruwer Anthony Saliba Bernadette Miller, (2011),"Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences: implications for wine product marketing", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 28 Iss 1 pp. 5 - 18 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/07363761111101903

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/07363761111101903

Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences: implications for wine product

marketing Johan Bruwer

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, Australia

Anthony Saliba National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia, and

Bernadette Miller School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, Australia

Abstract Purpose – Exploratory research was conducted in a well-known Australian wine region to determine the differences in the behaviour dynamics and sensory preferences of consumer groups. The overall aim is to gain some insights into the product style preferences of consumers and what this means in practical terms to wine product marketing. Design/methodology/approach – Information was obtained from a random sample of 150 visitors to ten wineries in the Yarra Valley wine region in Australia. Data were collected by means of self-administration surveys using a highly structured questionnaire at each of the winery tasting room venues. Findings – Specific differences exist in the wine consumption behaviour and sensory preferences of males and females and between generational cohorts, specifically Millennial and older consumers. Females drink less wine than males, spend less thereon but tend to “compensate” for this by buying higher priced wine per bottle, which could represent a risk-reduction strategy. Females are noticeably higher than their male counterparts in white wine consumption, showing a preference for a sweeter wine style at a young age, and reported a strong preference for medium body style wines over light and full-bodied wines. From a sensory preference viewpoint, fruit tastes and aromas are by far the most important, especially among females, as are vegetative characters, wood/oak, and mouth-feel characters. More males, on the other hand, preferred the aged characters of wine. Research limitations/implications – It is possible to target wine consumers in accordance with their gender and lifecycle stage as far as the sensory and certain behavioural aspects of the product are concerned. However, this should not be oversimplified and drive product marketing strategies in the wrong direction. Originality/value – This study is of value to academic researchers, wine industry practitioners and other wine distribution channel members alike, as it provides insights into consumer behaviour differences and one of the core tangible aspects of a wine product, namely the sensory preferences of consumers.

Keywords Wines, Gender, Consumer behaviour, Consumption, Age groups, Australia

Paper type Research paper

An executive summary for managers and executive

readers can be found at the end of this article.

1. Introduction

As wine gradually becomes a lifestyle beverage, more and

more people are drinking wine as reflected in statistics in the

USA, UK, Australia and a growing number of other

countries. For example, in the 2009 Gallup Poll 50 per cent

of women in the USA named wine as their standard alcoholic

drink, up from 46 per cent in 2005 (Saad, 2009), and almost

six in ten Americans (58 per cent) are now wine buyers

(Harris Interactive, 2009). Clearly these consumers have gone

through a process of becoming more socialised to wine over time (Olsen et al., 2007). Wine is an information-intensive experience product and by

virtue of this the buying situation is often regarded as a complex one in which a high degree of associated risk is perceived (Bruwer et al., 2002; Lacey et al., 2009; Mueller et al., 2009). Wine is an experience product mainly because the quality thereof cannot be assessed until the product has actually been consumed (Barber et al., 2008; Barber et al., 2006; Chaney, 2000; Jaeger et al., 2009). The sensory aspects, specifically the olfactory ones of wine are an integral part of the total product experience that consumers have when consumption takes place (Lee and Lee, 2008). Not surprising, there have been a multitude of studies in this area in recent years in Australia (Saliba, Bullock and Hardie, 2009; Saliba, Wragg and Richardson, 2009). In determining reasons for differences in the sensory

perception of wine, it seems from the anecdotal evidence that lifestyle has an impact. In the UK, research indicates that while women are the major purchasers of wine, more women buy in supermarkets and more men in specialty wine shops (Ritchie, 2009). The 2008 survey of the Wine Market Council

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at

www.emeraldinsight.com/0736-3761.htm

Journal of Consumer Marketing

28/1 (2011) 5–18

q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0736-3761]

[DOI 10.1108/07363761111101903]

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reports that 56 per cent of all wine consumers in the USA are

women (Wine Market Council, 2009). A Christy Frederick

Marketing survey reports 77 per cent of women polled in the USA buy the wine for their household and buy it like the

groceries, as a food item (Wenzel, 2005). Wine is a particularly complex beverage from both a chemical

and sensory viewpoint (Thorngate, 1997). It is therefore

surprising that developing an understanding of how consumers

relate their sensory preferences to the wines they actually end up buying is an area of research that has not been extensively

navigated to date (Lesschaeve, 2007). For example, it has been found that consumers had difficulty matching label sensory

descriptions with corresponding wines (Charters et al., 2000), although the majority read back labels and therefore use it as a purchase choice factor (Bastian et al., 2005).

2. Literature framework

Certain products are perceived to be more gender-specific

than others, meaning that individuals with stronger masculine or feminine identities tend to associate with them if they

appeal to this aspect of their identity (Hall et al., 2001 cited in Barber et al. 2006). Spawton (1989, 1990) went as far as to state that wine has been generally perceived as a “feminine”

beverage. Atkin et al. (2007) suggest that a good starting point when evaluating how consumers make wine buying decisions may be to look at differences by gender. It has also been suggested that the wine industry needs to

know more about sensory preferences in wine drinking and,

specifically, the difference in tastes of male and female

consumers (Bruwer and Li, 2007; Gelinard, 2008; Lewis, 2004; Miller and Bruwer, 2006; Saliba, Bullock and Hardie,

2009). In Australian studies it was found that gender differences

in wine consumption are likely to be associated more strongly with volume (and perhaps) wine style and grape variety (Bruwer

et al. 2005; Bruwer, 2007). A search of the literature indicates that much of the discussion in the field is based on anecdotal evidence. This certainly has an important place when it comes

from people with domain knowledge such as sommeliers,

restaurateurs, bar staff and retailers, who are dealing with, and observing, male and female wine consumers on a regular basis. Norris and Lee (2002) undertook research into sensory

preferences. They used blind tastings and preference mapping

to develop a map of wines in a chosen category with a

determination of a sensory profile that was optimal for each of their research subjects, but did not isolate male and female

preferences in their research findings. However, they suggested

that their techniques of determining sensory preferences could be used to determine similarities and differences between wines

and identify groups of consumers with similar likes and dislikes

and could be a valuable tool in the winemaking and blending process. For the purposes of this study, such an approach has

not been adopted because of the context of the research (ten

winery tasting rooms and difficulties of setting up blind tastings with a wide variety of wine styles) and because the aim was to

establish what consumers perceive as their preference, based on

their past experiences of wines they have consumed. Results are therefore relevant to wine marketers and researchers seeking to

understand consumer preferences.

2.1 Red versus white wine consumption by gender

Market research by the American Wine Council (2000)

indicates that 56 per cent of Chardonnay and 47 per cent of

Cabernet Sauvignon drinkers are female, which does not

suggest very big differences (Schamberg, 2002). In the UK, wine writer Jancis Robinson dismisses the notion of

differences in gender preferences, stating women are far too big a group to generalise about (Robinson, 2004). However,

UK statistics indicate a stronger preference for white wine among females, with 34 per cent of women preferring red

wine and 48 per cent preferring white wine. These statistics also indicate that only younger and less experienced drinkers

drank white wine exclusively (Low, 2001). In Australia (Hoffman, 2004) showed that females are more likely to drink

white and sparkling wine than males. These studies apparently did not probe whether these trends have a

relationship with the age group of the consumers.

2.2 Sweet versus dry wine consumption by gender

There are divergent views on this aspect. Women are perhaps being stereotyped in terms of the common belief that young

women prefer sweeter wines (Miller and Bruwer, 2006). A study with a small sample of women with different levels of

wine tastes in the Hunter Valley Region of Australia found that the majority of women were indeed more attracted to

“softer, less structured, sweeter styles” (Lewis, 2004). There were unfortunately no males in this study to compare results.

In the USA, the Beringer Wine Company has found sweet wine consumption spread evenly between men and women

(Fuhrman, 2001). In the UK, the assumed female preference for sweet wine is not supported by evidence as women buy

most wine and most wine bought is dry in taste (Low, 2001). Clearly the jury is still out as regards the verdict to this

potential research question.

2.3 Physical reasons for gender differences in sensory

perception of wine

Women tend to be superior in the senses of taste and smell, with up to 20 per cent more ability to distinguish different

smells than men, and they have a greater capacity to pick up subtleties in wine (Wenzel, 2005). This is a repeated assertion

in the literature (for example, Atkin et al., 2007; Bruwer, 2007). Women’s palates tend to be more sensitive, which

explains why many women prefer white wines with more subtle acidity and lower tannins and that many find tannin

astringency and bitterness off-putting in red wine. They also pick up subtleties in white wine more often than men

(Fuhrman, 2001). Women have better smell senses than men and tend to have greater sensitivity to the complexities of

wine. Men tend to go for massive reds and women for more delicate wines (Juergens, 2005). Fuhrman (2001) points to significant differences in wine

styles in explaining physical differences in sensory

preferences. White wines tend to have more subtle acidity and lower tannins. Red wines most often have quite high

tannins. Red wine tannins preserve them and diminish with age, until they become softer, and less astringent. Whether

this leads to differences in sensory preferences in wine is a question that needs answering.

2.4 Generational differences in wine taste preferences

Generational cohorts are one of the least understood marketing dynamics. Generational issues are however, only

one element that marketers should include in planning their marketing strategies (Higgins, 1998). In recent times, wine

marketers have also started to take a generational view of the

Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences

Johan Bruwer, Anthony Saliba and Bernadette Miller

Journal of Consumer Marketing

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wine market. The belief is now widely held that for the world

wine market to grow, more young drinkers must be introduced to wine during the critical years in their late

teens to early-to mid-20s, during which they form consumption habits for life (Bruwer, 2002, 2004). In fact, Murphy (1999) asserted that most people in the USA have

established their drinking preferences by the age of 40 years. Generally consumers’ wine consumption increases with age

peaking during the midlife stages before declining (Batt and Dean, 2000) and increased self-confidence with this product plays a role in this process (Veale, 2008). It is therefore for the

purpose of discussion prudent to generically refer to the young wine consumer group as largely occasional wine

drinkers (Allen, 2002). Not surprising, but quite short- sighted, the wine industry has heavily relied on and focused most of its marketing efforts on the affluent Baby Boomer

generation. It has now begun to take notice of the purchasing power of Generation X and Millennials in particular (Wright,

2006), with Generation Y not too far behind either. Generation Y consumers (18-26 years old) are typically the children of the now affluent Baby Boomer generation and

present an increasing market for alcoholic beverages with wine in particular benefiting from the fact that it is viewed by them

as “fashionable” and reflecting a “sophisticated” image (Euromonitor, 2007). From a sensory perspective, the taste of wine is the most

important factor in determining why people do or do not drink wine (Keown and Casey, 1995; Thompson and

Vourvachis, 1995). Not surprising, a study by Charters and Pettigrew (2007) found that the foremost determinant of wine

quality is that it tastes good while a study in the USA on Millennials confirmed that liking the taste of wine is the main reason why they drink wine, while conversely not liking the

taste was by far the most important reason why they do not drink wine (Thach and Olsen, 2006). Batt and Dean (2000) reported similar findings in Australia albeit across all age

groups. Even when linked to a specific consumption situation such as consuming wine in a restaurant with food, taste is the

primary reason why consumers select a specific wine (Hall et al., 2001; Jaeger et al., 2010). It therefore appears that ample justification exists to explore the taste aspect further,

which is what we attempted to do in this study.

2.5 Social basis for differences and trends in wine taste

preferences

Depending on the buying (and consumption) situation a multitude of tangible product, sensory and even atmospheric

cues impact on the wine consumer in various ways. Whereas wine is sold in the retail off-premise sector largely on the basis

of its tangible product cues such as brand name, bottle shape and size, label design and information, grape variety, price, etc., there is none or at best very little opportunity for

consumers to engage with the experience aspect of this product. The situation in the on-premise sector within which

wine is actually consumed in situ is no better in that most wine is ordered from restaurant wine lists that often contain minimal information and there are even fewer informational

cues at the disposal of the consumer than is normally the case in the off-premise sector. In fact Ritchie (2009, p. 195)

contended that “it is psychologically easier to buy wine in an off-trade situation rather than in an on-trade environment.” Furthermore, in the on-premise setting, food often dictates

the wine choice in a restaurant (Schamberg, 2002).

As wine becomes a lifestyle beverage, women have become

the majority buyers and decision makers: In an Australian

study on wine consumption and household income, females

reported a higher incidence of being the decision maker in

wine purchasing (Bruwer et al., 2005). In the USA, according

to research for the Wine Market Council, women account for

60 per cent of “high end” wine buyers; that is, they match two

of the three following criteria - they purchase wine costing

more than US$15 occasionally to frequently, have more than

12 bottles on hand at home, and would buy a wine costing

more than US$15 for a casual meal at home. A California study reports that women drink more wine at

restaurants, as cocktails and on celebratory occasions than

men (Sbrocco, 2003). Australian research suggests a slightly

different pattern of wine consumption in so far as males

reported slightly higher wine consumption than females,

peaking with increasing age, with males 35 þ years old

showing the highest level (Bruwer et al., 2005). However, as

with the Californian study, this study found that females

reported a higher percentage of wine consumption in

restaurants. They also noted females across both their

sample groups bought more expensive wine than males. In

terms of income, more females than males in the sample

earned an income in the highest of three categories. There

was also anecdotal evidence that females spend more overall

on wine (Bruwer et al., 2005). Women today have a higher

disposable income to support their increasing wine

involvement. Bruwer (2002) notes that the majority of

Generation X tasting room visitors are female, highly

educated, relevantly affluent and drinking a high volume of

wine. In determining reasons for differences in sensory perception

of wine, it seems from the anecdotal evidence that lifestyle has

an impact. In the UK, research indicates that while women

are the major purchasers of wine, more women buy in

supermarkets and more men in specialty wine shops (Low,

2001). In the USA, 70 per cent of women buy the wine for

their household and buy it like the groceries, as a food item

(Wenzel, 2005). While this may hold true for homemakers,

Bruwer et al. (2005) in an Australian study found particularly

among the young female group, that women were more

influenced by wine writers in newspapers and magazines,

retail staff and attendance at wine festivals than their male

counterparts, although their strongest influence on wine

purchase was friends and family. While the above provide

some perspectives, they are far from conclusive. It therefore

appears that the place where consumers buy their wine and

the factors that influence them to buy it in that buying

situation require further investigation and this is something

that this study attempts to do. Dee Blackstock, UK Master of Wine and wine buyer, notes

more similarities than differences between the genders in

sensory preferences and suggests differences are about wine

knowledge, not gender. However, she points out that

traditionally women have not been judged on their wine

knowledge, whereas it has been part of “being a man” to

know about traditional wine and make choices when dining

out and entertaining and believes as roles become blurred,

differences that exist will decrease (Low, 2001).

Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences

Johan Bruwer, Anthony Saliba and Bernadette Miller

Journal of Consumer Marketing

Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2011 · 5 – 18

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2.6 Evidence of wine companies catering to gender

differences

Attempts by wine companies, in Australia and abroad, to

cater for sensory differences between genders, suggest that the

issue is significant to the wine marketing field. Although the

industry is in general seemingly not yet convinced that male

and female wine palates are different enough to warrant a

focus on special products (Lewis, 2004), some individual

wine companies have targeted females directly though. Wine

products such as Constellation’s Annabella and Fosters

Australia’s Pink and Pink Jewel, Beringer’s White Lie made

for the USA market, and Germany’s Bend on the River are

but a few examples (Bruwer, 2002; Bruwer et al., 2005).

Much of the promotional efforts of the companies producing

these wines have notably been about packaging to appeal to

female wine drinkers and providing sweeter, lighter-styled and

lower alcohol wines. Women’s role as purchasers of wine is often misunderstood

and under-leveraged; specific gender-vending is therefore an

important wine marketing issue (Sbrocco, 2003). Lewis

(2004) suggests that “almost every time the male-dominated

wine industry has come up with a product to woo the female

palate it has flopped”, citing the Hardy’s Wicked Wines range,

launched in 2000, as a prime example. Sbrocco (2003) in the

USA found several large and small companies are now

marketing specifically to women, not with frilly labels, sweet

wine or colour, but in how wine is integrated into lifestyle as

an everyday beverage.

2.7 Gaps in the knowledge base

Despite views being divided, most of the anecdotal evidence

found in the literature did not strongly support the notions

that women prefer white and sweet wine more and that men

prefer red wine more than women. There is evidence that

social change may have contributed to a diminishing of

differences, because in recent years, as wine has become a

lifestyle product, more people are drinking it and

consumption is proportionally higher for women. As it has

become a lifestyle product, women have become the majority

buyers of wine, matching wine with the food they prepare.

Social change has also provided women with more disposable

income and more opportunities to engage with a range of

wine styles. Anecdotal evidence was also found in the

literature for differences in physical sensory perception of

wine between men and women and chemical differences in

wine styles which affected people differently. Although some researchers have pointed to the need, there

remains a lack of specific research on gender differences in the

consumer behaviour dynamics and sensory perception of wine

drinkers. Attempts by wine companies, in Australia and

abroad, to cater for sensory differences between genders,

suggest that the issue is significant to the wine marketing field.

Atkin et al (2007) suggested that when attempting to

determine the reasons behind wine drinkers’ choices

demographic and lifecycle variables should be used and that

a good starting point is gender, specifically. This study has

adopted this premise in its investigative methodology and

broadened the scope to include the age generation aspect.

3. Research methodology

3.1 Research questions

The main research question is whether there are significant differences between male and female wine consumer behaviour and sensory preferences and if so, what is the nature of these differences? The other related questions to which this research sought answers are: . Do more women prefer white wine to red than men? . Do women prefer sweeter wine than men? . Do women prefer lighter wine styles than men? . Have differences changed over time and therefore are

there significant differences between age groups of the same gender?

. Does early experience of wine play a role in the differences, should they exist?

. What are the differences between gender and age groups in terms of the distribution outlet types where they buy their wine from?

. What are the main influencing factors in consumers’ wine buying decisions?

3.2 Hypotheses

The following six hypotheses were formulated to answer the research questions:

H1. Wine volume consumption and monthly spend of males are higher than that of females, also across age groups.

H2. Females are more likely than males to be influenced in their wine buying by their significant others (spouse/partner and family), their friends and the social occasion and the choice of food to match wine is the single most important wine buying choice factor across all the age and gender groups.

H3. More females than males prefer white to red wine. H4. More females than males prefer sweet wine to dry

wine. H5. More females than males prefer lighter body styles

of wine. H6. The differences in preferences between males and

females are diminishing as opportunities for experiencing wine are increasing, therefore younger age groups will exhibit less differences.

3.3 Research design

The primary data collection instrument was a questionnaire and was based on the research questions arising from the literature review. Several of the original questions were changed to closed questions to improve the efficiency of the questionnaire design. Only four questions were left as open- ended questions, with the objective of determining how consumers convey feelings and perceptions about the wine they drink. Additional questions on demographics, lifestyle and behaviour were incorporated to use the research opportunity to further inform knowledge in the field and to be able to contrast and compare with other studies in the field. The final questionnaire had a total 30 questions of which

most were close-ended. Respondents answered questionnaires in five to eight minutes on average. Researchers have pointed to the difficulties of differences of language in describing sensory perception of wine between a wide range of consumers and winemakers (Bruwer et al., 2005; Norris and

Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences

Johan Bruwer, Anthony Saliba and Bernadette Miller

Journal of Consumer Marketing

Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2011 · 5 – 18

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Lee, 2002) so the language of the questionnaire was in terms

that were readily recognisable to low and medium wine

knowledge consumers. The sampling frame was ten tasting rooms on recognised

wine routes within the Yarra Valley Wine Region in Australia.

The questionnaires were distributed to the tasting rooms

where data collection took place during a six-week period.

The tasting rooms were chosen for their proximity to major

wine routes and to reflect a broad range of sizes of winery/

tasting room businesses to obtain as wide as possible a range

of visitors. Sample control factors that contributed to the

quality of the data collected, included that all respondents

were regular wine drinkers, consuming wine at least once a month with 95 per cent consuming it at least once a week.

Furthermore, 82 per cent were the main buyers of wine for

their households meaning that there was a high likelihood that

had a very good understanding of various aspects of wine

buying and consumption. The questionnaire was left, usually on the counter or near

to it, at each tasting room, next to a marked box with slot.

The box was labelled and the purpose of the questionnaire,

suggested time needed to complete the questionnaire (five to

ten minutes) and assured confidentiality explained. This

information was repeated at the top of each questionnaire.

3.4 Research limitations . The research was conducted at ten tasting rooms in the

Yarra Valley wine region in Australia and was limited to

tasting room visitors to the Yarra Valley, tasting rooms

open seven days per week and did not include all tasting

rooms in the Yarra Valley in that category. . Candidates in the study were wine drinkers (above 18

years old), who consume wine on a relatively regular basis. . The final sample size is relatively small (150 respondents).

The researchers distributed 300 questionnaires and only

187 (62 per cent response rate) were completed. Of these

37 were incomplete or incorrectly filled in to the extent

that they were not useful for the purpose of the research

and were not used in the study. . The respondents who filled in questionnaires do not

necessarily reflect a cross section of tasting room visitors.

The questionnaire is long and involves some risk taking

(diminished by anonymity) and requires some time and

effort to complete (five to eight minutes). It is not

unreasonable to suggest it may have been more attractive

to the more confident or wine involved drinker than the

casual wine drinker.

4. Results and discussion

4.1 Demographics

The demographic characteristics of the consumers serve as

the basis for the further data analysis and testing of the

hypotheses (Table I). The age group distribution of the

sample confirms earlier work by Bruwer (2004), in which he

found that the Millennial and Generation-X age groups are

highly active and prominent as tasting room visitors in

Australia. Table I shows that 50 per cent of the sample were

between 18-34 years old, thus representing the Millennial

generation group. While the gender split was almost equal,

there were more Millennial females (56 per cent) than males

(45 per cent). The educational status of the total sample was

high, with 77 per cent in possession of a tertiary qualification.

Household size was generally small with on average less than

three persons per household. This is not surprising, given

their high SES (socio-economic characteristics) and high level

of mobility due to few children living in the household. Most

adults in the household (mean ¼ 2:20 persons) consume wine. From this it can be deduced, although not confirmed,

that if one spousal partner drinks wine the other one in the

household is also likely to do so. The household income levels

are weighted heavily to the middle and upper levels and are

functions of the relatively high education and occupational

levels and small household membership size.

4.2 Wine consumption dynamics Distribution outlet categories for wine buying The study explored whether any relationships exist between

the volume of wine purchased from each outlet category and

gender and/or age generation groups (Table II). No significant

difference in distribution outlet category usage between males

and females could be found. The test statistics show significant differences (one-way

ANOVA test, 0.05 level) between Millennials and

Generation-X, Baby Boomer and older consumers for

buying wine in restaurants, bars/pubs, mail order/wine club

and internet direct online. It is insightful that the generations

show no differences as far as wine buying from the

mainstream distribution outlet categories is concerned (large

chain stores, specialty shops, supermarkets and winery tasting

rooms). The fact that the Millennials buy significantly more

wine than older consumers from restaurants and bars/pubs,

could well be because they are more mobile as a result of them

Table I Demographic characteristics of the wine consumers

Male Female Total

Characteristic (%) (%) (%)

Gender 52.0 48.0 100.0

Age group (years) 18-24 11.5 13.9 12.7

25-28 10.3 18.1 14.0

29-34 23.1 23.6 23.3

35-40 5.1 15.3 10.0

41-45 9.0 6.9 8.0

46-54 15.4 9.7 12.7

55-65 23.1 11.1 17.3

65 1 2.5 1.4 2.0

Education level No tertiary qualification 23.1 23.6 23.4

Undergraduate tertiary qualification 43.6 41.7 42.6

Postgraduate tertiary qualification 33.3 34.7 34.0

Annual household income level (AUS$) < 50,000 9.0 13.9 11.4

50,000-100,000 43.5 47.3 45.2

100,001-200,000 37.2 31.9 34.7

200,000 1 10.3 6.9 8.7

Number of persons in householda

Persons under 18 years old 0.51 0.38 0.45

Persons 18 years and older 2.23 2.18 2.27

Persons $18 years old who drink wine 2.18 2.22 2.20

Note: aValues are means

Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences

Johan Bruwer, Anthony Saliba and Bernadette Miller

Journal of Consumer Marketing

Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2011 · 5 – 18

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having less children living in the household (see Table I) who could curtail participating in social activities outside the

home.

Wine volume consumption and monthly expenditure The annual per capita wine consumption of Australians in

2008 was 22.7 litres (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009).

Regular consumers however, drink substantially more wine than this national average and this phenomenon often

transcends to those who visit tasting rooms at wineries

(Bruwer, 2004). The fact that the annual consumption of the tasting room visitors in this study are four times above the

national average, confirms that the tasting room visitors

represent a top-slicing of the Australian wine market as no overseas visitors were included in the sample. Less than 5 per

cent of the respondents drank cask wine, which is not

surprising since they were tasting room visitors in a wine region that mostly markets wines in the super- to ultra-

premium price ranges. Table III shows that the average monthly volume

consumption of the sample was 8.2 bottles, with the average

of the males significantly higher than the females (at the .05

level, independent samples t-test). This is in line with the findings on wine consumption levels in other Australian wine

market studies (Bruwer and Johnson, 2005; Bruwer and Li,

2007). Although the females in this study drink significantly less wine by volume than the males, they “compensated” for

that by buying a higher quality product as the average price

they paid per bottle was a significant 27 per cent higher than

that of the males. This reconfirms the observations about

female wine consumption patterns and the speculation that it

is rooted in higher risk-reduction perception, discussed

earlier. It follows that Millennial consumers drink significantly less

wine and spend significantly less money on their monthly

wine purchases compared with the older generations. In terms

of wine drinking frequency (not shown), 85 per cent of the

females drink wine at least a few times a week and the

frequency increases across the age groups. Slightly more

males in the sample (92 per cent) are frequent wine drinkers.

A pattern emerged of wine drinking becoming more frequent

from the 40 years age group upwards in the female group and

35 years upwards in the male group. Although it appears as if

higher wine volume consumption could be positively

correlated with increasing age, this should be confirmed in

future purpose-designed research studies. The results contained in Table III guided the acceptance of

H[1] in that the wine volume consumption and monthly

spend of males are significantly higher than that of females,

also across the Millennial and older age groups.

4.3 Wine buying influencing factors

Respondents had to indicate the importance of each of a

range of factors that influence their wine buying on a ten-

point ranking scale. These factors were random placed in the

questionnaire to limit order bias. The scale was tested for

reliability (Cronbach alpha ¼ 0:74) and this was found to be

Table II Wine buying from distribution outlet categories by age generation

Wine volume % purchases (mean) ANOVA

Factor Overall <35 years $ 35 years F Sig.

Large national chain liquor stores 27.4 22.4 32.2 3.788 0.054

Winery tasting rooms 15.2 14.8 15.6 0.023 0.879

Supermarket/grocery stores 14.5 15.7 13.4 0.401 0.527

Independent specialty wine shops 14.3 16.5 12.0 1.666 0.199

Restaurants 10.8 14.8 6.8 15.672 0.000 *

Winery mail order/wine club 10.7 5.2 16.4 8.049 0.005 *

Bars/pubs 5.3 8.8 1.8 16.1223 0.000 *

Internet direct online 1.8 1.8 1.8 8.049 0.005 *

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 – –

Note: *Significant at 0.05 level

Table III Monthly wine consumption and expenditure by the wine consumers

Amount spent per month ($) Consumption per month (bottles) Average price paid per bottle ($)

Total 188.07 8.22 28.76

Male 208.33 9.59 25.47

Female 165.5 6.74 32.43

t-value 1.464 2.723 21.706 Sig (two-tailed) 0.145 0.007 * 0.041 *

Total 188.07 8.22 28.76

<35 years 148.70 6.95 28.25

$ 35 years 226.40 9.49 29.26

t-value 22.688 22.407 20.245 Sig. (two-tailed) 0.008 * 0.017 0.807

Notes: Grouping variables: gender and age; * significant at 0.05 level

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at an acceptable level. The results are reflected in Tables IV

and V for gender and age generation groups (Millennial vs

older) respectively. Among the ten influencing factors, there were significant

differences (one-way ANOVA test) between males and

females for only two factors, namely wine writers/critics and

wine store staff. In both instances males reported a

significantly higher influence than females. In the case of

age generations, Millennials indicated that they were

significantly less influenced by their spouse/partner than

were the older generation groups. One can assume that some

of the Millennials did not have a spouse/partner simply

because of their young age, hence the lower influence by a

spouse/partner reported. For Generation-X and older

consumers the advice of restaurant waiters was significantly

less important than for Millennials. Young females are more

influenced than their male counterparts by third parties such

as restaurant waiters, the social occasion, their friends and

other family members. Older females are on the other hand

more influenced than their male counterparts by their spouse/

partner and the extrinsic cue such as wine label information.

The results confirmed the acceptance of H[2] that females are

more likely than males to be influenced in their wine buying

by their significant others (spouse/partner and family), friends

and the social occasion and the choice of food to match wine

is the single most important wine buying choice factor across all the age and gender groups.

4.4 Wine type, style, body style and other sensory

preferences

One of the study’s main objectives was to examine gender and

age differences in perceived sensory preferences and hence it looked specifically at the wine type, style, taste and aroma aspects.

Wine type preferences These are reflected in Table VI according to gender and

generation group in terms of the actual wine type consumption of the consumers. From the results one can infer that females preferred red and white wine almost equally, while red wine consumption was considerably higher

(almost double) among males (58 per cent) compared to white wine consumption. A higher percentage of females drank sparkling and rosé wine compared to males. Fortified consumption was small, but twice the amount for males

compared to females. The difference between males and females in terms of their red and white wine consumption (86 per cent of their total consumption) was highly significant (one-way ANOVA at 0.05 level). Figures 1 and 2 show these

differences within each gender more clearly in patterned format, albeit by age group. On further examination of wine type consumption by age

group, only red wine consumption shows a significant difference across all the age groups. This aspect is more specifically addressed in Tables VII and VIII from both the between and within group perspective. There is sufficient

evidence contained in Table VI to accept H[3] that more females than males prefer white to red wine when judged purely by their actual consumption thereof.

Sweet or dry wine style preferences Previous research found that the taste of wine is the most important factor why people drink or do not drink wine

(Keown and Casey, 1995; Thompson and Vourvachis, 1995). Key factors that determine the taste of wine include the level of sweetness versus dryness and the body style (varying from light to full-bodied). Table VII shows that both males and

females exhibit a significant difference in their preference for sweet versus dry wines in terms of taste, while Figure 1 illustrates this within each gender by age generation group. The difference between genders in the preference for sweet

versus dry style wine is apparent only in the case of young female drinkers (Figure 1) and although both males and females report a higher preference for sweet wine when

younger and thereafter gravitate towards drier wine styles, double the number of females, compared with males, preferred sweet to dry wine. However, this should be seen in context as this was only 16 per cent of all the females as the

balance preferred dry wine. On the other hand, 92 per cent of males and 84 per cent of females overall prefer dry wine, hence a dry wine style was a clear preference with both genders (chi-square test at 0.05 level). Figure 1 shows that,

while all age groups preferred dry wine to sweet wine, the largest difference emerged in the 18-24 year age group, where far more young females (44 per cent) than males (11 per cent) preferred sweet wine the highest percentage among all the age

groups. All females in the older than 40 þ years age groups preferred dry wine over sweet wine.

Table IV Wine buying influencing factors by gender

Mean rating values ANOVA

Factor Total Male Female F Sig.

Food choice 3.59 3.32 3.88 1.785 0.184

Spouse/partner 4.11 4.47 3.73 1.800 0.182

Social occasion 4.24 4.24 4.25 0.000 0.994

Friends 4.45 4.39 4.51 0.100 0.753

Personal finances 5.49 5.27 5.72 0.988 0.322

Label information 6.02 5.86 6.19 0.541 0.463

Wine writers/critics 6.04 5.37 6.77 9.043 0.003 *

Other family members 6.18 6.36 6.00 0.601 0.440

Restaurant waiters 6.72 6.81 6.62 0.223 0.638

Staff in wine store 7.24 6.85 7.68 4.311 0.040 *

Notes: *Significant at 0.05 level; rating scale: 1 ¼ most influence to 10 ¼ least influence

Table V Wine buying influencing factors by age group

Mean rating values ANOVA

Factor Total <35 years $35 years F Sig

Food choice 3.59 3.58 3.61 0.005 0.943

Spouse/partner 4.11 4.70 3.51 4.709 0.032 *

Social occasion 4.24 4.16 4.33 0.132 0.717

Friends 4.45 4.38 4.53 0.156 0.693

Personal finances 5.49 5.16 5.83 2.129 0.147

Label information 6.02 6.38 5.66 2.660 0.105

Wine writers/critics 6.04 5.95 6.14 0.168 0.683

Other family members 6.18 5.78 6.60 3.264 0.073

Restaurant waiters 6.72 6.29 7.16 4.617 0.033 *

Staff in wine store 7.24 6.99 7.51 1.700 0.104

Notes: *Significant at 0.05 level; rating scale: 1 ¼ most influence to 10 ¼ least influence

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It is clear that young females report a preference for sweeter

wine styles but that this preference declines sharply, even

before they reach 30 years of age. Males, on the other hand,

report preference for drier wine styles even from a young age.

Overall the initial preference for sweet wine reduces over time

for both genders, but more drastically in the case of females.

On a cautionary note, the sub-groups’ sample sizes were quite

small and hence care should be taken when generalising about

them. We therefore conclude that the evidence is insufficient

to accept H[4]. The hypothesis that more females than males

prefer sweet wine to dry wine is therefore rejected.

Light, medium- or full-body wine style preferences The results in Figure 2 indicate that preference of the females

was heavily weighted towards medium-bodied wine styles (58

per cent preference), while that of the males was weighted

towards full-bodied wine styles (52 per cent). Light-bodied

wine styles are preferred by only 14 per cent of females but

the preference is far lower for males (about 4 per cent). The

most pronounced differences between the genders are within

the medium-bodied (58 per cent of females) and full-bodied

wine styles (52 per cent of males). Within both the male and female genders the difference in

wine body style preference is significant (at 0.05 level,

sig ¼ 0:0000). Table VII shows that the difference in wine body style preference is significant for both generational

groups, namely, Millennials and older consumers whereas in

Table VI Actual wine type consumption breakdown of wine consumers – gender and age group

Red wine White wine Sparkling wine Rosé wine Fortified wine

ANOVA ANOVA ANOVA ANOVA ANOVA

% F Sig. % F Sig. % F Sig. % F Sig. % F Sig.

Total 50.7 34.9 8.7 3.4 2.3

Gender 15.524 0.000 * 11.190 0.001 * 3.459 0.065 5.727 0.018 * 0.977 0.325 Male 58.2 29.2 7.0 2.6 3.0

Female 42.6 41.1 10.5 4.2 1.6

Age group (years) 2.214 0.036 * 1.011 0.426 0.775 0.609 1.533 0.161 1.205 0.304 18-24 38.0 41.7 10.3 5.0 5.0

25-28 39.9 41.3 9.7 8.1 1.0

29-34 51.6 34.4 10.1 2.1 1.8

35-40 59.7 29.5 6.1 2.9 1.8

41-45 66.2 24.6 5.7 0.8 2.7

46-54 52.9 31.4 9.0 5.0 1.7

55-65 53.4 36.4 5.7 1.2 3.3

65 1 38.0 41.7 10.3 5.0 5.0

Note: *Significant at 0.05 level

Figure 2 Gender differences in wine body style preferences

Table VII Wine style preferences of consumers between gender and age groups

Variable Chi- square df Asymp sig.

Gender Males Sweet vs dry style 53.895 1 0.000 *

Females Sweet vs dry style 32.014 1 0.000 *

Males Body style 30.110 2 0.000 *

Females Body style 26.000 2 0.000 *

Age group (years) <35 Red vs white 0.373 1 0.541 * *

$35 Red vs white 20.082 1 0.000 *

<35 Sweet vs dry style 32.890 1 0.000 *

$35 Sweet vs dry style 53.389 1 0.000 *

<35 Body style 13.794 2 0.001 *

$35 Body style 31.652 2 0.000 *

Notes: *Significant at 0.05 level; * *significant at 0.10 level

Figure 1 Gender preference for sweet wine

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the case of males, only the Generation-X and older age groups

presented a significant difference. H[5] that more females than males prefer lighter styles of wine is therefore accepted.

Generational differences in wine preferences Wine marketers have in recent times started to take a

generational view of the wine market (Bruwer, 2002, 2004)

and the results exposited in Table VIII enable the further

exploration of this aspect. The most commonly used variable to explain differences in

the wine consumption habits of consumers is their preference

for and consumption ratio of red as opposed to white wine.

From Table VIII it follows that for males there is a significant

difference within the Millennial and older generations

between red and white wine consumption. Figure 3

illustrates this quite clearly. The preference of males for red

wine was high across all the age groups, peaking between 41-

45 years, but shows a drastic decline in the older than 55 year-

old age groups with white wine then becoming the preferred

wine type. Figure 4 shows that females exhibit a noticeably different

preference pattern for red versus white wines from that of

males. Females reported a clearer preference for white wine

than males in particular in the 18-34 year Millennial

generation group but this changed gradually (no significant

difference) across the groups and by the time they reached

Generation-X age they also show a preference for red wine,

although it never becomes as pronounced as in the case of the

males. This shifting trend to red wine declined, then increased

again in the older age groups with 55 þ year-old females

drinking more red than white wine, whereas males showed the

reverse trend again albeit somewhat later in their lifecycles. The findings of the study are somewhat “mixed” and as a

result of concrete evidence being somewhat lacking the H[6]

is rejected that the differences in preferences of males and

females groups are diminishing as opportunities for

experiencing wine are increasing, therefore younger age

groups will exhibit less differences.

Specific sensory characteristics of wine preferred by consumers Whereas the results displayed and discussed earlier that relate

to preferences for wine type, wine style and wine body style in

essence encapsulated the sensory preferences of consumers at

a generic level. The study also examined their taste/flavour

and aroma profile preferences more specifically. Table IX

reflects the flavour and aroma categories that consumers

prefer. The main categories shown in Table IX in the case of

flavour and aroma respectively are in turn composed from 54

different flavour types (e.g. pepper, raspberry, chocolate,

citrus, mint, etc.) and 47 aroma types (e.g. apple, perfume,

cherry, musty, etc). Although no specific hypothesis was set,

the study attempted to check for differences in sensory

preferences between males and females. Table IX shows some significant differences between the

taste (flavour) and aroma preferences of males and females

(chi-square goodness-of-fit test, 0.05 level). More specifically: . Wine flavour preferences. Fruit taste is by far the most

important and among females, vegetative characters are

mentioned by a significant number, while “wood/oak”,

and “mouth-feel” were also mentioned more often by

females. More males in turn preferred the aged characters

of wine. . Wine aroma preferences. Fruit aromas were most preferred

by nearly two-thirds of the females compared to just over

half of the males. Wood aromas ranked next in

importance, but within that, “oak and wood” aromas

were notably most mentioned by males and “vanilla” by

females. “Floral” and “spice” were the third most

Table VIII Wine style preferences of consumers within gender and age groups

Males Females

Age group Variable Chi-square Df Asymp sig. Chi-square df Asymp sig.

<35 Red vs white 8.000 1 0.005 * 3.457 1 0.063

$35 Red vs white 20.829 1 0.000 * 2.462 1 0.117

<35 Sweet vs dry style 24.029 1 0.000 * 10.526 1 0.001 *

$35 Sweet vs dry style 29.878 1 0.000 * 23.516 1 0.000 *

<35 Body style 9.455 2 0.009 * 13.771 2 0.001 *

$35 Body style 0.900 1 0.343 14.966 2 0.001 *

Note: *Significant at 0.05 level

Figure 3 Wine type consumption by age group – males

Figure 4 Wine type consumption by age group – females

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mentioned category and within “spice” the “pepper”

aroma was more often mentioned by males. Males clearly

liked “earthy aromas” but this was mentioned much less

by females.

Although the fact that some wine companies at least appear to

cater for the differences in the sensory preferences between

males and females in that they have developed some wine

brands directly targeted at a specific gender group was

mentioned earlier, there is no concrete evidence that this

strategy is actually sensory preference-driven at all. This all-

important aspect needs to be further investigated in future

research studies. The preceding discussion of the study’s findings was an

attempt to highlight the importance to the wine industry of a

deepened knowledge of sensory preferences in wine, with

specific emphasis on gender and within that, age

(generational) differences. Albeit that the study was

exploratory, it succeeded in uncovering some important

facts and providing further perspectives regarding their

meaning. As mentioned, recent attempts by wine companies

to cater for gender differences suggest that the issue is indeed

important to the wine marketing field.

5. Conclusions, implications, limitations and recommendations

5.1 Conclusions

The main objective of this exploratory study was to examine

gender and age generation differences in wine consumption

behaviour, including perceived sensory preferences. What

emerged is that females bring significant sensory preference

and behavioural differences, to their early encounters with

wine; these differences appear to diminish with increasing

experience with wine. In main wine markets such as the UK, USA, Australia and

some others, increases in wine consumption have been largely

driven by large numbers of females adopting wine as a lifestyle

drink. Several factors contributed to this phenomenon, such as health reasons, its image as a sophisticated, even feminine

drink, and a rise in discretionary income, to name but a few. A deepened understanding of the female segment, which in the

process also highlights differences with males, is therefore of great importance to better inform marketing strategies. Young

wine consumers, the Millennial generation in particular, are today the heavy wine consumers of the future and sharper

insights on generational differences, combined with gender perspectives are therefore vital for the future success of the

wine industry. The main findings of the study are that females drink less

wine than males, spend less thereon but tend to

“compensate” for this by buying higher priced wine per bottle which could well represent a risk-reduction strategy as

such. Females are also noticeably higher than their male counterparts on white wine consumption and their perceived

preference for a sweeter wine style at a young age and show a particularly strong preference for medium body style wines

over light and full-bodied wines. Regarding the factors that influence wine buying, the only significant differences

between males and females were reported for two factors, namely wine writers/critics and wine store staff. However, the

choice of food to match wine is the single most important wine buying choice factor across all the age and gender

groups, especially for males. In each case males reported a higher influence than males. From a sensory preference

viewpoint, fruit tastes and aromas are by far the most important especially among females, as are vegetative

characters, wood/oak, and mouth-feel. More males preferred the aged characters of wine. Whereas Millennial consumers drink significantly less wine

and spend significantly less money on their monthly wine

purchases compared with the older generations, the importance of a good understanding of this segment in

terms of their future impact in the wine market cannot be overstressed. For males there is a significant difference within

the Millennial and older generations between red and white wine consumption, while in the case of females it is far less

pronounced. Millennials buy significantly more wine than older consumers from restaurants and bars/pubs, probably

because of their higher level of mobility at that stage of their lifecycle. Millennials are more influenced by their spouse/

partner than any of the other generation groups, while for Generation-X and older consumers the advice of restaurant

waiters is more important than for Millennials. Young Millennial females are more influenced than their male

counterparts by extrinsic cues such as label information, by third parties such as wine store staff and wine writers/critics

and by their spouse/partners. Overall more research is needed in some of the areas.

5.2 Managerial implications

The adoption of a marketing orientation is by now well accepted in the wine marketing field. Its manifestation in the

wine industry is in the form of the whole-of-wine-chain approach in which consumer preferences essentially drive the

responses from the wine production chain starting in the vineyard with the grape growing practices used. A marketing-

oriented organisation attains its aspirations and objectives through a thorough understanding of customers’ needs and

wants. It undertakes intelligence gathering about its

Table IX Wine flavours (taste) and aroma types preferred by gender group

Preference incidence

Male Female

(%) (%) Chi-square df Sig.

Flavour/taste type Fruit 47.4 59.7 85.700 3 0.000 *

Oak/wood 18.0 23.6 28.323 2 0.000 *

Mouth-feel 16.7 23.6 25.400 2 0.000 *

Aged 16.7 8.3 8.895 1 0.003 *

Herb 3.9 6.9 2.000 1 0.157

Aroma type Primary fruit 53.9 62.5 68.759 2 0.000 *

Woody 14.1 16.7 15.696 1 0.000 *

Floral 11.5 11.1 13.235 1 0.000 *

Spicy 11.5 11.1 9.941 1 0.002 *

Earthy 7.7 1.4a – – –

Herbaceous 3.9a 2.8a – – –

Microbiological 3.9a 1.4a – – –

Caramel 2.6a 6.9 – – –

Notes: *Significant at 0.05 level; aexpected frequency of , 5

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consumers and then creatively uses that intelligence by

feeding the information back down its production chain

(Kotler et al., 2007). It is therefore somewhat disconcerting

that there is still an ongoing challenge for wine marketers to

convince the winemakers (and growers) to produce the wines

that the consumers actually want to drink. Whereas this study

provided insights into what some of the needs and wants of

wine consumers are, the real challenge for the wine industry

lies in how this knowledge will be used in practice. This study confirmed that there are clear differences

between female and male wine consumers and in both the

younger Millennial and older generations. There are many

large mainstream wine brands successfully targeted at a broad

spectrum of male and female, younger and older consumers

alike. One can expect that this will continue to be the case for

some time to come for economies of scale and other reasons.

Opportunities on the other hand do exist for niche-marketed

wine brands targeted at specific segments such as young

females and this study highlighted what their specific needs

and consumer behaviour dynamics are. While wine is arguably one of the consumer products with

more variety of product choice than most others which at least

on the surface appears that every possible need and want of

consumers are already being catered for, this has on the

negative side led to severe fragmentation of the industry and

consumer confusion to such an extent that wine is widely

regarded as representing a “complicated” buying decision.

Marketing information such as provided by this study should

be innovatively used to change this perception and optimise

the previously uncovered opportunities.

5.3 Research limitations

A limitation of this study is its exploratory nature and the fact

that it is limited to one country only, namely Australia.

Research in other country environments should be conducted

to expand this knowledge base and for comparative purposes.

This research study has provided important exploratory

information but the data have been obtained from one

regional location and from a relatively small sample.

Comparative studies need to be conducted in other regions

and on a larger scale. Much of the information obtained by this study is of a self-

report nature and care should therefore be taken when

comparing the results thereof with studies using a different

measurement methodology. For example, regarding the

specific taste/flavour and aroma preferences of the

respondents, actual wine tasting did not take place and

neither were their wine knowledge or involvement levels

tested. This could have had some impact on the validity of the

taste and aroma preference results that were obtained.

However, this factor is also a potential advantage of the

current study, since perceived preference is precisely what

marketers need to know, in order to present a product in a

favourable light.

5.4 Recommendations for further research

More research is needed to develop better understanding of

how sensory preferences develop, why they exist and how

consumers convey perceptions of wine products. Applying a

tool such as sensory mapping with blind tastings may be a

valuable source of future research data and could be used in

conjunction with a questionnaire survey. Such an approach

would characterise the differences between self-reported and

actual wine flavour and aroma preferences. From the time when wine marketing took its still somewhat

tenuous place in the whole-of-wine-value chain approach,

there has been the burning issue of convincing the

winemakers (and grape growers) to produce the styles and

quantities of wines that the consumers want to drink. There is certainly still a long, long way to go in this developmental

process. Many questions about the marketing intelligence

aspect unfortunately still abound. For example, what is the

basis for gender differences in sensory preferences in wine? Most of what we know come from anecdotal evidence from

sommeliers, restaurateurs, bar staff and retailers who are only

observing (not measuring) male and female wine consumers’ behaviour on a relatively regular basis. Sensory mapping, in conjunction with other research, may be an important future

tool to better inform the industry on this issue. Whereas some wine companies appear as if they are

catering for the differences in the sensory preferences between

males and females in that they have developed some wine

brands directly targeted at a specific gender group, there is no

concrete evidence that this strategy is indeed sensory preference-informed. This all-important aspect needs to be

further investigated. Finally, although it appears as if higher

wine volume consumption could be positively correlated with increasing age, this aspect and its underlying reasons should

be confirmed in future purpose-designed research studies.

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Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009), “Australian wine and grape industry”, cat no.1329.0, available at: www.abs.gov.au

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