At this time of year, wine consumption is front and centre of celebrations, but it's been a turbulent couple of years in the wine trade and its effect on the Irish wine drinking public. It has been found that the number of consumers who would stop buying a particular brand of wine almost doubles with each €1 increase in price!
Below are the results taken from the Wolf Blass & Lindeman’s Wine Intelligence Survey carried out in Ireland in July 2013 where 1,038 wine drinkers were canvassed about their wine drinking habits and perceptions.
Though the results are not a surprise to most in the industry, it is nevertheless alarming to have general perceptions confirmed so baldly. The survey was commissioned by Wolf Blass and Lindeman’s wines, two of the most popular brands in Ireland and firm favourites with consumers for their unbeatable balance of quality, taste and price.
DEMOGRAPHICSOf 2.3 million drinkers in Ireland, 71% of Irish adults drink wine. Of this, 1.9 million are regular wine drinkers. So, 60% of Irish adults drink wine at least once per month.
This is compared to: 78% of adults drink wine in England, 73% in Holland, 86% in Sweden and 91% in Denmark.
CONSUMPTION HABITSIrish adults drink around 17 litres of wine per year compared to:
France 45 litres,
Portugal 42 litres, Italy
41 litres,
Germany 25 litres, U.K
21 litres per adult per year.
Changes in frequency of wine consumption: 28% of people are drinking less wine than they did a year ago. Under 35s consumers are drinking more wine while 55+ are drinking the same amount.
The reasons given for drinking less wine than before were:I generally drink less alcohol (59%)
Wine has become too expensive (27%)
Wine is bad for health (13%)
The people I’m usually with drink less wine (11%)
The quality of many wines has declined (3%)
The wine I like is no longer available (2%)
Other reason (12%)
In the 4 weeks before the survey, the respondants consumed the following beverages:72% Still white wine, 65% Still red wine, 65% beer, 47% spirits (not pre-mixed), 38% Cider, 17% Sparkling White
In the 6 months before the survey, respondents have drank wine from the following countries:France 62%
Chile 55%
Australia 51%
Spain 46%
Italy 46%
New Zealand 30%
USA 30%
Argentina 19%
Portugal 14%
Irish Consumers find the following important when making choice:91% - Quality of wine
89% - The taste
87% - The price
75% - Colour
69% - Promotional Offer
58% - Recommended by friend/family
58% - A brand I’m aware of
55% - Country of origin
52% - It accompanies food I’m preparing
46% - Grape variety I’m aware of
The Importance of occasions: 7 out of 10 wine consumers will buy differently depending on the occasion. 1 million Irish people drank Australian wine in 6 months prior to the survey.
Brand awareness: Four Australian brands feature in top ten including WolfBlass & Lindeman’s
IMPACT of PRICINGThe number of consumers who would stop buying a brand almost doubles with each €1 increase. 44% of people are spending more on wine that they did one year ago. 42% spend the same and 14% spend less on wine.
Attitudes towards special offers or promotions:
Familiarity is a major driver but can be over-ridden by price and promotions:42% - Generally same store but I will look at offers from other stores
40% - I take advantage of promotions but only on my favourite brands
32%- Take advantage of promotions no matter what the brand
29%- I take advantages of promotions but only on my favourite country/region
26%- I always check offers before deciding where to shop
24%- I take advantages of promotions but only on my favourite grape variety
Source: WolfBlass & Lindeman’s Wine Intelligence Survey, Ireland, July 2013, base = 1,038 Irish regular wine drinkers via
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