Consumer Attitudes towards Local Wines in an Emerging Region:

A Segmentation Approach

Published in the International Journal of Wine Business Research, 2008, 20(4), 321 334

Natalia Kolyesnikova*
Department of Nutrition, Hospitality and Retailing
Box 41240
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas 79409-1240 USA
+1 806 742-3077
n.kolyesnikova@ttu.edu

Tim H. Dodd
Department of Nutrition, Hospitality and Retailing
Box 41162
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas 79409-1162 USA
+1 806 742-3031 (extension 239)
tim.dodd@ttu.edu

Dale F. Duhan
Area of Marketing
Rawls College of Business
Box 42101
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas 79409-2101 USA
+1 806 742-3114
dale.duhan@ttu.edu

* Corresponding Author

Consumer Attitudes towards Local Wines in an Emerging Region:

A Segmentation Approach
Abstract
Purpose The current study is an initial attempt to segment the wine market in an emerging
region and examine local residents attitudes towards local wines.
Design/ Methodology/Approach The study was conducted using data collected from U.S.
households through a telephone survey. Consumer attitudes towards local wines were
operationalized through (1) assessment of local wines; (2) recommendation of local wines to
others; and (3) rating of quality of local wines. The K-means clustering algorithm was applied
to classify the respondents into clusters.
Findings The developing wine market was segmented into four clusters: (1) local
enthusiasts; (2) local detractors, (3) local advocates (4) local non-advocates. Sociodemographic and wine consumption profiles for each segment are developed. Of particular
interest was the difference in recommendation behavior between two of groups of consumers
with similar relatively high quality ratings and assessments of the local wines. Despite the
similarity in attitudes, local advocates are willing to recommend the regional wines to other
people, while non-advocates would not recommend them.
Originality/Value The market segmentation approach taken in this study is based on local
residents attitudes towards local wines. The study sets the starting point in investigating new
markets consumer characteristics and reasons for their behavior. Of particular interest for
future research is consumer recommendation behavior.
Practical Implications By better understanding how information is transferred from one
person to the next will assist marketers in their efforts to establish new products or introduce
new brands or regional wines.
Keywords market segmentation, attitudes towards local products, advocates
Paper type Research paper

Consumer Attitudes towards Local Wines in an Emerging Region:

A Segmentation Approach
Wine consumers today are presented with a bewildering selection of varietals and
brands of both domestic and imported products. In addition, wine has been driven forward by
opportunities in continuously growing emerging wine markets worldwide. Consumers in new
wine regions are faced with a choice between more familiar, non-regional wines and newer,
regional products. What drives their choice is certainly worth researching.
In essence, promotion of products from a new wine region typically starts with
attempts to build local residents into loyal customers, enthusiasts and advocates who further
disseminate product information. This is especially true for those wine markets where the
product is being sold exclusively or primarily within the market. For example, according to
the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute, 95% of wine produced in the state, is sold and
consumed within the state of Texas (Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute, 2006).
Therefore, the Texas wine industry depends largely on local residents loyalty. Despite the
importance of understanding new markets, it is often assumed that local residents
automatically accept local products. However, research on new markets shows that this is not
always the case. Understanding new markets is often difficult even for product innovators
(Dougherty, 1990). The challenge for wine marketers in emerging regions then is to
understand their local residents consumer base.
The key to developing a successful marketing strategy in an emerging region is to first
undertake a rigorous assessment of the market. A comprehensive understanding of consumer
attitudes contributes significantly to the commercial success of new products. Essential in the
understanding of consumer behavior is the adoption of a sound market segmentation
approach (Bruwer, Li, and Reid, 2002). The importance of developing consumer clusters in a
new, developing wine region has been stressed previously by wine marketing researchers
(e.g., Chaney, 2001; Dodd and Bigotte, 1997; Sparks and Malady, 2006).

Wine Market Segmentation

Market segmentation is not a new topic in wine marketing. In his groundwork on
wine market segmentation, McKinna (1987) developed a model of five market clusters,
which later was empirically tested and narrowed down to four major segments of wine
consumers, defined as connoisseurs, aspirational drinkers, beverage wine consumers,
and new wine drinkers (Spawton, 1991). Spawtons classification was based on consumer
expectations and risk-reduction strategies. A variety of other segmentation processes can be
discovered in the wine marketing literature. Spawton (1998) indicated that the wine industry
has been subject to all types of segmentation. In their review of different segmentation
approaches, Bruwer, Li, and Reid (2002) concluded that wine markets have been segmented
based on nine major segmentation variables: quality, consumption, risk reduction, occasionbased, cross-cultural, behavioral, involvement, geographic, wine-related lifestyles. Table III
includes some of the segmentation studies in wine marketing. Although the list is not allinclusive, the sampling demonstrates different approaches that have been taken for wine
market segmentation.
Please insert Table III at the end of the paper
Market segmentation analysis has been applied to various regional markets (e.g.,
Australia, Ireland, Texas, Niagara). A few studies focused on the analyses of emerging wine
regions, but segmentation of these developing markets has been formed mostly on
demographic (Dodd and Bigotte, 1997), geographic (Hashimoto and Telfer, 2003), or
behavioral (Keown and Casey, 1995) variables. The approach taken in this study is based on
local residents attitudes towards local wines. Attitudes were operationalized through three
variables: (a) assessment of local wines; (b) recommendation of local wines to others; and (c)
rating of quality of local wines.

The three variables were chosen as the basis for cluster formation due to the welldocumented importance of these factors in wine consumer behavior. Wine quality is a
characteristic that is difficult to define and evaluate. Because many of the measures of quality
are intrinsic and difficult to access before consumption, consumers often rely on various
perceived signals of quality price, producers, brand, vintage, etc. (Lockshin, Cleary, and
Rasmussen, 2000). Despite the complexity and subjectivity of the wine quality variable,
quality perception has been found amongst the most prominent factors influencing
consumers choice of wine (Orth and Krska, 2002). It is particularly important for wine
producers in emerging markets to create favorable product quality perception that, in turn,
can lead to higher preferences and willingness to purchase the product.
Wine is an experience product, meaning that prior to purchase, consumers usually do
not know whether or not the wine meets their standards of quality. However, consumers often
use decisive factors other than quality in their purchasing behavior. For example, wine
consumer purchasing decisions depend largely on consumers overall assessment of products.
In many cases, consumers may or may not have tried the products, but will have an overall
impression (assessment) of them, regardless of previous experience. This assessment can be
formed as a result of impersonal (e.g., media, reviews, advertising) or personal (friends, sales
personnel, acquaintances) sources of information (Dodd, Laverie, Wilcox, and Duhan, 2005).
The role of consumer overall assessment of products in developing regions is particularly
significant, as these impressions will influence whether or not favorable information about
new products will be passed on.
A great deal of research on consumer decision making has found that in many
purchase situations word of mouth is a very strong influence on consumer choice. Indeed,
wine markets are difficult shopping environments for wine consumers because wine markets
are fragmented and often restricted in the nature of shopping activities that are allowed. As a

result, wine consumers are likely to rely heavily on other peoples recommendations (Dodd et
al., 2005; Spawton, Romaniuk, and Lockshin, 2006). In the current research, the speculation
was that in the new wine market, willingness to recommend regional wines as opposed to
wines from other regions, will vary among local residents. Therefore, the decision was made
to use recommendation behavior as the third criterion for cluster formation. Consumer
characteristics that are related to the likelihood of recommending regions wines can provide
more insights for the understanding of wine consumer behavior in the emerging wine region.
Based on the preceding discussion, assessment of regional wines, rating of quality,
and recommendation to others were considered as factors playing an important role in
consumer attitudes towards the local products. These three variables were selected as criteria
for cluster formation. Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is (a) to examine local
residents attitudes towards local wines in an emerging wine region, (b) to segment the
developing wine market into distinct market segments based on their attitudes towards
regional wines, (c) to provide socio-demographic and wine consumption profiles for each
segment, and (d) to examine any potential differences between the segments.
Method
Overview
U.S. households were contacted through a telephone survey center. The specific
purpose of the study was to assess attitudes of local residents in an emerging wine region. For
the purposes of this study, local residents were defined as residents of the state. Therefore,
only telephone numbers with the state of Texas area codes were included in the survey.
Texas was selected as a site for the study for a variety of reasons. Although Texas has
come a long way since the emergence of the first wineries in the late 1970s, the region is still
new to the development of its wine and grape industry. It is not until a decade ago that the
Texas wine industry began experiencing a rapid growth. Currently, there are over 162

wineries in the state and the annual wine production in 2007 was almost 2 million gallons
(Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute, 2006). Thus, Texas provides a good setting for an
analysis of an emerging wine region.
Respondents
Qualifying individuals were asked to respond to a series of questions concerning their
wine consumption and attitudes. Specifications for the survey participation included
individuals who (a) were 21 years of age and older, (b) consumed wine, and (c) consumed
wine within the past 12 months. The twelve month time frame helped screen for respondents
involvement with wine and frequency of usage. It also helped include individuals who might
be casual drinkers and consume wine primarily during the holiday seasons.
Trained interviewers dialed 14,821 random telephone numbers, reaching 5,650
respondents. Of the 923 qualifying participants, 54% agreed to participate. The final sample
consisted of 502 competed interviews. The low response rate partially resulted from the
double screening (age and wine consumption within 12 months). The current cooperation rate
is in line with a telephone survey research trends (Massey, O'Connor, and Krotki, 1997) and
reflects the declining response rates resulting from increased use of answering machines,
caller identification systems, and the increased magnitude of telephone solicitation.
Procedures
The telephone survey was conducted from a telephone bank and calls were made
between July 19 and September 15, 2006. Callers recorded call disposition noting completed
interviews, no answer, answering machines, refusals, language barrier, disconnect, fax
numbers, and business numbers. Numbers that resulted in answering machines and no
answers were called a maximum of five times.
Callers introduced themselves to potential respondents by giving their name and the
name of the university affiliation, providing a statement concerning the academic purpose of

the research, and promising no attempt to sell any goods or services. If the respondents
passed the screening question and agreed to participate, the callers proceeded to a structured
script of the interview. On the average, the interview lasted for about 10 minutes. A computer
assisted data entry system prompted callers through the questionnaire. Responses were
entered directly into a computer data file hosted on a main server.
Measures
The assessment of local wines scale was adapted from a previous study of wine
consumer opinions (Morse, 1990). The instruction statement, Texas wines are, was
followed by seven items on a 5-point Likert-type scale, anchored between 1 (strongly
disagree) and 5 (strongly agree). Specifically, the following items measured consumer
assessment of Texas wines, (1) of good value; (2) good quality; (3) well-known; (4)
appropriately priced; (5) better than expected; (6) widely available, and (7) not advertised
enough (reverse-coded). The factor solution and a high level of inter-item consistency ( =
.81) warranted the construction of a composite measure, labeled assessment of local wines, by
averaging the rating scores across the seven items.
Recommendation of local wines to others was measured by a single-item measure,
How likely are you to recommend Texas wines to others, with ratings on a 5-point scale
response from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely).
Rating of quality of local wines was also measured by a single-item measure, Please
rate the quality of Texas wines on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means poor quality and 5
means excellent quality.
Results
Cluster Analysis
Data screening revealed that about 20% of responses had missing value(s) on one or
more of the three variables. Subjects with missing values on any of the three variables were

excluded from the data, leaving 403 responses for further analysis. To identify segments,
scores on the three variables were standardized and entered as criteria for cluster formation.
The K-means clustering algorithm was applied to classify the respondents into a userspecific number of clusters. One of the most difficult issues in cluster analysis is the
determination of the number of clusters. In their analysis of wine market segmentation,
Bruwer et al. (2002) stated that despite abundant wine market segmentation studies, there is
no theoretical justification for pre-determination of the number of segments.
With the absence of objective criteria, the method choice was based on Hair,
Anderson, Tatham, and Black (1998) recommendation of a trial process, where researchers
compute a number of cluster solutions and then decide among the alternative solutions by
using priori criteria, practical judgment, common sense, and theoretical foundations (Hair et
al., 1998). This method was utilized in several wine market segmentation studies (e.g.,
Bruwer et al., 2002; Dodd and Bigotte, 1997). The review of the wine market segmentation
literature reveals that the number of clusters varies in different studies between four and six.
The market examined is this study is in an earlier stage of development, thus less is
known about the products and their attributes. Therefore, distinctions that are drawn here are
broader resulting in fewer clusters. Accordingly, the K-means cluster analysis procedure was
applied with the number of clusters varying from two to four. Following a review of options,
the four-cluster configuration was regarded the most appropriate as the group sizes were
substantial enough and seemed to show differences in the likelihood of recommending local
wines.
Four clusters that resulted from the cluster analysis were statistically different from
one another based on the variables used to create segments, F(3, 399) = 229.64, p = .00; F(3,
399) = 442.94, p = .00; F(3, 399) = 321.14, p = .00 for the assessment of local wines,
recommendation, and quality rating, respectively. Each cluster was thereafter given a

descriptive name based on the means of the variables that constituted consumer attitudes
towards local wines. The clusters were labeled, respectively, (1) local enthusiasts; (2)
local detractors, (3) local advocates (4) local non-advocates.
Enthusiasts were named as they had a very favorable assessment of local wines,
perceived the quality to be very good and would recommend them to others. The detractors
group did not rate local wines highly and would be unlikely to recommend them. The final
two groups were similar in terms of assessment and quality rating, but differed with respect to
their willingness to recommend local wines to others. Therefore, they were labeled advocates
and non-advocates, respectively.
The enthusiasts segment made up the largest portion of the sample (42.9%). The
advocates and non-advocates clusters had equal representation (20.3% and 20.1%,
respectively). Detractors represented the smallest cluster (16.6%). The representation of the
clusters in the sample was regarded as acceptable as it complied with the characteristics of
measurability and substantiality that market segments should have (Kotler and Keller, 2006).
Graphical representation of the cluster means is depicted in Figure 1.
Please insert Figure I about here
Segment Profiles
Socio-demographic Profile
After the clusters were developed, socio-demographic data were used to further
profile consumers in each segment. Cross-tabulation was employed to determine whether
statistically significant differences exist among the four clusters with respect to selected
demographic characteristics. Table 2 provides the results of the chi-square analyses.
It appears that the four clusters are significantly different in terms of their educational
levels, ethnicity, and income. Compared to the other clusters, the enthusiasts segment
consisted of higher percentage (17.9%) of wine consumers whose highest level of education

10

was high school diploma. On the contrary, the detractors group had the largest proportion of
people with graduate degree (43.9%). With regards to ethnicity, the four clusters had similar
ethnical representation, with the majority of respondents in each segment being white,
followed by the Hispanic or Latino group. The difference appears to be in the non-advocates
segment, where white consumers had highest representation (over 90%) compared to other
groups. On the other hand, the advocates group had more Hispanic or Latino people (9.9%)
than the other clusters. This group also had the highest representation of African-American/
Asian/ American Indian consumers (to meet the requirement of the minimum cell size of 5,
these ethnic groups were collapsed into one group for the Chi square analysis). The
significant difference in the income category seems to account for the difference between
detractors and the other groups. Compared to the other clusters, the detractors segment had
the largest percentage of people (37.8%) with the annual household income exceeding
$140,000.
Please insert Table I about here
Wine Consumption Profile
The next step was to build profiles of each segment to uncover differences and
similarities among the segments in terms of their wine consumption patterns. Table 3 reports
the results of the chi-square tests for the variables that yielded significant differences among
the four clusters.
With regards to frequency of wine consumption, the detractors group seems to be
significantly different from the other three clusters, as this group consumes wine most
frequently. Over 20 percent of detractors reported daily wine consumption. By comparison,
the other three groups had less than 10 percent of respondents who consumed wine on a daily
basis. The non-advocates segment appears to consume wine least frequently. Over onequarter of the group (27.2%) reported that they drink wine less than once a month.

11

The groups seem to be significantly different in their wine type preferences.

Detractors prefer dry and red wines. Compared to the other groups, detractors expressed
least preference for blush/ros wines. On the contrary, enthusiasts showed the highest
preferences for blush/ros. This is also the group the majority of which (54.9%) prefer sweet
wines. White wines are most preferred by the non-advocates segment. This group also has
almost equal preference for dry and sweet wines. The advocates group is somewhat similar to
detractors in that the preference is given to dry and red wines. However, the advocates
cluster seem to prefer blush/ros much more (13.6%) than detractors (3.1%).
Significant differences among the groups were also found with respect to regions they
consume wine from most often. The general pattern is that all groups consume California
wine more often than any other region. However, distinctive differences are evident when
specific regions are compared. Detractors seem to prefer imported wines, whereas
enthusiasts give preferences to domestic wines. Only slightly over one percent of detractors
drink Texas wines more often than wines from other regions. By contrast, 38.9 percent of
enthusiasts prefer local Texas wines to other regions. Differences between the advocates and
the non advocates groups are less distinct. About five percent of respondents in each group
reported they consume Texas wine most frequently.
Typically for emerging wine regions, as the market matures, so does the quality of
wine. Therefore, it was of particular interest to examine how recently respondents bought or
tasted local wines. The vast majority (87.3%) of enthusiasts purchased Texas wine in the past
12 months. Conversely, 60 percent of detractors did not. The majority (61.3%) of the
advocates consumers reported a purchase of local wines within the past year, while the
majority (54.4%) of the non-advocates segment did not.
Please insert Table II about here

12

Discussion
The results of the cluster analysis were interesting for a number of reasons, the most
striking of which was the role of recommendation behavior. Of particular interest was the
difference in recommendation behavior between two of the clusters local advocates and
local non-advocates. While local advocates are willing to recommend the local wines to other
people, non-advocates would not recommend them. It is especially significant because both
groups have relatively similar high quality ratings and assessments of the local wines.
It is particularly unfortunate for local wineries to have local people believe that the
wine quality is good, but to also be unwilling to recommend the wines to others. The wine
industry relies heavily on recommendations from one person to another for introducing new
products. In fact, in a number of studies (Dodd et al., 2005; Mitchell and Hall, 2004; Spawton
et al., 2006), recommendation by friends and family is seen as one of the most important
sources of information and was found to be a very strong influence on consumer choice.
Wine consumers are likely to rely on recommendations about wine because wine can be a
high risk and a highly complex product. However, we currently know very little about why
some people are more willing to provide recommendations than others. By better
understanding how information is transferred from one person to the next will assist
marketers in their efforts to establish new products or introduce new brands or regional
wines.
This study is an initial attempt to identify various segments that exist in a newly
developing market. The study sets the starting point in investigating new markets consumer
characteristics and reasons for their behavior. The findings do show distinct groups and
indicate that some people are more likely to recommend local wines than others despite
similarities in attitudes and perception of quality. The characteristics of these groups indicate
that there is one strong group (local enthusiasts) that is enthusiastic about local wines,

13

purchases these wines on a regular basis and appear to be especially interested in blush/rose
and sweeter wines. These consumers may be newer wine consumers who may feel
intimidated by other wines, but have come to know local wines through visiting wineries and
reading about them in local media. The local wine industry provides products that meet their
needs and consumers reciprocate by purchasing regional products and recommending them to
others. The local wine industry should capitalize on this segment and attempt to provide
products that meet their needs as they are potentially a very loyal consumer group.
The detractors appear to be a very different cluster. This group probably include
many of the connoisseurs in the Spawton (1991) segmentation study. Their income levels
seemed substantially higher than the other groups, with almost 38% in the highest income
group compared to just 10% in the enthusiasts group. The detractors have the money to
purchase imported products from France and Italy and Australia and are probably very image
conscious with respect to brands. Local products are likely to be seen by this group as less of
a fit with their social image. Media source recommendations can also be critical and the
findings could also be important in understanding how recommendations from these sources
get passed along.
Differences in the final two groups seemed to relate more to ethnic background rather
than income levels. Advocates seem to have a larger portion of minority groups, while
consumption patterns also seem to indicate that they consume wine less frequently but prefer
red wine over white and blush. Interestingly, consumption of Texas wine is relatively
infrequent for both groups, with California being the preferred region of origin. Why one
group is willing to recommend Texas wines while the other is not, remains unclear at this
point, but cultural and resident factors may be playing a role in how some of these consumers
answer questions and their need to feel loyal to their new home. Relatively new residents in
particular may feel they need to be positive about recommending all local things in their new

14

home state despite having similar perceptions of quality to others who feel less obligated to
recommend these wines.
Many wineries in newly developing areas where there is not a strong wine culture or
tradition of consuming dry wines focus on production of sweet wines, despite the fact that
they are often not considered as serious wines by the wine media or others more involved in
the wine business. Several wineries in Texas for instance have been very successful with
sweet red wines that satisfy the interest in healthy red wines, but also satisfy some
consumers taste for sweet wines. These wineries will typically have both a serious group
of wines that also indicate that they are involved in the real wine industry. If wineries in
these new areas just focus on dry styles it may be difficult to find a large enough segment that
is interested in these dry wines, at least until the region becomes better known and is accepted
as a wine producing area. Many wineries in New Zealand and Australia were very successful
in selling semi-sweet wines during the 1970s and 1980s as much of the public in those
countries were not interested in drinking dry style wines. Later, as the local market developed
and the wineries continued to learn how to produce higher quality wines, the wineries were
then able to successfully introduce a wider range of new drier style wines and successfully
export them around the world.
Limitations and Future Research
The findings from this research leave many questions unanswered concerning the
characteristics of the clusters and more importantly, the reasons why some people who have
similar attitudes to local wine products are less willing to recommend this product to others.
This study did not, however, get to this critical question, but it hopefully highlights this issue
and will give impetus for further investigations into this research area. There are a number of
possible explanations, some of which have been mentioned in the discussion section, but until
empirical work is completed they will remain as speculation.

15

A significant limitation is also the fact that this study investigated just one new wine
region. The results, therefore, could be region specific in terms of an emerging region being
linked to local residents buying the product. The overview of other wine markets presents
evidence that the growth of a new wine area could be just as successful through marketing
outside the region (rather than relying on word of mouth within the region). For example,
New Zealand and Australia gained most interest in their home markets only after recognition
was achieved internationally. This gave people within the local market confidence that the
wines were as good as traditional overseas competitors in Europe and helped develop
regional loyalty by consumers in those two countries.
The current study outlines the importance of local residents loyalty for markets such
as Texas, where nearly all wine produced in the state is being sold locally. In addition, the
segmentation developed in this study may not apply to other areas which are at different
stages of development in terms of their wine industry. Additional efforts in other regions of
the United States and other countries would be useful to help determine some generalizable
results. However, it may also be found that each state or region is unique regarding
development and the population of each area is different with respect to attitudes towards
their local wine industry. Nevertheless, some interesting aspects regarding the propensity to
recommend and an analysis of the antecedents to recommend could be important outcomes.
Media source recommendations can also be critical and the findings in this study
could also be important in understanding how recommendations from these sources get
passed along and their impact on consumers. It may be the case that consumers are in fact
passing along to others the information they receive in the media and if media comments are
positive, then it is likely that consumers will pass this along as well.

16

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17

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18

Figure I.
Local wine consumers cluster representation
5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00

assessment of regional
wines

would recommend to
others

rating of quality

local enthusiasts

4.11

4.62

4.43

local detractors

2.50

1.40

1.88

local advocates

3.26

3.46

2.93

local non-advocates

3.53

2.09

3.67

19

Table I.
Socio-demographic profile of the clusters

Characteristic

Enthusiasts
(n =173)

Clusters
Detractors
Advocates
(n = 67)
(n = 82)

Non-Advocates
(n = 81)

6.11

Gender
Male
Female

32.0
68.0

46.2
53.8

38.0
62.0

28.4
71.6

Age
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61+

6.4
17.5
19.9
22.8
33.4

4.5
13.6
25.8
22.7
33.4

7.3
21.9
25.6
23.2
22.0

8.9
11.6
20.5
28.2
30.8

Education
High school
Vocational/technical
Some college
Undergraduate degree
Graduate Degree

17.9
3.5
19.7
34.1
24.9

6.1
.0
19.7
30.3
43.9

11
3.7
15.9
46.3
23.2

9.9
1.2
28.4
37.0
23.5

Ethnical Origin
White, non-Hispanic
Hispanic or Latino

86.4
7.1

84.5
6.3

77.8
9.9

90.9
6.5

6.5

9.2

12.3

2.6

12.3
21.9
22.6
19.2
11.7
2.0
10.3

9.4
17.0
15.0
9.4
5.7
5.7
37.8

10.0
18.6
14.3
17.1
7.14
14.3
18.6

13.5
21.0
13.2
15.0
9.0
7.3
21.0

African American/
Asian/ American Indian
Income
Under $39,999
$40,000-$59,999
$60,000-$79,999
$80,000-$99,999
$100,000-$119,999
$120,000-$139,000
$140,000+

8.81

24.36*

26.85*

36.88*

Notes: * 2 = p < .05

20

Table II.
Wine consumption profile of the clusters

Item

Enthusiasts
(n =173)

Clusters
Detractors Advocates
(n = 67)
(n = 82)

Non-Advocates
(n = 81)

30.23*

Frequency of consumption
Daily
Several times a week
Once a week
Once a month
Less than once a month

2.9
23.7
33.5
22.0
17.9

20.9
28.4
26.9
11.9
11.9

7.3
29.3
30.5
19.5
13.4

9.8
21.0
23.5
18.5
27.2

Favorite type of wine

Red
White
Blush / Ros

46.8
31.6
21.6

69.2
27.7
3.1

60.5
25.9
13.6

46.2
38.8
15.0

Dry/Sweet preference
Dry
Sweet
No preference

36.4
54.9
8.7

65.7
26.9
7.4

54.3
34.6
11.1

43.2
49.4
7.4

Most often consume from

region
France
Italy
Australia
California
Texas
Other
Purchased Texas wine in
the past 12 months
Yes
No

19.20*

22.17*

95.89*
.0
4.8
6.0
38.9
38.9
11.4

7.7
7.7
18.5
53.8
1.5
10.8

3.9
3.9
10.4
64.9
5.2
11.7

6.5
3.8
7.7
70.5
5.1
6.4
71.06*

87.3
12.7

39.4
60.6

Notes: * 2 = p < .05

21

61.3
38.7

45.6
54.4

Table III.
Sampling of Wine Market Segmentation Studies
Segmentation Basis

International Journal
of Wine Marketing

1992

Occasion-based vs. user-based benefit

segmentation: a case study

1992
1995

Quester
Smart

1996

Hall
Shaw
Doole

1997

Dodd
Bigotte

1997

A means-end approach to the market for

sparkling wines
Purchasing behaviour in the Northern Ireland
wine market
Product involvement in consumer wine
purchases: its demographics determinants and
influences on choice attributes
Cross-cultural analysis of wine consumption
motivations
Perceptual differences among visitor groups
to wineries

Journal of
Advertising
Research
International Journal
of Wine Marketing
British Food Journal
International Journal
of Wine Marketing
International Journal
of Wine Marketing
Journal of Travel
Research

22

Cross-cultural /
Geographic
Occasion-based

Behavioral segmentation in the Australian

wine market using conjoint choice analysis

Wine-related
Lifestyle

1991

Demographics

European Journal of
Wine Marketing

Involvement

Of wine and live asses: An introduction to the

wine economy and state of wine marketing

Behavioral

Judica
Perkins
Keown
Casey

1991

Attitudes (product
attributes, brand)

Dubow

Journal
Publication

Consumption

Johnson
Ringham
Jurd

Title

Motivation

Spawton

Year

Risk reduction

Authors

Segmentation Basis

2001

Wine attributes and consumption occasion: An

investigation of consumer perceptions

Australian & New

Zealand Wine
Industry Journal

2001

Segmentation by involvement or nationality for

global retailing: A cross-national comparative
study of wine shopping behaviours

Journal of Wine
Research

2002

Segmentation of the Australian wine market

using a wine-related lifestyle approach

Journal of Wine
Research

2002

Global vs international involvement-based

segmentation: A cross-national exploratory
study

International
Marketing Review

2003

Behavioural segmentation: A New Zealand

wine market application

Journal of Wine
Research

2005

Segmenting wine festival attendees: A factorcluster approach

Tourism Review
International

23

Cross-cultural /
Geographic
Occasion-based

International Journal
of Wine Marketing

Wine-related
Lifestyle

Exploring the links between wine choice and

dining occasion: factors of influence

Demographics

2001

Involvement

International Journal
of Wine Marketing

Behavioral

Consumer preferences for wine attributes in

different retail stores: a conjoint approach

Attitudes (product
attributes, brand)

1998

Consumption

Journal
Publication

Title

Motivation

Sanchez
Gill
Hall
Lockshin
OMahony
Hall
OMahony
Lockshin
Lockshin
Quester
Spawton
Bruwer
Li
Reid
Aurifeille
Quester
Lockshin
Spawton
Thomas
Pickering
Yuan
Cai
Morrison
Linton

Year

Risk reduction

Authors