Wine tourists’ preferences depend more on engagement than nationality
A Sonoma State University study of 809 consumers found that wine involvement, perceived knowledge and personal meanings attached to wine explained visitor preferences more effectively than nationality. Its authors recommend giving winery guests a choice between guided and self-directed visits.
What shapes visitor preferences
The Sonoma State University study, released on Thursday, 12 November, surveyed 809 wine consumers in France, mainland China, South Korea and the United States. Researchers also interviewed 14 wine professionals across 6 markets. The results indicate that visitors’ wine knowledge, degree of interest and personal values concerning wine are more informative about their preferences than their nationality.1
InHaeng Jung, an assistant professor at the university’s Wine Business Institute, led the study with support from a Great Wine Capitals International Research Grant. The researchers said the findings have particular relevance for Sonoma County wineries, which receive international travelers and must decide how to organize tastings, tours and other hospitality services.1
The analysis produced 4 broad profiles: visitors seeking a complete winery experience; those focused mainly on wine and expert guidance; independent explorers; and people with limited interest in the visit. Each profile appeared in roughly comparable proportions in all 4 countries. Jung said nationality can help determine which markets to pursue, but wineries need to ask individual guests what they want.1
The strongest signals in the data
Wine involvement, perceived knowledge and the meanings associated with wine collectively explained about 2 times as much variation in visitor preferences as nationality. They explained about 8 times as much as age, gender, education and income combined.1
Practical activities—including harvest work, cellar tours and blending sessions—placed last among 4 categories of experience in all 4 countries, including the United States. Learning about wine and enjoying an attractive setting received greater emphasis, while participants from the United States and France showed the clearest preference for the setting over hands-on activities.1
Demand for guided tastings did not follow an equally clear pattern: neither nationality nor wine knowledge reliably predicted whether a visitor wanted guidance. About 25% of respondents in each country strongly preferred independent exploration, indicating that an exclusively guided tasting-room model may fail to serve a substantial group.1
Implications for hospitality
Jung recommended offering 2 formats—guided and self-directed—and allowing guests to choose while booking. Because tasting rooms support direct sales and brand loyalty as well as hospitality, aligning the format with visitors’ expectations could improve service without relying on national stereotypes. The same principle may also be relevant to other beverage businesses that combine education, sampling and visits to their premises.1
Wine professionals interviewed for the research reported a softer U.S. market and increased resistance to tasting fees at some wineries. Jung said several possible responses require no major investment: tasting notes can connect wine with everyday experiences, staff can ask how guests intend to drink a wine before suggesting food pairings, and wineries can test simpler service models with all visitors instead of creating separate national programs.1
The report provides a 2-minute visitor questionnaire that wineries can add to their booking process at no cost, according to the university. Collecting information about guests’ interests before arrival is intended to help wineries tailor the experience more precisely.1
Presentations and research team
Jung presented the findings in October at the OIV World Congress of Vine and Wine in Ningxia, China. About 200 people followed the presentation in 6 languages. She subsequently discussed the research at the Great Wine Capitals Knowledge Day in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, before about 120 wine and tourism leaders from member regions, including Napa Valley.1
Susan R. Lin, president of the Asian Wine Association of America, wrote in her review that wineries should not assume a visitor’s place of origin determines the kind of wine tourist that person is.1
The co-investigators were Anqi Luo of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Tian Ye of Leeds Beckett University and Magalie Dubois of Burgundy School of Business. Jung also directs Sonoma State’s Grape Expectations Research Lab, which examines consumer choices, wine purchasing and wine experiences, focusing on wine tourism, sustainable consumption and marketing. Students participate in research design, data collection, analysis and collaborative projects with faculty and industry partners.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
