Wine's
image makeover
How
it went from an elitist tipple to the drink of the masses
Over
recent decades wine in the UK has largely shed its elitist image and
has been transformed into the alcoholic beverage of choice for a large
proportion of the population. While there is still some mystery and
snobbishness attached to the subject of wine, most consumers are no
longer quite so fearful about choosing the wrong wine, and are
confident in purchasing not only brands or styles that they are
familiar with, but are also prepared to experiment with something new.
Wine as a category is vibrant, and is currently expanding in the UK.
In contrast, in traditional wine producing countries where a similar
image revolution hasn’t taken place, per capita consumption is
falling (from initially high levels). The USA is a more complicated
market for several reasons, but wine consumption there seems to be
following a similar pattern to the UK, albeit with a slight lag.
This short review looks at
some of the factors that have influenced the changing image and appeal
of wine over this time. It is likely that the lessons learned from
wine could also apply to other alcoholic beverage types, such as beer
and whisky.
1. The new world wine invasion
Perhaps the chief factor in
broadening the appeal of wine has been the success of new world wines.
25 years ago the supermarket shelves would have been filled almost
exclusively with bottles from traditional European wine-producing
countries, principally France, Italy, Spain and Germany. These wines
were not user-friendly, and varied widely in quality. Then came the
Australians, followed by the Chileans, Argentineans, Californians and
South Africans: wines from these ‘new world’ regions quickly
became immensely popular. These were affordable wines, labelled by the
grape variety, that offered fruit-dominated flavours that were
accessible and which people liked. They also offered consistency of
quality, so there was less chance of getting a bad bottle. Since then,
new world wines have continued to gain market share while helping to
grow the whole category of wine by winning new drinkers and retaining
them. [It could be argued that the traditional wine countries have
also benefited: the bar has been raised, and they’ve raised their
quality with it; they have adopted new world winemaking techniques to
good effect to help make their wines more accessible; and it is likely
that many wine drinkers have begun with the simpler new world flavours
and then have used this as a launchpad to explore old world wines.]
2. The emergence of strong brands
Since the 1950s and 1960s,
wine has had several strong brands: Mateus Rosé and Lancers from
Portugal; Black Tower and Blue Nun from Germany; Piat d’Or from
France. But the last couple of decades have seen the profusion of
branded wines, such as Jacob’s Creek, Hardys, Rosemount, Wolff Blass,
Kumala, Blossom Hill and Gallo. These have had high public visibility
and a big marketing spend behind them. They’ve worked, because they
have offered the consumer consistency, attractive and accessible
fruity flavours and value for money. They’ve made buying wine a less
risky activity. The marketing spend has been in two directions: one
has been TV and print advertising; the second has been promotional
support through the supermarkets (such as gondola-end discounting –
consumers in the UK love to feel they are getting a bargain). Both
approaches have been complementary.
3. Affordability
Wine is cheaper than it has
ever been, in relative terms. In part, this has been because of the
strong £4 and £5 price points. Producers have been forced to keep
their costs down to meet these inviolable price levels. Many brands
are selling for the same price now as they were a decade ago. Most
wine producers indulge in price promotions to shift serious volume
through the supermarkets.
3. The retailer push
A contributing factor to the
rise in wine popularity has been the work of supermarkets and high
street retailers. For those for whom wine is merely a commodity, the
supermarket discounting and price competition has made wine
affordable. The quality of wine buying is high in most of the major
supermarkets; this has taken some of the risk out of buying wine. For
those wanting to explore a bit further, the rise in accessible and
knowledgeable wine retailers such as Majestic and Oddbins has helped
demystify the world of wine for high street shopper, and has acted as
a gateway into the world of the wine enthusiast.
4. Foreign travel: buying into the lifestyle
Over recent decades people
have become much better travelled. And holidays abroad often involve
trips to countries where wine is an integral part of the culture. The
romanticism associated with these cultures benefits wine, which is
seen as desirable and exotic. There is a sense in which choosing to
drink wine is buying into a more attractive semi-rural European
lifestyle.
5. Foodies drink wine
The rise of the celebrity
chef, and with it a greater appreciation of food generally, has helped
the growth of wine. Wine is seen as the natural accompaniment to food,
and benefits from this association.
6. Reflected glory: aspirational marketing
Inexpensive wine benefits
greatly from its association with fine wine. While commodity or
branded wine is made quite industrially (it verges on becoming a
manufactured beverage in many cases), fine wine is intimately
connected with the vineyard it comes from, is made on a small scale,
and carries a hefty price tag. Yet consumers see all wine as a
homogeneous entity, ranging from cheap and cheerful to the expensive
trophy wines that are conspicuously consumed by the super-wealthy. The
glory of the great wines rubs off on commodity wines. This is
something marketers cultivate, and they are continually using the
images of artisanal wine production in their promotion of branded
wines.
7. The press push
Wine has benefited from
increased coverage in the media. Most national papers have wine
columns in both their Saturday and Sunday editions. Wine has also been
featured on television. Almost unbelievably, the Circle of Wine
Writers currently has in excess of 250 members, all of whom are
engaged in the professional communication of wine (some are more
influential than others…).
8. Social changes
There has been a flattening
of society, with an expansion of the middle classes. Many non-drinking
or beer-drinking families have switched to drinking wine, at least at
home. The old social model of the man going down the pub leaving the
wife at home has morphed into one where both host dinner parties,
where wine is served. There’s a sense in which personal expectations
have changed; many people aren’t prepared to settle for their lot,
but are increasingly aspirational, a trait which extends to their wine
buying.
9. Positive health messages
While few people drink wine
for health reasons, the consistent stream of medical reports
suggesting a link between wine drinking and reduced incidence of heart
disease can’t have hurt its image. Wine is also rarely associated
with the social ill of the moment, binge drinking, which tends to be
associated with beer and spirits.
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