The Ladies Love Wine, Young’uns Do Not

SAN FRANCISCO — Is there a generation gap when
it comes to wine? Yes-and a gender gap, as well. That’s the finding of a just-released
survey conducted for Robert Mondavi Private Selection by Harris Interactive(R). The survey, Wine in America: A Look at Consumer Attitudes & Behavior, revealed that younger adults are less likely to drink wine at least once a week, are more likely to feel uncomfortable pairing wine with food, and are less likely to have received or given wine as a gift. The survey was conducted online in mid-July among 3,386 adults ages 21 and over.

On the gender front, the survey found that women are more likely than
men to feel uncomfortable when it comes to choosing wine at a restaurant,
pairing wine with food, or interacting with a waiter when selecting wine at
a restaurant.
“These generational and gender differences may be more a matter of
knowledge than of age, sex or taste,” says Damon Musha, Director of
Marketing for Robert Mondavi Private Selection, noting that the study also
found that 69 percent of wine drinkers either strongly or somewhat agree
that they would like to learn more about wine.
“We commissioned this survey to develop a more comprehensive picture of
American wine consumers’ attitudes about wine,” adds Musha. “This cements
our view that while Americans are rapidly becoming the leading wine
consumers in the world-they still have a thirst to increase their knowledge
about wine.” The survey also showed that 3 out of 5 wine drinkers have ever
visited a winery (58%) and half (54%) have attended a wine tasting.
The survey was conducted online in mid-July among 3,386 adults ages 21
and over. Among the survey findings about wine attitudes and behaviors:
– 40% of younger adults (ages 21-34) say they never drink wine, compared
with about one-third of those ages 55-plus (33%).
– More than half of younger wine drinkers have ever given (55%) or
received wine (55%) as a gift, compared with about four in five of
those ages 55+ (81% given, 84% received).
– 45% of younger wine drinkers have ever visited a winery (versus 71% of
those ages 55+) and 42% have attended a wine tasting (vs. 63% of the
older group).

In addition, younger wine drinkers are:

– Less likely to have ever sent back a bottle of wine in a restaurant
after tasting it (9% of those ages 21-34 vs. 16% of those ages 55+);
– More likely to believe that, when it comes to wine, the more you spend,
the better the wine (34% of those ages 21-34 vs. 21% of those ages
55+); and,
– More likely to have felt embarrassed to ask questions about wine (17%
of those ages 21-34 vs. 7% of those ages 55+).
The survey also found that, while men and women are equally likely to
drink wine (63% for men and 61% for women), women are more likely than men
to feel uncomfortable pairing wine with food (32% of women vs. only 20% of
men), or interacting with a waiter when selecting wine in a restaurant
(also 32% vs. 20%, respectively). They are also more likely than men to
feel uncomfortable choosing from a wine list in a restaurant (27% vs. 19%,
respectively), and less likely then men to have ever sent back a bottle of
wine after tasting it (10% vs. 17%, respectively).
“One of our goals at Robert Mondavi Private Selection,” Musha notes,
“is to take some of the mystery out of wine and help consumers relax.
Whether you are a novice or an enthusiast, enjoying wine is about having
fun. Drink what you love, pair it with good food and share it with family
and friends.”
This summer and fall, Robert Mondavi Private Selection will help
consumers learn more about wine by bringing its educational and interactive
Crush in the City mobile winery tour to popular food, wine and arts
festivals in eight cities. More information about the tour can be found at
Robert Mondavi Private Selection Web site, http://www.discover-wine.com.
About the Survey
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris
Interactive on behalf of Robert Mondavi Private Selection between July 12
and July 16, 2007 among 3,386 adults (aged 21 and over), of whom 2,130 say
they ever drink wine. Figures for region, age within gender, education,
household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring
them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity
score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be
online.
With a pure probability sample of 3,386, one could say with a
ninety-five percent probability that the overall results, as well as the
results for adults aged 21 and over who ever drink wine (n= 2,130), would
have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data
based on sub-samples may be higher and would vary. However, that does not
take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based
on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be
calculated.
About Robert Mondavi Private Selection
Robert Mondavi Private Selection is produced by Centerra Wine Company,
headquartered in Canandaigua, New York, and the largest wine division
within Constellation Wines U.S., focusing on popular, premium and specialty
wine categories. An operating division of Constellation Brands, Inc.,
Constellation Wines U.S. encompasses the four U.S. wine businesses: Icon
Estates, Centerra Wine Company, Pacific Wine Partners, and North Lake
Wines. Leading Centerra brands include Robert Mondavi Private Selection,
Alice White, Arbor Mist, Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy, Cook’s, Covey
Run, Inglenook, Ravenswood Winery, Talus Collection, Vendange, Toasted Head
and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi.
About Harris Interactive(R)
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest growing
market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative
research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more
confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in
performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of
the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online
market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the
world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris
Interactive serves clients worldwide through its North American, European
and Asian offices, and through a global network of independent market
research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained
at http://www.harrisinteractive.com. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online
and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at
http://www.harrispollonline.com.

SOURCE Robert Mondavi Private Selection