A thirst for knowledge

Friday, 10 October 2008

Helping out at a recent consumer wine event, it occurred to me that we can all play our small part in reducing the industry's dependency on promotional activity.

I've been feeling really rather despondent of late as I walk round my local supermarket to be confronted by endless stacks of "half-price" Pinot Grigio or "Limited Edition Winemaker's Reserve", offered at an impressive discount. Watching these distinctly average wines being scanned through the tills, I find myself itching to intervene, to explain that the Pinot Grigio was never worth its ticket price of £9.99.

But my recent sampling experience has given me hope, reminding me yet again how thirsty consumers are, not just for half-price wine, but for knowledge.

The consumers loved our Chianti, and when I explained that this was a wine which offered exceptional value at an everyday price of £4.99, which they would not find on promotion, they responded with enthusiasm.

They were even more excited when tasting wines at £6 and £7, and were clearly able to discern a difference in quality, and to highlight those which still represented excellent value at these prices.

If we can all encourage a better understanding of wine in terms of its absolute price, then we can reduce our dependency on promotions, while simultaneously helping to inform consumer choice.

Lynne Whitaker runs Winebrand, a marketing and research consultancy.