Fresh research suggests wine’s struggle to attract newer and younger drinkers may stem less from the product itself than from consumers’ inability to predict how a wine will taste before buying it.
During a Wednesday, May 27, webinar, Wine Market Council revealed highlights of a national survey of “wine-hesitant” consumers and Vancouver, Canada-based Quini detailed findings from data on blind tastings with hundreds of such consumers. Together, the studies indicate that many consumers abandon wine after only a handful of disappointing experiences.
“The primary problem here … is not the taste of wine per se, but a failure of communication,” said Christian Miller, research director. “There are wines out there to fit most palates, but consumers are not finding them, and it only takes a few mismatches for them to give up.”
The research expands on data first mentioned during the nonprofit market research group’s annual meeting in March and comes as the industry faces declining alcohol consumption, rising competition from ready-to-drink beverages and persistent cost pressures.
Few chances to impress
Miller framed the issue as fundamentally tied to sensory expectations and consumer confidence.
“Multiple surveys have shown that negative perceptions of wine taste are the leading reason” for non-adoption, he said.
But many consumers simply do not sample enough wines to develop familiarity.
“Wine-hesitant consumers are averaging fewer than 10 wines tasted over a decade in our survey today,” Miller said.
The council’s survey found that many consumers experience repeated “flavor surprises.” Miller said 23% of respondents reported situations where they bought a wine expecting a flavor style they would enjoy, only to dislike it.
Consumers also struggle to predict wine flavor compared with other alcoholic beverages.
“Only 11% say that about wine,” Miller said. “Almost half the people say that about the other drinks (beer, spirits and cocktails).”
Mapping preferences
Quini has conducted large-scale guided tastings in major North American cities. Participants used the company’s mobile app to score wines on aroma, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel, finish and overall enjoyment.
“We tell people to be honest and to give us thumbs up when they like something and thumbs down when they don’t like something,” Quini CEO Roger Noujeim said.
The company analyzed nearly 70 wines — mostly priced between $10 and $45 — and roughly 3,400 tasting evaluations from about 400 infrequent wine drinkers.
The tastings generated what Quini calls a “bloom,” a composite sensory profile built from 40 points on how wines affect their senses and attitudes, Noujeim said.
Finish matters more than expected
One of the strongest findings was the importance of “finish” (aftertaste) in driving positive reactions among hesitant consumers. For white wines, finish length and complexity showed the strongest relationship to overall liking and willingness to recommend. Similar patterns appeared for red wines.
Sweetness also correlated positively with liking, though the data suggested balance matters more than simple sugar levels. Fruit-forward flavors, chocolate and caramel notes generally performed well among hesitant consumers, while spicy and earthy notes trended lower.
Noujeim emphasized that interactions between attributes were often more important than single variables. Astringency alone did not strongly predict dislike, but when combined with low acidity or low sweetness it became a significant deterrent.
Wine Spectator defines astringency as a “coarse, rough, furry or drying sensation in the mouth” from high levels of tannic acid found in some red wines and a few whites.
“It’s not just sweetness alone,” Noujeim said. “People want a nice balance and a smooth experience with the wine.”
Perception differs from chemistry
Noujeim explained that Quini notes the residual sugar in a wine, allowing comparisons between measured chemistry and perceived taste.
Miller stressed that measured residual sugar “does not necessarily correlate with the perception of sweetness.”
High perceived alcohol combined with low perceived sweetness or acidity tended to amplify bitterness and reduce liking scores. Acidity and sweetness, meanwhile, could mask bitterness.
Simpler guidance may improve adoption
Noujeim identified three broad groups among hesitant consumers: “sweet and smooth” drinkers, “broad acceptors” willing to explore diverse styles, and a smaller “cautious” group resistant to wine overall. He advised vintners to focus on the first two groups rather than consumers “almost determined that they don’t like wine.”
Miller and Noujeim recommended simpler consumer-facing communication. Survey respondents reacted positively to hypothetical label flavor scales and plain-language descriptions emphasizing sweetness, acidity and mouthfeel instead of marketing focused on not-widely-understood qualities such as terroir. That’s a French term for the unique properties a specific vineyard site or area can imbue in the grapes and resulting wine.
The researchers also recommended grouped wine lists, more tasting opportunities and routine sensory testing tied directly to varying tastes in target audiences.
“The same wine can be liked and disliked by different people,” Noujeim said.
Jeff Quackenbush joined North Bay Business Journal in May 1999. Reach him at jeff@nbbj.news or 707-521-4256.
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