Purchase Situation Modelling in Wine Selection: An Evaluation of Factors in an Australian Context

The consumption of wine has over recent years increased in many countries with wine now often being a preferred social beverage. As consumption has increased consumers have become more familiar with the range of wines available and are now more sophisticated in their selection of wines. The wine selection process is likely to be highly complex and may involve trading off a range of product attributes when making a purchase. This article presents the results of a research project investigating consumer decision making when selecting wines. It focuses on five key wine attributes (grape variety, price brand recognition the region of production and whether it has won any awards), and situates the decision process within possible buying contexts. Price, type of wine, the presence of a national award and the purchase context were significant predictors of the decision to purchase a wine. This study is an example of an analytical approach applied to an issue that has largely defied the use of quantitative tools.