Region of origin and its importance among choice factors in the wine‐buying decision making of consumers

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of wine’s region of origin in the consumer wine-buying decision-making process in the Australian domestic market. Design/methodology/approach: Data collection takes place by means of a self-administered and online approach in tandem utilising a highly structured questionnaire completed by wine consumers. The sample is limited to three groups of wine consumers – patrons of a wine bar in Sydney and two online wine communities unlocking access to a cross-section of on-premise trade and online consumers. The active memberships of the online communities amount to 3,600. In total, 352 usable surveys are obtained. Findings: Region of origin is an important choice factor in the wine-buying decision making process of consumers, but particularly so in terms of its multi-dimensional nature (region name, wine type and grape variety). The most important choice factors in consumers’ wine-buying decisions are quality, price, grape variety, wine style and region of origin. Region of origin varies in degree of influence within different segments. Higher ratings for region of origin are given by female wine consumers, high involvement wine consumers and consumers who have participated in wine tourism to a greater degree. Research limitations/implications: The findings of this research suggest that wine’s region of origin is a significant choice factor in the Australian consumer’s wine-buying decision making process. More than half of the respondents are residents of Sydney and the findings are therefore tentative due to the geographical limitation. Originality/value: This study is of value to academic researchers, wine industry practitioners, and on- and off-premise operators alike as it furthers the understanding of the importance of various choice factors in the consumer’s wine-buying decision-making process and in particular the relative importance of region of origin within the main choice factors. It also highlights the specific market segments (geodemographic, behavioural and involvement level) and conditions under which the relative importance of region of origin varies.