Search results

This paper aims to situate restaurant experiences and in particular the wines available on wine lists, within the wider context of wine tourism. This is done by examining the wine lists of restaurants in two New Zealand destinations, focusing in particular on the showcasing of “local wines” and the factors behind these offerings, and outlines the potential implications for hospitality managers and a wider academic audience.

The population of restaurants in each destination was identified using online directories, from which a sample of wine lists, comprising 84 in Christchurch and 43 in Queenstown, was systematically analysed to identify number of wines, regional origin, price and other information. Following this, key informant interviews in restaurants in each destination explored decision-making factors in stocking local wines, including consumer base, existing networks and reputation and additional challenges and opportunities.

Restaurants in each destination offered more New Zealand than foreign wines on their lists, though significant regional differences are apparent. Queenstown restaurants offered slightly fewer imported wines and significantly more local (Central Otago) wines than Christchurch restaurants. The global awareness of Central Otago pinot noir is a factor in this wine list representation, but there are also other influences, including the greater concentration of overseas visitors (pre-pandemic) and more significant visibility and greater opportunities for wine tourism experiences within the destination.

This paper represents an important addition to academic research on wine marketing in the on-premise sector of emerging wine regions. This paper also highlights the potential significance of restaurant meals – including wine choices – in overall wine destination experiences and demonstrates differences in approach between restaurants in wine regions of similar size but with different reputations, international visitation and wine tourism infrastructure.

The purpose of this research paper was to examine difficulties that consumers have when choosing wine in a restaurant and whether structuring a wine list according to taste rather than origin facilitates decision-making.

The authors conducted two online studies in Switzerland to assess whether a wine list organized according to wine style categories, such as fresh and dry or bold and fruity, reduces consumers’ perceived difficulty of choice compared to a traditional origin-grouped wine list and which wine list consumers prefer. In the first study (N = 577), participants received either an origin- or a style-grouped wine list. In the second study (N = 276), participants received and evaluated both wine lists.

In Study 1, participants with the style-grouped wine list had a longer decision time, but perceived difficulty of choosing a wine was the same as that for the origin-grouped wine list. Study 2 revealed that participants strongly preferred either the origin- or style-grouped wine list. Overall, more than half the participants preferred the style-grouped wine list, indicating that many consumers may appreciate wine lists organized according to wine style.

The findings underscore that restaurants should recognize customer preferences for wine list structures, which may influence customer satisfaction.

This paper assesses consumer perceptions of different wine list structures and how these affect consumers’ selection of a wine in a restaurant.

The purpose of the paper is to identify and measure the main standards of the wine lists of upscale restaurants.

Wine lists of a sample of 50 upscale restaurants were analyzed. A cluster analysis was performed.

Three differentiated profiles of restaurants are identified according to their wine list management: selection, specialization and complementarity.

This study was exploratory and similar studies need to be performed covering more geographic locations.

Restaurants differ in their current practices and key standards of their wine lists according to their positioning strategy. Upscale restaurants need to define their positioning strategy and elaborate their wine lists according to their strategy because this allows restaurants to target their customers more effectively.

This study focuses on upscale restaurants and their wine lists, while most of the previous research in this area has been on lower‐category restaurants and food menus. The present paper shows the relevance of wine lists as a positioning tool and, in this sense, the current practices followed by upscale restaurants can be considered as a reference in this industry.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how sommeliers influence wine sales in US restaurants and to understand how US restaurant sommeliers sell wine to customers, select for the wine list, and keep current on wines.

Data from 250 telephone interviews among people at fine restaurants who were in charge of the selection and recommendation of wines for customers was reviewed. Fine restaurants were selected from wine spectator's “Gold Medal Winners” list and supplemented by Zagat's top 2,000 restaurants. The interviews averaged 29 minutes in length.

On an average, customers ask a sommelier to provide wine recommendations 38 per cent of the time and sommeliers volunteer wine recommendations 42 per cent of the time. While wine is becoming increasingly popular and consumers are more knowledgeable, sommeliers play an important role in identifying best products available to meet restaurant customers' expectations.

Sommeliers play an important role in influencing the sale of wine in restaurants, in particular, in smaller restaurants and in fine dining restaurants. Focusing on value for money, winery reputation, type of variety and tracking customer preference are all critical factors that respondents considered when selecting wines and when recommending wines to customers.

This paper addresses the advantage of employing a sommelier in fine dining restaurants, given that when there is a designated sommelier more parties order wine (an average 76 per cent vs an average 70 per cent), the average check is higher ($62 vs $55) and the wine list is updated more frequently. Fine dining restaurant managers, owners and sommeliers will find value in this paper.

The last few years has seen an unprecedented interest in the marketing and development of wine and culinary tourism, both overseas and in Australia (Macionis, 1998). Indeed, wine and food have become integral components of the tourism product and experience (Hall, et.al., forthcoming). For example, Tourism NSW's Food and Wine in Tourism Plan (Tourism NSW, 1996:2) states that it is the “beginning of [and] effort to bring food and wine into the tourism mainstream,” while regional areas such as NSW's Central West have launched the Cowra‐Orange‐Mudgee Experience (COME), which focuses on food and wine as the “hook to lure more visitors” (Downey, 1998:6). Despite the increasing recognition of the role of wine and food in attracting visitors and the often quoted synergy and complementary nature of the wine and tourism sectors (King, 1998; Connel and Gibson, forthcoming) there has been little specific focus on wine, food and tourism linkages. In addition, wine tourism is often viewed only from the perspective of cellar door visitation and tasting (King, 1998), with little consideration placed on conceptualising wine tourism away from the winery. For example, many tourists' first experience with local or regional wines is often far removed from the cellar door, occurring at their hotel or at a restaurant. As such there are considerable opportunities in more explicitly linking and marketing the wine and food products in a tourism context. This paper reports on an exploratory examination and analysis of the nature and extent of linkages and relationships between the wine, food and tourism sectors in the Canberra Region. Based on extensive interviews with Canberra restaurateurs, it examines the potential of wine and food tourism in a developing wine region, highlights practices and perceptions that restrict the development of productive linkages between the wine and food sectors, and explores opportunities for strategic marketing activities that will benefit both industries at both a micro (i.e. individual enterprise) and a macro (destinational product development and marketing) level.

This paper aims to explore the dynamics and performance of on-premise wine trade business.

The study involved in-depth interviews with six on-premise businesses in Seoul, South Korea. The data obtained were methodically analysed to understand the impact of different variables through a qualitative business dynamic model.

Customer satisfaction and number of customers are key performance factors for on-premise wine trade business. Customer satisfaction is driven by servicescape, wine lists and front-line employees. However, the length of wine list impacts directly on inventory costs and staff knowledge, while the number of service staff in the business has a non-linear effect on profits, as service staff does not grow linearly with the number of customers.

One important limitation is that the business dynamics model, which is based on South Korean cases, used only owners/sommeliers’ perspectives but not consumers’ perspectives. There are two implications. First, in terms of on-premise wine trade, the alignment of servicespace, front-line employees, wine lists and pricing strategy is key to shape customers’ expectations and confirm the market positioning of the business. Second, for wineries, understanding the dynamics of on-premise wine trade can help them to find strategies to position their wines.

The paper offers two contributions. Firstly, the paper provides the first exploratory study on the business dynamics of on-premise wine trade businesses, which complements existing wine-buying behaviour studies. Secondly, the study explores the on-trade channel in South Korea, providing insights into an important Asian market.

Applying signaling theory to Schein’s organizational culture framework, this study aims to explain how restaurants communicate that their establishments value wine through multiple cultural attributes.

A phenomenological research design was adopted to conduct three focus groups with 14 restaurateurs about wine culture. Conversational analysis with Straussian coding was used.

A comprehensive definition of wine culture was provided, and five factors emerged that signal the presence of a wine culture. A wine presence includes a wine list, marketing efforts, community involvement and restaurant aesthetics. Employee traits are defined by individual attributes, communications skills and overall knowledge (training). Restaurant identity reflects the cultural alignment and customer relationship expectations set forth by ownership. Organizational structure reflects a restaurant’s hierarchy within which an individual or department is afforded the freedom to invest in wine. Future alignment reflects generational differences and trends in wine preferences and consumption.

Researchers are provided a wine-culture definition and framework for wine research. Restaurants can use the study’s findings to formulate strategies for establishing a wine culture.

This study provided a framework for restaurateurs who wish to be known for wine to implement. Researchers and restaurateurs may facilitate communication between guests, staff and an organization regarding wine as a means of creating a competitive advantage.

This paper examines the development of a small, yet highly significant section of the UK wine market with the arrival of a limited range of organically produced wines on to our mainstream supermarket shelves and highstreet restaurant wine lists. Until recently, UK demand for all organic produce was relatively small, the total size of the UK retail organic market during 1993/1994 being only £105 million (Soil Association Certification Ltd., 2000). The last five years has seen a period of rapid growth, with the same report predicting that the 1999/2000 total sales figure will have increased to £546 million (Soil Association Certification Ltd., 2000). Organic wine still features as a small category within the complete organic picture but experts indicate that the UK market is in a period of significant growth with estimated sales of approximately £7–8 million per annum (Gardener, 2000). The nature of consumers and suppliers involved with the organic food market also appears to be changing. Multinationals have entered the market alongside whole‐food independents, (Blythman, 2000) and the market is seemingly no longer limited to the ‘select few’ of the population willing to seek out and pay the price for a premium product. A recent report suggested that as many as one third of the UK population now buy organic produce of one category or another (Soil Association, 1999). The organic market has apparently ‘come of age’ and as the debate of ‘natural is better’ takes hold, fuelled by continual media coverage, in both the broad‐sheet (Slater, 1998; Dimbleby, 1999) and popular press (Organic Living, 2000). It will be interesting to observe the hospitality industry's response in attempting to keep pace with this developing market.

The Norwegian retail market for alcoholic beverages is controlled by a state monopoly. Wine and other alcoholic beverages above 4.75 per cent alcohol, can only be bought in government stores called The Wine Monopoly (Vinmonopolet in Norwegian) or consumed in hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs, or catering firms. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the Norwegian wine market and present some of the major opportunities and constraints facing foreign producers.

The objective of this article is twofold: first, to explain the role of the actors in the Norwegian wine market and second, to identify the market opportunities for Italian and other foreign producers. The organisation of the monopoly, the strategies wine producers may use to introduce new wines into the market, and the marketing levers that can be used to utilise the market opportunities are of special interest. The key informant techniques as well as official statistics are used.

Comparing the outcome of the authors' field research, done during the winter of 2010, with government statistics on wine consumption, it is clear that the competitive environment evolves daily. Consumers' tastes and perceptions play a crucial role in this dynamism.

There have not been many studies of the effects of the alcohol monopoly on the Norwegian market. Therefore, it is of particular interest to investigate the organisation of the Norwegian alcohol monopoly and how wine producers may successfully introduce new wines into this market. This paper makes a positive contribution to the literature in this field, giving some promotion strategies which could be achievable and could work in the Norwegian wine market.

This research investigated wine tourism development and marketing in southwest Michigan, a longtime viticultural, but emerging wine tourism region. The aims involved discovering the motivations, expectations, and successes of Southwest Michigan Wine Trail member wineries in developing horizontal and vertical alliances.

Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews were conducted with individuals in charge of the wineries’ marketing activities (i.e. marketing directors and members of the marketing departments, winery owners). These interviews were recorded and transcribed. Activities fostered through the horizontal and vertical alliances were identified.

Alliances along the Southwest Michigan Wine Trail have furthered the development and marketing of wine tourism. The trail's member wineries have formed strong horizontal relationships, which include joint advertising, promotion, and production. They have also built vertical relationships with tour operators, lodging businesses, and restaurants that promote individual wineries as well as the wine region. Wine tourism has provided wineries with another sales outlet and established the wine region as a destination.

This study contributed to the limited literature on the development and marketing of wine tourism in Michigan and in other emerging wine regions in the United States. For those working to further such rural/agri‐tourism, this research indicated that there is considerable growth potential through an increased presence in restaurants and in packaging with accommodations. Adding new specialized wine tours, wine festivals,geographical target markets, and a focus on wine education on‐site and at educational institutions can expand wine tourism and sales.