Abstract
This project develops a better understanding of wine consumers’ purchase and consumption patterns before, during and as a consequence of their visits to winery cellar doors. This three-stage study found that the cellar door is a powerful catalyst to invoke change(s) in wine consumption. Cellar door visits influenced purchase during the visit, but the influence extended over the six months tracked after the visit. The effects differed between those unaware of the winery before visiting and those already aware. Visitors who bought more at the winery, bought less in the first three months, but then bought more in the following three months.
Summary
A cellar door is an expensive proposition and while millions of dollars have been invested in cellar door infrastructure, the impact of cellar door visitation has not been measured. This study provides strong evidence that the real value of a winery’s investment in a cellar door is not only determined by how much wine it sells to wine tourist visitors; the cellar door is also a powerful catalyst that leads to change(s) in the way that a visitor consumes wine after the visit. Importantly, it can convert people who had never bought or experienced the winery’s wines into buyers and/or consumers of the brand after the cellar door visit. It also has an effect on awareness and consumption of wines from the region.
Please note: Due to the complexity of this project and its multitude of findings, it is recommended that this final report be read in conjunction with the more detailed two interim research reports found in Appendix 1: Communication.