Latest News

July 16th, 2007

"Jacob’s Creek and Gallo lead consumer awareness rankings in key wine import markets" Vinitrac reveals

Jacob’s Creek and Gallo are the world’s best known wine brands, according to the Vinitrac Global Survey of wine consumers in key import markets. French brand JP Chenet is also very well known, and was highly ranked in several markets.

In one of the largest international surveys ever undertaken about wine drinking, responses from over 11,000 wine consumers across 11 key wine markets were collected during March 2007 by Wine Intelligence, a leading consultancy, which owns the Vinitrac survey platform. The survey is powered by GMI, a specialist survey software and sampling company.

The wine brand Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data collected by Wine Intelligence reveals that Australian brand Jacob’s Creek is market leader for consumer awareness in the English-speaking countries of Australia, Ireland and the UK.

Meanwhile, American giant Gallo topped the awareness ranking in its domestic US market and neighbouring Canada, along with the tough German market. JP Chenet reigned in Denmark and the Netherlands and was number two in Germany.

In addition to these three brands, Carlo Rossi and Mouton Cadet emerged as winners in the wine brand awareness rank drawn from a list of 48 major international brands.

The Vinitrac KPI rank assesses all aspects of brand equity starting from awareness and usage through to brand affinity and recommendation.

In addition to the awareness rank, other findings reveal that Australian wine brands tend to lead the way in the conversion of brand awareness to purchase, with [yellow tail] a particularly strong performer in this context.  Wolf Blass was also well liked by many consumers and was the most recommended brand in four Vinitrac markets, including Ireland and Australia.   

To find out more or to order your copy of the full report, please contact Richard Halstead at Richard@wineintelligence.com or phone +44(0)207 089 3890.

June 25th, 2007

"English-speaking wine consumers drink wine more frequently than consumers in other major wine export markets, Vinitrac reveals"

Wine drinkers in Australia, UK & USA drink wine more frequently than consumers in major wine export markets, according to the latest data from the Vinitrac Global Monitor, published this week by Wine Intelligence.

In one of the largest international surveys ever undertaken about wine drinking, responses from over 11,000 wine consumers across 11 key export markets were collected during March and April 2007.

Among the findings were that 55% of wine drinkers in Australia, UK and USA drink wine two or more times per week. By contrast, consumption is much less frequent in countries such as Finland and Japan: just 24% of Finnish wine drinkers and 31% of Japanese wine drinkers consume wine twice a week or more.

Australia and the UK are also amongst the countries where strong on-premise wine drinking culture exists; over 90% of regular wine drinkers in these markets consume wine in a pub, bar or restaurant, while 65% of Swiss wine consumers do not consume wine in the on-premise setting.

To find out more or to order your copy of the full report, please contact Richard Halstead at Richard@wineintelligence.com or phone +44(0)207 089 3890.

June 20th, 2007

"Divided by the Atlantic: Where is the future opportunity for wine exporters - UK or USA?"

"I have asked my team to deliver a challenging goal this year. How can we get customers to pay an extra twenty five pence for each bottle? Not a lot to ask you may think, but without quality, education and reasons to buy, it is merely inflation", Dan Jago Category Director of Beers Wines and Spirits for Tesco, provided evidence and insight to debate "Divided by the Atlantic: Where is the future opportunity for wine exporters - UK or USA?" at the 2007 Vinexpo exhibition on June 20th 2007. A summary of the seminar hosted by Wine Intelligence in association with Vinexpo, along with full details of participating industry speakers, will be available for download on our website shortly.

June 17th-21st, 2007

Wine Intelligence at Vinexpo -Bordeaux Convention Centre

Wine Intelligence was present at the biennial Vinexpo 2007 exhibition in Bordeaux, France. The industry seminar, "Divided by the Atlantic: Where is the future opportunity for wine exporters - UK or USA?" was amongst one of the highlights of the exhibition as Wine Intelligence hosted a debate over the future opportunities and threats in these two key export markets. For further information, please download a seminar briefing here or get in touch with Genevieve Davison

May 29th, 2007

Mike Paul to move to non-executive role 

Wine Intelligence is pleased to announce that Mike Paul has been appointed Chairman of the Wine Intelligence Advisory Board, which advises the company on strategic direction and on business issues. The move arises from Mike’s decision to take on the role of Managing Director at Orbital Wines. Mike Paul said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Wine Intelligence, and the opportunity to work with such an exciting team of people. I am delighted to stay involved, as I believe it is a company with great potential.”

May 22nd - 24th, 2007

Wine Intelligence at LIWSF

Wine Intelligence hosted a number of high profile events at the London International Wine and Spirit Fair (LIWSF) 2007. The topics covered by our LIWSF 2007 seminars ranged from organic wine, Fairtrade & sustainability through to the current status of the UK on-trade sector and opportunities within the 50+ wine consumer segment. Summaries of the Wine Intelligence LIWSF 2007 seminar presentations can be download here. For further information, please contact Genevieve Davison

March 19th, 2007

Wine Intelligence appoints Gérard Basset as Associate Director – On Trade 

Wine Intelligence is delighted to announce the appointment of Gérard Basset as Associate Director – On Trade, with immediate effect.

Gérard will advise Wine Intelligence’s clients about On trade strategy, as well as contributing to the company’s published research on the subject. He will also represent Wine Intelligence at seminars and events.

In a remarkable career punctuated by numerous awards and business success, Gérard has become one of the world’s leading experts on wine and its service in an on-premise setting.

Gérard’s business reputation is closely linked with the notable success of the Hotel du Vin, which he co-founded in1994, after six years as chief sommelier at Chewton Glen Hotel. In addition his remarkable professional achievements, Gerard holds the titles of both Master of Wine and Master Sommelier, and in 2007 added to his qualifications with the successful completion of the Wine MBA from Bordeaux Business School, where he graduated top of his class.

Gérard Basset said: “I am delighted to join Wine Intelligence. It is a great honour for me to work with such a talented and innovative team."

March 27th, 2007

Wine Intelligence appoints Angela Mount as Associate Director – Off Trade

Wine Intelligence is delighted to announce the appointment of Angela Mount as Associate Director – Off Trade, starting from April 10, 2007.

Angela will bring her considerable market knowledge to Wine Intelligence, advising leading global wine businesses about product development, trading strategy, as well as contributing to the company’s published research.

Angela is widely known and respected within the global wine community. In her 15 years as a wine buyer for Somerfield, the UK supermarket chain, latterly as Head of Wine Buying, Angela transformed the range and reputation of the wine offer.

Wine Intelligence will be expanding its Vinibrand service over the next few months and, in addition to the wine brand development service that is currently offered, Angela will be able to assist wine companies in defining the optimum wine for the identified target audience, product positioning and price point.

Angela Mount said: “Wine Intelligence has developed a superb and highly respected reputation since its launch five years ago, and I am delighted to be joining the senior team"

Wine Intelligence expands coverage of Vinitrac

Vinitrac, the international online research platform recently launched by Wine Intelligence, now allows all wine businesses involved in the development, distribution, promotion and sale of wine to listen to consumers’ views and attitudes on

a regular basis in four more markets: Australia, Finland, Ireland and Switzerland.

Vinitrac monitors every aspect of wine drinkers wine lives – from what they drink, where they purchase (both retail and on-premise) to their attitude to wine brands & countries of origin. It even monitors what varietals they favour and what they think of different closures.

Following the addition of the aforementioned markets, standard surveys completed in March and September each year are now available in 11 major markets: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the USA.

In addition, Vinitrac operates in the following markets as a bespoke or omnibus survey on a demand basis: China, Belgium, France, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain and Sweden. Other markets are available on request.

For more information about Vinitrac, please call Richard Halstead, Wine Intelligence's Operations Director on +44 (0) 20 089 3890 or email him at Richard@wineintelligence.com

Alternative wine closures “now mainstream products” in UK

Consumer acceptance for screw cap closures in the UK has risen to a level where it is now considered part of the mainstream in terms of wine packaging, a new report published by Wine Intelligence has revealed.

A survey of 1,000 regular wine drinkers in late 2006 in the UK in has found that three quarters of regular wine drinkers in the UK now find screw cap closures acceptable, up from 64% acceptance in 2004 and just 41% in 2003.

However there remains a significant minority of natural cork aficionados among UK consumers who display a more emotive relationship with wine in general, and do not see screw-cap as part of the “romance” of wine.

The Wine Intelligence report also includes store check data collected in January 2007 and April 2005 which shows a significant increase in the number of products with screw cap closure offered for sale by major retailers in the UK.

"Over the past four years we have seen an unprecedented shift in UK consumer behaviour and attitudes to wine bottle closures”, Wine Intelligence Operating Director Richard Halstead said. “The evidence presented in this report shows the extent to which screw-caps now play a part in sealing wine sold in the UK, and the levels of resistance still apparent in the market to this new style of closure."

To order your copy of Closures: The UK Consumer View 2007, please email steve@wineintelligence.com

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Title: Closures: The UK Consumer View 2007

Format: PowerPoint (download)

Single copy licence: £350 + VAT if applicable

Multiple copy licence: £925 + VAT if applicable

Publication date: February 2007

Wine Intelligence launches Vinitrac, the global wine consumer insights platform

Wine producers, brand owners and generic bodies serving international markets will have the opportunity to develop an unprecedented understanding of their consumers thanks to Vinitrac, a new international online research platform launched today by Wine Intelligence.

Vinitrac is a comprehensive consumer survey of wine drinking habits covering seven major wine consumption markets: Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States.

Questions asked in the survey include wine consumption frequency and spend; country of origin consumption and perceptions; varietal usage; attitudes to closures; and involvement in the wine. The sample will be at least 1,000 wine drinkers in each of the survey countries (USA: 2,000), and weighted to be representative of all drinkers in that country.

Vinitrac will also poll consumers on brand awareness, usage and perception, covering both still and sparkling wines, which wine businesses can use to track the health of their products and measure the impact of marketing activity.

Clients can also ask their own questions of an audience that will be representative of the views of over 100 million regular wine drinkers.

The Vinitrac global survey will run twice a year – in March and September - alongside Wine Intelligence’s more regular omnibus services in the UK, US and Germany. These will be renamed under the Vinitrac banner as Vinitrac UK, Vinitrac US and Vinitrac Germany.

Businesses will be able to subscribe to data reports covering all countries, or selected markets. Reports covering brands and specific topics such as closures, sparkling wines, and fortified wines will also be available.

For more information about Vinitrac, please call Richard Halstead, Wine Intelligence's Operations Director on +44 (0) 20 089 3890 or email him at Richard@wineintelligence.com

January 25th, 2007

Jean-Philippe Perrouty speaks at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium

Wine Intelligence Research Manager Dr. Jean-Philippe Perrouty spoke at a seminar about wine bottle closures at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento on Thursday, January 25 2007. Dr Perrouty talked about consumer attitudes to closures in the UK, and how the acceptance of screw-cap closures has changed over time.