Looking at what kinds of groups go wine tasting, it is very similar to who goes to restaurants, mostly couples, followed by pairs or groups of couples, then groups of women, family groups, and lastly groups of men. The groups of women far outnumber the groups of men, and the former is mostly friends and family, while the latter are mostly business associates. And of course there are corporate groups which tend to be mixed between the sexes, especially among the Americans.
This may explain why women have become such a force to be reckoned with when it comes to wine sales. As they have become increasingly important in the work force and as household heads, they have more need to understand wines and more reasons to enjoy its relaxing and socializing qualities. Groups of women often get together on wine tours to celebrate upcoming weddings, or birthdays, or just because they have a weekend away from the kids and husband.
But one of the keys that show how much they affect wine sales is this. When they are in a relationship and they are tasting wine, they guide their purchases in big part on what they think their partner will like. It may be that mothers and wives are so accustomed to feeding the people they care about, that selecting wines for the cellar is just an extension of that. Men do this to a lesser extent, but mostly they choose wines because they like them, and then they will choose a wine for her, as an afterthought.
I’ve stopped buying my wife Lahni wines, no matter how much I think I know what she likes, more often than not, what I bring home sits in the cellar untouched. There is a narrow selection by varietal and brand that I think I know (because she has told me) that she likes, but it is like buying a woman a dress, that is a risky business not for the faint of heart.
The larger the group of people touring, generally the smaller amount of wine they purchase per capita. They are simply too busy socializing to focus on shopping. Couples and pairs of couples are the biggest purchasers. The Baby Boomers are still the biggest buyers, being the senior generation they know family is coming to dinner and wine needs to be served, otherwise how will we civilize the next generation. Teaching the appreciation of wine is an important skill.
The X Gens include a lot of beer drinkers, although they seem to be coming around, and the more educated they become, the more they see the social and health benefits of wine over beer. The Y or Millennial Generation will do the most expensive tasting, because their Boomer parents impressed on them the importance of quality, but then they will buy only one bottle because they are still moving around and not ready to build up a cellar.
As wine has become the predominant alcohol beverage in America wineries have sprouted up in an amazing variety of states, and this has been a huge boon to wine tourism. As two of the world’s top wine destinations, Napa and Sonoma are seeing a wider and wider cross section of humanity arriving to sample their wares, and they are stepping up their game to satisfy that demand in delicious and entertaining ways.
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