WINENEWS-VINITALY POLL: “SELECT” PASSIONS IN TIME OF CRISIS. WINE LOVERS CUT COSTS, BUT NOT QUALITY. IN THE LAST 2 YEARS 45% BOUGHT THE SAME NUMBER OF BOTTLES AND 47% KEPT THE SAME WINE BUDGET

They would rather cut down on other expenses, not on good wine: in times of crisis wine lovers select their pleasures prudently, but reserve a place of honor for wine. 45% of wine lovers in the last two years bought the same number of bottles, and 47% maintained their same wine budget. However, everyone wants value for money and brand names are no longer priority. These are the results of the www.winenews.it and Vinitaly survey on the investigation of the effects of the economic crisis on wine lovers’ consumer habits. The enonauts - wine & Internet lovers - instead of giving up their favorite wines would rather cut other expenses. 45% of those who participated in the survey - which totaled 1,847 respondents - in the last two years (the period of the economic crisis) bought the same number of bottles they bought before the crisis, 36% bought less, and 19% have bought even more.
It is not just a question of quantity: in the last two years, 47% spent the same budget for the purchase of wine as before the crisis, 32% spent less, while 21% spent more. What are you willing to pay on average for a bottle of wine? 44% of enonauts said 10 to 20 euros; 25% up to 10 euros; 18% from 20 to 30 euros; 9% from 30 to 40 euros; 3% from 40 to 50 euros and only 1% is willing to spend over 50 euros. The difficult economic situation does not seem to have influenced the average amount wine lovers are willing to pay for a bottle: 67% pay the same price as before, while 28% spent more in the past. There is a noteworthy 5% of respondents who say that before the crisis they were willing to pay less than at present.
There is a clear majority of fans who, even in difficult times, have remained faithful to their usual outlet: 71% buy wine in the same place, while 39% now look for cheaper stores. Finally, 24% of wine lovers openly declares that the crisis has not at all affected their passion, compared with 76% that claim instead to have changed some of their habits, but not, as we have seen, the budget for wine: the majority of respondents buy the same number of bottles spending the same total amount, abandoning other pleasures and passions. What has changed is the general attitude: no one spends money lavishly and the universal rule has become buying wine at a good value for money ratio. Many consumers no longer buy brand names, preferring to search for little-known wines that are affordable and good quality. And, limits may also be a challenge. So, some wine fans are looking for something new while some focus on well-known, tested wines, but what unites everyone is a definite step down from luxury and icon wines in favor of local wines. Paradoxically, there are those who, during this crisis, have bought more: thanks to the general reduction in prices - many wineries in the last year have marked down their prices –wine lovers take advantage of buying a larger quantity of wine.
Finally, besides greater attention and general awareness, here are some “tricks” on how to save, directly from enonauts’ suggestions: drink at home with friends, sharing the cost, instead of going to a restaurant; buy wine in supermarkets and hypermarkets that have a well stocked wine department (more and more markets do) or directly at the cellars; buy when there are special offers and promotions; form a buying group with other wine lovers. Who are the enonaut respondents to the WineNews survey? They are wine lovers who have a great familiarity with new technologies and browse the web daily. They are predominantly male (79%), 52% are between 30 and 45, have a degree (85% graduated from high school or college) and on the average they have a good socio-economic position.