“WHAT’S DOCG?” ENGLISH CONSUMERS ARE CONFUSED ABOUT THE ITALIAN CLASSIFICATION OF WINES AND ONLY A SMALL NICHE OF ENTHUSIASTS (3%) BUYS WINES THAT COST OVER 10 POUNDS

What is a DOCG wine? The majority of English consumers don’t know according to data revealed by the study “Analysis of strategies, performances and prospects for di Montalcino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano”, by Manuela Gabbai (Città del Vino) and Benedetto Rocchi (Università di Firenze).

The study, which was presented recently in Montalcino, aimed at investigating the performance of three important Tuscan denomination wines on the English market. The goal was to understand the potential for development of the three DOCG (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin) wines and to individualize strategies to increase the competitiveness of regional wine production.

After an initial phase of interviews with producers and representatives of the three wine consortiums, researchers conducted a case study in Great Britain, by interviewing importers, buyers, and restaurant and wine bar owners in order to analyze the logic of the market, commercial practices, the positioning of each denomination wine and their potentials for development on the UK market.

According to the results of the study, the DOCG certification does not represent a tool for guidance among consumers. Participants in the study declared that though Tuscan wines have a positive image in the UK, there does not seem to be much cohesion among them. And the denomination is not a determining factor for acquisition.

”The Tuscan brand” – affirmed Manuela Gabbai of Città Del Vino – “is made up of its territory, but it must invest in its foreign markets for this message to arrive, emphasizing the diversity of the region’s different viticultural areas. In the UK Tuscany is known and appreciated but there is no message that capitalizes on this competitive advantage”. In order to be competitive, Tuscan wines must aim, therefore, at creating a communications strategy that puts prime emphasis on the link between the characteristics of the wines and their territory.

On the British market, which includes 33.3 million wine consumers, the three DOCG wines that were the subject of the study, are sold primarily through the Horeca (hotel-restaurant-catering) channel. They are located in a high quality niche but have a scarce presence on retail channels, 70% of which are controlled by supermarkets. Large scale distribution absorbs 45.6% of the total volume of wine sold in the UK and the quality/price relation is decisive on this market. The average price of a bottle of wine is between 4.5 and 5 pounds, and this price has remained stable for the past 10 years. New World wines are the leaders of this price range and only a small niche of consumers seems willing or able to buy wines that cost more than 10 pounds (only 3%). This small segment is made up of wine enthusiasts and those who have a particular interest in food. And though they are on the look out for characteristic wines, the DOCG denomination is not a determining factor for their acquisitions. “Enthusiastic wine consumers who regularly buy quality wines between 10 and 40 pounds” – continued Manuela Gabbai – “are informed about prices and know what they can buy in terms of wine types and quality for those prices”. For premium and super premium wines the two key elements are the identity of the wine in terms of recognizable taste and the genuineness of the product while the certification of geographic origin seems to be less relevant.

The study concluded that the goals for the UK market should be two: in the first place, supplying information on varietals, history, and taste rather than organizing generic marketing campaigns, and, second, supplying information to producers on the characteristics and logic of foreign markets.