Study Shows Reluctance Behind Organic Wine Trends

The attitude behind why we buy wine and how we pick the wines we buy is changing, according to the Wine Market Council. One recent study particularly focuses on consumer attitudes toward organic and sustainable wines. Surveying what the council considers “high frequency wine drinkers” or those who drink wine more than once a week, it focused on how a wine’s “greenness” affects consumers’ buying decisions.

“We uncovered a lot of very insightful data that shows the perceived benefits these ‘green’ wines have to consumers and how relevant these benefits are to the buying decision,” said Steve Burns, president, Wine Market Council.

The study showed consumers who believe they understand what sustainable and organic wines actually are are more likely to purchase them. There’s a broader understanding of what “made from organic grapes” means, than what “sustainable” and “biodynamic” means. Sustainable and biodynamic wines are more often associated with external environmental impact, such as water and CO2 issues, while organic wine and wine from organic grapes are more associated with input issues, such as SO2, pesticides and GMOs.

Consumers are more likely to spend slightly more for wine made from organically grown grapes and even more than that for sustainable or biodynamic wines.

Consumers who commit to an all-organic food diet don’t necessarily include organic wines in their decision and often other aspects come into play when making a wine purchase, such as cost, taste, availability and visibility.