SURVEY RESULTS: Wine Reviews are…OK

Posted by Tom Wark on May 24, 2005

The results of the FERMENTATIONS’ "How do you like your Wine Reviews" Survey are in. We had 99 respondents. The results below are rounded off. Thank you to EVERYONE who took this survey!!

1. How often is it that a wine review is the main reason you purchase a wine you’ve never tried before?

Almost always    3%

Often    31%

Occasionally    48%

Rarely    15%

Never    3%

Clearly reviews play a role in my readership’s wine buying decisions, but it’s not a decisive role, is it.

2. Where are you most likely to read wine reviews?

Wine Magazines like "The Wine Spectator" or "Wine Enthusiast" 
19%
Wine Newsletters like "The Wine Advocate" or "The California Grapevine 
16%
Newspaper Wine Columns 
12%

In grocery stores on those little "Shelf talkers" under the wine 
8%
On Wine Blogs 
22%
On Internet Wine forums 
21%
I guess it should be no surprise that more than 40% of respondents report they get their reviews somewhere on the Internet. What’s interesting to me as a marketer is the small number reporting that shelf talkers play a role in where you see reviews.

3. What do you consider the most trustworthy and objective wine reviews?

Wine Magazines that take advertising 
5%
Reviews at Wine Magazines that don’t take advertising 
28%
Reviews in newspaper wine columns   12%
Reviews on Wine Blogs   38%
Reviews on Internet Wine Forums   18%

This question should have come with a "And explain why" caveat. Why is it that Blogs are considered the most trustworthy and objective among 38%. I suspect it has something to do with the perceived intent of wine blog reviewers.

4. What do you consider the least trustworthy and objective wine reviews?

Wine Magazines that take advertising 
67%
Reviews at Wine Magazines that don’t take advertising 
0%
Reviews in newspaper wine columns 
15%
Reviews on Wine Blogs   9%
Reviews on Internet Wine Forums   10%
I guess this makes sense…67% finding advertising-supported magazines the least trustworthy and objective. My experience is that there is no support for the underlying suspicion.

5. Which rating system do you prefer to accompany a wine review?

The "A – F" rating system 
12%
The 4 star/glasses/puffs rating system 
11%
The 100 Point rating system 
43%
The 20 point rating system 
12%
No rating at all 
21%
The big surprise to me is that 21% know what the 20 point rating system is. Only one wine publication I know of still uses this system, originally dubbed the "Davis" System. No surprise about the 43%.

6. For you, what is the most informative part of a wine review?

Description of the aromas and flavors 
49%
Notes that suggest foods that will go with the wine 
11%
Indication of how well the wine will age and when to drink it 
8%
Information in the review about the producer and vineyards 
24%
The accompanying rating 
8%
Yea…I guess this is why we read reviews. I would have chosen "information about the producer." I want context in my review. I want to know why the wine tastes like it tastes, what the producers is going for, who they are, etc.

7. What is your gender?

Female 
11%
Male 
89%
No Surprise. But what do we have to do to attract the ladies to FERMENTATIONS?

8. What is your age?

21 – 30 
20%
31 – 40 
31%
41 – 50 
28%
51 – 60 
16%
61 or older 
5%
This is a pretty good spread. We know that blog readers tend to be a younger group. But dedicated wine drinkers tend to be an older group. This equal the readership out I think.

9. How long have you been drinking wine?

1 – 5 years 
17%
6 – 10 years 
23%
11 – 15 years 
8%
16 – 20 years 
19%
21 – 30 years 
23%
More than 30 years 
11%
Another good spread…I’m glad

10. How much wine do you drink?

Daily 
58%
A few times a week 
38%
Once a week 
3%
Rarely 
1%
FERMENTATIONS’ readers are drinkers aren’t they!!. Who said "rarely".

You can get these same results with graphs and bells and whistles by clicking HERE