Blooming brilliant: insights into wine knowledge and motivation of wine festival visitors

Purpose This study aims to develop a nuanced understanding of wine festival attendees in South Africa by segmenting visitors based on their motivations, perceived contributions to the festival, behavioural intentions and self-assessed wine knowledge. Design/methodology/approach An a posteriori segmentation approach was applied using factor and cluster analysis on data collected from 144 fully completed questionnaires during a South African wine festival in 2024. The questionnaire incorporated socio-demographic, psychographic and behavioural measures grounded in the literature on wine tourism and consumer behaviour. Findings Four distinct segments emerged: Cultural experience seekers, Wine expertise seekers, Casual leisure seekers and Social entertainment seekers. Segments varied significantly in wine knowledge, spending, loyalty and motivations. Subjective knowledge and identity alignment played key roles in differentiating behaviours and expectations. Practical implications Findings offer actionable insights for festival organisers and destination marketers to tailor experiences, educational content and marketing strategies to diverse visitor segments. Integrating wine knowledge, terroir and local culture can enhance engagement and loyalty. Originality/value This study contributes to the wine tourism literature by offering a context-sensitive, multidimensional segmentation model that reflects the evolving complexity of wine festival audiences in the Global South.