X‐it: Gen‐X and Older Wine Drinker Comparisons in New Zealand

Some wine marketing studies make reference to the importance of Generation‐X as the next wave of wine drinkers, but draw attention to a glaring fact; this next generation is consuming less wine than national averages. Whilst considerable amounts of information about Generation‐X exist, few studies have addressed their underlying wine purchasing behaviours. A mock label for a red and white wine was developed and respondents were asked to indicate their probability of purchase and the price they would pay. A range of wine purchasing behaviour questions were included. A questionnaire was randomly presented in a mail survey to 1,144 New Zealand respondents drawn from a national wine mailing list (n=640) and an academic institution (n=504). No follow‐up was undertaken and a 28% response rate was achieved. Generation‐X wine consumers exhibited more differences than similarities to the older age cohort, with many differences being statistically significant. Whilst Generation‐X purchase wines in a similar fashion, they are mainly light purchasers of bottled wine. Generation‐X respondents showed a stronger likelihood of purchasing a never‐before‐seen wine and place a different emphasis on wine label information. More research on Generation‐X and their behaviours as wine consumers is required.