An Empirical Confirmation of Segments in the Australian Wine Market

Spawton (1991) discusses consumer expectations and risk‐reduction strategies in the purchase of wines. Spawton (1991) refers to a four‐segment model of the market. These segments include Connoisseurs, Aspirational Drinkers, Beverage Wine Consumers and New Wine Drinkers. These segments were developed from the results of an exploratory qualitative study conducted by McKinna (1987). This study aims to empirically test and confirm the segments that the wine industry has taken for granted. There are four hypotheses relating to the confirmation of Spawton's (1991) segments.