Segmentation of the Australian Wine Market Using a Wine-Related Lifestyle Approach

As wine increasingly becomes a lifestyle beverage and more acceptable and desired by a wider spectrum of consumers, there is a greater need to understand wine consumer values, consumption patterns and profiles. This research recognises that lifestyle is inextricably linked to values and the processes by which people seek to achieve their values through various modes of expression, including the consumption of wine. For this purpose, this study developed a new wine-related lifestyle (WRL) measurement instrument for segmenting the Australian domestic wine market. Although the study was exploratory in nature, there is clear evidence that five wine-related consumer lifestyle segments exist in the Australian domestic wine market. These segments are: purposeful inconspicuous premium wine drinkers, ritual oriented conspicuous wine enthusiasts, enjoyment seeking social wine drinkers, fashion/image oriented wine drinkers, and basic wine drinkers.