In 2011, The Wine Management Institute of Dijon, in Burgundy, France launched a 5-year study on international wine blogs under my direction with the help of our 40 to 50 students coming from all over the world. The first year (2011) was devoted to American and Chinese blogs. We are on our way for the second year (2012) studying South European wine blogs, British, Canadian and Chinese (again) wine blogs. The purpose of the research is to draw a portrait of bloggers all around the world, a typology of blogs and a first approach of digital writing all over the world. The research aimed at helping the wine professionals to get to know this new strategy of communications and academics to have a better understanding of the practical aspect of marketing in the wine industry.

To read the full study in English.

A recent study presented by Vinexpo raved about the newly discovered taste of women for red wine and their resistance to health warnings. The surveys were conducted over web sites in several countries. Are such surveys reliable for a marketing study? The Vinexpo surveys were conducted among female readers of several wine magazines web sites. How couldn’t be the results biased? Women reading on line wine magazines are basically interested in wine and would have learned opinions. But go ask any woman in the street: the answers would be totally different.

Should we dismiss such a survey? Not quite. We learn that women interested in wine enjoy red wine, are not fooled by wines targeting them as their specific consumers – the pink Bitch brand, for example – or by health warning. They know that a glass of red wine a day or from time to time won’t endanger their life.

It is also interesting to cross-reference those results with those of other surveys on female wine drinkers. Whether they’re neophyte or amateur, there is one common trend: the price is a big factor of their decision. They’ll chose the wine on sale or pick the one which seems to be a good bargain. Women very rarely buy expensive wines.

Women might not be quite – yet – the future of wine but there is a strong potential that producers and marketers should explore.