New Research Offers Broad Opportunity for Wine Industry

Online, December 15, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Reversing over a century of industry thinking, a revolutionary study shows that psychology and physiology play a far greater role in consumer choice than previously recognized. The Wine Consumer Analysis 2010 demonstrates that a Moscato or White Zinfandel please the most sensitive tasters while most Cabernets suit a small minority of tolerant tasters.

Authors of the study conclude that an understanding of the principles outlined in this report will enable wine producers, marketers and sellers to understand and cultivate more consumers and promote a much wider variety of wine styles from around the world. It also shows how the industry can unite to address the intimidation which overwhelms a large percentage of consumers and prevents them from consuming wine more frequently.

The study of over a thousand consumers was conducted over past years in conjunction with the Lodi Consumer Wine Awards. Study originator Tim Hanni, MW, realized, "We have uncovered glaring errors and misunderstandings in the wine industry which have led to the disenfranchisement of millions of consumers and loss of wine market share to other beverages."

By studying the roles that physiology, psychology and neurology play in palatal preferences, this consumer phenotyping will orient consumers to a greater diversity of wines at every price point. "When people's palates are 'trained' via conventional wine education, we're often telling them it is not okay to like what they like, then we use the tired fallback - trust your own palate," Hanni said. Study co-author Virginia Utermohlen, M.D., of Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences points out, "The industry is guilty of alienating the largest segments of consumers who then choose other sweeter beverages or even stop drinking wine."

"Our research shows that there is, and always has been, a huge international population that demands sweeter tastes and this important segment will be with us indefinitely," Hanni says. "As consumers learn to understand and trust their own sensory sensitivity and follow their passions, producers will learn to accommodate this preference. We will see more confident consumers enjoying wine more frequently and they will spend more for wines that historically have been undervalued. This reality in no way impinges on the enjoyment and sales of drier, delicate or intense wines. Rather, an amazingly large, untapped and immediate opportunity exists."

The Consumer Wine Analysis 2010 (39 pages, $500) is available from www.timhanni.com. For further information, phone 707/337-0327 or contact tim@timhanni.com. A preliminary summary without charge is available at www.timhanni.com.

Media Inquiries:
Harvey Posert 707/963-2685 or hposertpr@comcast.net
Patricia Schneider 415/717-7595 or psa.patricia@gmail.com