Most consumers overwhelmed when buying wine

According to a study by Wines and Vines, one in four wine drinkers feel overwhelmed when attempting to purchase a bottle. Much of this confusion comes from the abundance of wine labels and the intoxicating wealth of information about drinking and purchasing certain types of wine. Overall, consumers know that drinking wine can be a complex ordeal, yet most of them just want something to go with that evening’s meal or a weekend dinner party.

As reported by this blog, vintners in Ontario, Canada are now required to label how sweet their wines are from extra sweet to dry, giving consumers clarity into what they’re purchasing. In a May article, Seattle Weekly blogger Hanna Raskin wonders why winemakers don’t make it even easier by including the appropriate food pairing.

“Why not issue wines clearly labeled ‘spaghetti,’ ‘burgers,’ or ‘tacos?'” wonders Raskin. “If I’d spied a label with a drawing of a pizza slice, I bet I would have bought it.”

In response, Raskin consults Liz Thach, a professor of wine management and marketing at Sonoma State University. Thach says that most vintners don’t want to actively niche their products and, by customizing their label to inform what food may work best with the wine, they may be doing just that.

While Raskin’s idea may be a little too on-the-nose for most winemakers, many have actually taken the practice of including pairing suggestions on the label. Some European vintners have even included some infographics on the label that may depict a chicken, cow or a fish. Most of the fancy design, though, has been relegated to the back. This is because, according to Thach, research shows that consumers like a “traditional label” that “signals quality.”

If winemakers wish to offer consumers the clarity to help them make better purchasing decisions, they may want to invest in a custom label printer that can produce these informative wine labels.