| While some say Shiraz and some say Syrah, most consumers in the US , 83 percent in fact - either have no idea or are incorrect about the fact that the two are made from the same grape, just grown in different regions, reports Business Wire.
Results from a recently completed 600-respondent survey conducted by Dr. Dennis Tootelian, Professor or Marketing, College of Business Administration at California State University , Sacramento support the trend towards a growing acceptance of wine among U.S. consumers.
An impressive 74% of 2007 survey respondents report they drink wine on an occasional or frequent basis as compared to 60% who reported doing so in a similar survey conducted in 2006. 65% respondents said they are choosing wine over beer more often as compared to 52% a year ago.
When it comes to the emerging trend toward screw caps on quality bottles of wine, the majority of those surveyed (52 percent) reported they are somewhat or very comfortable with the practice and 17 percent are still undecided or uncertain.
But, when it comes to the common practice of blending wine, U.S. consumers are not quite as savvy. Majority of respondents (57 percent) do not know that most wines, regardless of their origins, are actually made from a blend of grapes or those grown from different regions.
Based on the survey results, consumers are interested in Australia , but, similar to results from last year, they are not necessarily aware of the country's winemaking expertise.
An impressive 87 percent of those surveyed are interested in trying wine produced "Down Under" followed by trying wine from Chile (74 percent), Italy (73 percent), France (71 percent), and Spain (69 percent).
It is also interesting to note differences in consumer habits and perceptions among frequent wine drinkers as compared to respondents who report they seldom drink wine. A few noteworthy differences are outlined below:
Nearly all (97 percent) of those who frequently drink wine report that wine plays a key role in special moments and celebrations with friends and family which does not necessarily hold true for those who seldom drink wine (28 percent);
Fifty-five percent of survey respondents who report they drink wine frequently would consider using a quality wine for marinating food for grilling while 82 percent of seldom wine drinkers report not being open to the culinary concept;
A full 82 percent of respondents who drink wine frequently report they would be more likely to purchase a wine if they knew it was hand-crafted from a family-owned winery with a long history of winemaking whereas only 33 percent of respondents who seldom drink wine would do so.
The study was commissioned by McWilliam's Wines, one of Australia 's oldest and most highly respected family-owned wineries. The survey was conducted telephonically in February 2007. Respondents were from different regions of the U.S. More than one choice was possible for many questions.
Details are at: http://home.businesswire.com
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