Wine Intelligence has released its Australian Portraits 2019 report, which details the six key segments of Australian wine drinker and their engagement with wine buying and consumption.
The six segments are: Engaged Explorers, Social Newbies, Mainstream Matures, Contented Treaters, Senior Bargain Hunters and Kitchen Casuals. The report revealed that each of the segments have shifted, and in some cases changed characteristics since the report was last published in 2016.
Rodney Sammut, Wine Intelligence Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: “Just as wine markets are evolving over time, so are our consumers. Some of these shifts are more noticeable than others, but collectively, the changes are enough to lead to an evolution of the wine drinker segments. This evolution of the Australian wine drinker over the last three years can’t be pinned down to changes in any single area – we have witnessed changes across both the behaviour and attitudes of wine drinkers in the category.”
The report details that the two most involved segments are Engaged Explorers and Social Newbies, who now comprise 25 per cent of the monthly wine drinking population of Australia, but over 60% of the dollars spent in the category.
Engaged Explorers are second youngest segment, with the majority aged under 45 and they are the group with the highest consumption frequency, accounting for nine per cent of the monthly wine drinking population.
They will rarely spend less than $15 on a bottle to drink at home, and their average off-premise bottle spend is around $22, rising to over $25 for more formal occasions.
Social Newbies are the youngest group with 66 per cent aged under 35 and has the second-highest consumption frequency.
They are the segment with the lowest knowledge as they have less experience with wine, but that does not stop them from approaching the category with enthusiasm and drinking wine once or twice a week, typically in social settings.
With wine tending to be part of a daily routine for Mainstream Matures, this group represents almost a quarter of the total wine consumed in Australia. This group has high involvement, knowledge and confidence with an average off-premise spend of $12, going up to $15 for more formal or social occasions.
For less engaged consumers, the new segment of Contented Treaters has seen a slight increase in frequency, although they are still generally infrequent wine consumers. This group is likely to spend a bit more than Mainstream Matures and Social Newbies in all occasions to avoid embarrassment or disappointment – $18-20 for themselves, rising to $25+ for a gift.
The final groups, Senior Bargain Hunters and Kitchen Casuals have the lowest levels of consumption frequency and confidence levels. They tend to spend less on their wine purchases, with limited knowledge and interest in wine contributing to their low spend.