Purchasing behaviour in the Northern Ireland wine market

A dynamic process of structural change is currently under way in the global wine industry. Historically, the wine industry has been dominated by the traditional wine‐producing countries of Europe. However, forces of change in the commercial environment have encouraged an influx of wines from countries such as California, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, to name but a few. As the portfolio of wines on the market continues to expand, the challenge for survival of both new and traditional wine‐producing countries is intensified. This study of the Northern Ireland wine market is based on the results of a questionnaire which was distributed through off‐licences in Northern Ireland. Two hundred and ten questionnaires were distributed with a response rate of 57 per cent. Key findings included: country of origin is the most important factor when customers are selecting wine; word of mouth recommendation is most likely to influence the type of wine chosen; most of those surveyed usually spend between £3.50 and £4.49 on a bottle of wine; French wines are popular with those surveyed but Liebfraumilch is the favourite wine.