2. Jonathan Steyn with David Prilaid and Christo Boshoff - From workhorse to Cinderella category: exploring the demand-side status of South African old vine Chenin Blanc cues
The rapid proliferation of vineyard-age extrinsic cues and standards among South African Chenin Blanc wines recently has coincided with pervasive calls for parity between the category’s historicity, latent quality reputation, market status and value.
However, the erstwhile “workhorse grape” connotation symbolising obscurity, commodification and low status, arguably plague category image and bias market value perceptions. The aim of this study is therefore to explore the status and value-elevating ability of old vine1 (OV) Chenin Blanc cues by investigating demand-side relative importance, value perceptions and biases.
Consequently, we ask: whether, to what extent and on what level (s) OV Chenin Blanc cues resonate with wine consumers?
Drawing on extant supply-side pricing research and random utility theory, a discrete choice model (DCM) computed a set of optimal profiles for extrinsic cues related to vine age, area-of-origin, grape variety and price. The profiles, rendered to digitized wine bottle-images, will be presented to nonprobabilistically sampled wine-drinkers. Explicit choice data will be compared to unconscious level data gathered through neuroscientific marketing research methods.
A DCM model will compute comparative utilities, importances and market simulation models per category and level of response.
A paucity of studies in wine marketing research comparing explicit and unconscious level consumer responses presents a gap in random utility theory. In addressing this gap, this study may prove useful in understanding how social influences bias consumer choice between combinations of established, novel and marginal cue-attributes constituting a wine’s extrinsic value offering.
Practically, the study will provide insight into demand-side utility, importance and potential market value of extrinsic OV Chenin Blanc cues relative to competing cues of worth.
1 In South Africa this commonly refers to wine made from vineyards older than 35-years old. See: www.oldvineproject.co.za
Moderator: Jérémy Arnaud
3. Fanny Gauthier - Chenin Blanc, an important element of the Val de Loires' Wine Markets
"In 2018, Chenin Blanc is the 4th most planted grape in the Loire Valley, with 14.6% of the wine-growing area of the basin, covering 9 700 ha, which is 856 ha more than in 2012. It is essentially found in Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loire.
In France, Chenin Blanc is mainly grown in the Loire Valley (92% of the national production) and it is estimated that the Loire Valley represents around 30% of the area dedicated to the production of Chenin Blanc, world-wide.
In terms of production, chenin has produced in 2018 522,000 hl of appellation wines, 100% coming from it or from a majority blend, and 7,600 hl of PGI. Two-thirds were claimed as fine bubbles, a quarter in dry or semi-sec wines and 11% in sweet wines. These volumes consist of 29 AOPs and denominations and Val de Loire IGP.
The retail volume is estimated at 60 million bottles, on average, per year. France is the leading consumer market with 72% of the volumes. A third of the wines are sold in supermarkets, the rest by retailers, at the estates or in restaurants. In 2018, nearly 16 million bottles crossed the french border to be consumed abroad. Exports have been developing over the years, with a real boost given by fine bubble , leading to the majority in volumes by large. Germany is the preferred export destination with 7.2 million parcels mainly made of crémant-de-loire AOC. The United States and the United Kingdom, which are more fond of dry and semi-dry from the Loire Valley, importe respectively 2.8 and 2 million bottles.
Sources: InterLoire, French Customs, IRI "