Page 62 - Wine Spectator (January 2020)

READER SURVEY How We Buy

We asked, you answered: Results from our recent online poll

o find out more about readers’ wine-buying practices, we more than 1,000 bottles. And they are enthusiastic consumers, with
posted a survey on WineSpectator.com; nearly 1,500 people nearly 90% spending more than $1,000 per year on wine, including
Tresponded. Although our poll was not conducted according 11% who spend more than $10,000. Still, they look for value. More

to scientific protocols, it resulted in a diverse group of respondents than 40% spend between $25 and $49 per bottle on average, and
in terms of gender, age and location. About two-thirds of respon- 28% spend less than $25. Only 4% spend more than $100. Nearly

dents are male. Nearly half are middle-aged (40 to 64), with a quar- one-fourth purchase more than 250 bottles per year, with almost
ter older and another quarter younger. Respondents are fairly evenly half purchasing 100 to 249 bottles annually.
distributed across the U.S., with the largest group from the West These wine lovers are taking advantage of all the ways wine is

(29%). About 9% live outside the U.S. sold today. Whether they buy their wine at a brick-and-mortar
They are, not surprisingly, serious wine lovers. About two-thirds retailer, via the Internet, directly from wineries or, more rarely, at
are Wine Spectator subscribers (to print and/or digital publications). auctions, they are exploring the wine world’s growing diversity by

More than half currently possess more than 100 bottles; 9% have taking advantage of the expanding avenues for wine buying.

HOW MUCH HOW MUCH COST
DO YOU DO YOU CONSCIOUS
SPEND PER SPEND PER 50% of all respondents
BOTTLE, ON 3.6% YEAR? purchase 100 to 249
AVERAGE? bottles per year, with
24.6%
Less than $1,000
More than $100 43.8% $1,000–$4,999 72%

$50–$100 $5,000–$10,000 of those holding the
$25–$49 More than $10,000 budget at $49 or less
Less than $25 28%
per bottle.

HOW MANY HOW MANY BOTTLES DO
BOTTLES DO YOU CURRENTLY OWN?
GENERATION GAP YOU BUY
of respondents PER YEAR? 3.6% More than 8.8%
1,000
18.6%
81% age 40 and up
frequently buy wine online, 500–999 12.8%
compared with 19% of More than 500 49.3%
respondents under 40, who 250–499 100–499 38.2%

largely buy at retail. 100–249
Fewer than 100 28.6% Fewer
than 100 40.1%

HOW MANY WINERY POWER OF HAVE YOU EVER ATTENDED
MAILING LISTS PROPINQUITY A WINE AUCTION?

DO YOU BUY 50.8%
FROM? 45%

of respondents residing 83%
30.6% of respondents
in the western U.S.
have not (yet!)
18.6% frequently buy directly
from wineries, compared attended a wine
auction.
with 25% of respondents
who live in the
NONE 1–5 MORE THAN 5 Northeast.

58 WINE SPECTATOR • JAN. 31 – FEB. 29, 2020