A study by the University of South Australia has found that Australians love visiting cellar doors, and that they are likely to return within 12 months following a positive experience.
The study which was conducted nationwide, surveyed 3,600 cellar door visitors and examined how cellar doors at Australian wineries influence consumers’ wine-buying behaviour, both during and after a visit.
“The majority of visitors (53 per cent) said that they would visit the same cellar door again within the next 12 months and, given that only 40 per cent of the cohort had visited the cellar door before, this is a positive indicator of a growing base of loyal visitors,” said research project leader Professor Johan Bruwer.
“They rated the most important factors for their enjoyment of a winery visit as the wine (87 per cent), the scenery/natural environment (78 per cent) and the local food (58 per cent).
“Interestingly, about 75 per cent of visitors bought wine at the cellar door which they selected mostly to take home and enjoy.”
The study found that the typical cellar door visitor is female, highly educated and most likely from an Australian capital city. The study also revealed that the majority of cellar door patrons were Australian, with only six percent recorded as overseas visitors.
“Not only are most of the visitors local, they are also influenced to attend wineries by their own local knowledge and knowledge of the winery brand, with 46 per cent of those surveyed saying word-of-mouth recommendation or informal sources influenced their choice of winery to visit,” said Bruwer.