You heard it here first: Port is evolving. In the UK market it has historically been saddled with a rather stereotypically dusty image, which has proved hard to shake. But the winds of change have been quietly blowing for quite a while now – and the effects are finally being felt across the land.
You’ll notice that one of the comments that keeps recurring on the pages of this year’s Port Report is that a wider cross section of consumers are now buying and drinking Port. It’s attracting more women drinkers, younger drinkers and sales don’t seem to be dependent on high income.
So what better time to hit the streets and find out what this new breed of Port consumer thinks about the category – and how much they really know about the Douro’s darling?
A comprehensive new consumer survey by Drinks Insight sheds plenty of light on the subject. From an awareness of different Port styles to views on who is drinking Port and when they’re drinking it, not to mention opinions on pricing and retailers.
The results are analysed fully on pages 8–11, but there appear to be two key findings. First is that average shoppers are prepared to pay much more for Port than they do currently. Those retailers currently devising their Christmas discounting schemes might want to take note here. | Second is that consumers seem to know a lot more than one might think about the Port styles on offer in their local stores. The Otima effect is clearly visible for tawnies, but people are equally au fait with ruby, reserve, LBV and vintage.
To back up this research, Drinks Insight also talked to managers of bars, pubs and restaurants, to see if the trend is being repeated in licensed premises. The results were surprising; where Port is concerned the on-trade is a very different animal to the off-trade.
Although the popularity of tawny is evident in both sectors, on the whole consumers seem to view Port very differently when they are seated at a table or in front of a bar than when they are browsing the supermarket aisles. Style-savvy shoppers become shy wall-flowers, who forget they ever knew words like Taylor’s or ruby.
It’s clearly time to play catch-up in UK eateries and drinking dens. More education, more sampling, more promotions are needed to boost the category.
While I’m not talking about an overnight revolution, the right kind of effort could see those winds of change spreading more widely and whipping up something of a storm. Julie Sheppard
associate publisher |
