Tesco: Young drinker seeks “classical elegance”

The Old World shouldn’t be too quick to mimic the New when it comes to packaging and producing wine for the British consumer. According to Kevan Smith, buying manager for wines at multiple retailer Tesco, a new generation of drinkers are looking for classic styles, traditional labels and cultural heritage.

Responding to the findings from a survey commissioned by Vinexpo into the habits of 20-25 year-old occasional wine drinkers, Smith drew attention to the evolving tastes of this age group, while stressing their importance to the wine market. “The youth are generating growth,” he stated, adding, “The 20-25 year-old age group have experimented with the likes of New World Chardonnay and Shiraz and are their tastes are slowly starting to evolve.”

“We are seeing a lot more growth in France,” he said, “and it is a particularly exciting time for France and also, but to a lesser extent, Italy.” He also drew attention to the success of Spanish wine, in particular Rioja, and the importance of promotional slots for driving growth.

“It is hard to attract the customer to try something new and that’s why so much is invested in promotional offers – we don’t need lurid labels.”

Continuing, he explained trends among British drinkers in their early 20s and how to tap into them. “Having a varietal on the label helps, and having provenance helps. The 20-25 year-old wine drinker likes classical labels. They have dabbled with New World French labels but they have grouped these into me-too New World products and have now gone to more classic styles… they are looking for classical elegance.” He also said, “They understand French and Italian wine as culture, they have seen their parents drinking it and want to enjoy it too, but possibly at a lower price point.”

Concluding, Smith stressed, “This is the first generation of wine drinkers. Every five years a new group comes along, and from my perspective they are a very positive future.”

He also made the point that he thinks today’s “youth are probably the first group who really understand the health aspects of wine.”

© db Patrick Schmitt, 04/04/07