February 25, 2025 — We know that eco-friendly wines are important to many wine consumers, but is merely placing a certification label on a wine bottle enough? How well do consumers grasp the various claims wineries use to describe their production practices: sustainable, organic, biodynamic, regenerative, B Corp, lightweight bottles, and other eco-friendly terms? Are they willing to pay more for some of these wines?
These are important questions, so the Wine Market Council undertook a new study on consumer perceptions of eco-friendly wines. This project was completed in partnership with Wine Opinions, which surveyed a national sample of over 1,500 wine consumers for the study.
The results will be shared in a one-hour webinar for WMC members and media on Thursday, March 6 at 10am PST, entitled: “Eco-Friendly Wine Study: Consumer Beliefs and Motivations.”
“Several key factors that may influence the market for these wines have changed since our last in-depth research study entitled ‘Green Wine,’” stated Christian Miller, Research Director for Wine Market Council. “Perceptions of health and wellness, headline events in climate change and of course the public policy arena. It’s important to find out how these are affecting consumer perceptions and purchase interest.”
The results highlight some fascinating findings, which should benefit wine businesses that want to communicate more effectively with consumers regarding their eco-friendly wine practices.
Some of the topics answered in the survey are consumer awareness and understanding of:
- Different eco-friendly wine terms (sustainable, organic, etc.)
- The importance of certification seals
- The impact of Eco-friendly packaging, such as lightweight bottles and the use of recycled materials, such as cans and boxes.
- Motivations to purchase eco-friendly wines (health, environment, both?)
- Price premium they are willing to pay for leading eco-friendly designations
- Communication cues to identify these wines (e.g., the certification seal, information on the bottle, store designations or sections).
- Significant variations by demographics or wine buying behavior
Webinar speakers will include John Gillespie, CEO of Wine Opinions, who will present the study results. He will be joined by Josh Kirchhoff, Corporate Wine Buyer for Oliver’s Market, a chain of gourmet grocery stores in Sonoma County, who will provide the retailer perspective on eco-friendly wines.
In addition, Christian Miller, WMC Research Director, will provide a brief review of recent literature on the topic, compiled by Bridget Cheng, Masters Candidate in Sustainability at Harvard. The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Liz Thach, MW, President of Wine Market Council.
Not a Member of Wine Market Council Yet?
If you are interested in this webinar, and not yet a member of Wine Market Council (WMC), we encourage you to explore the benefits of membership. As a non-profit organization, established in 1996, we are powered by members with an interest in advancing the U.S. wine market and industry. The mission of WMC is “to conduct forward-looking market research on U.S. wine consumer buying habits, attitudes and trends.’ Membership benefits include access to cutting-edge research on the U.S. wine consumer, along with member webinars, newsletters, access to data files and statistics, and complimentary attendance at our annual research conference. Membership starts as low as $400 per year for access to webinars and reports, and as low as $1000 per year including data files – depending on the size of your organization. Members include wineries, distributors, growers, importers, regional, national, and international trade associations, and affiliates. For more information on membership and costs, please see https://winemarketcouncil.com/join/.
