Consumer Preference For German Wines on the Rise in U.S.NEW YORK - May 15, 2002 New Survey Shows Riesling a Hot Favorite The popularity of German wines among U.S. consumers is making major strides, significantly noticeable both in restaurant ordering and in retail wine purchases. In the selection of white wines, Riesling takes second place only to Chardonnay, and features more prominently than Pinot Grigio among wines familiar to the American wine drinker. These observations resulted from a recent survey sponsored by the Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI) and the Centre Français du Commerce Extérieur (CFCE), in conjunction with Onivins, and conducted by DMD Research. View Graphs:
Exploring Opinions, Perceptions, Behavior While domestic wines account for the greater part of consumption in the U.S., the pattern of selection regarding imports indicates a marked preference for French, Italian and German wines. German white wines are now consistently associated with high quality and with good white wines across the board indicating an appreciation for German dry and semi-dry, as well as sweet, white wines. German Wines Gain Strength in Restaurant Dining Recognition of Quality Across the Spectrum · The "Tried and Trusted" (28 percent) -- more cautious about trying imports · The "Occasion-Oriented" (31 percent) -- whose wine consumption is generally linked to special occasions While all three groups associate German wines with high quality, the knowledgeable Wine Enthusiasts note that the image of German sweet white wines is superior to that of domestic sweet whites; furthermore, they do not view "sweet" as a negative in wine categorization. Of the three, this group drinks German wines the most frequently. The Tried and Trusted wine drinkers rank German wines as having overall high quality, and consider Germany a reasonable source for all types of white wine, not just sweet whites. This group's consumption of sweet wines is greater than that of either of the others. The Occasion-Oriented group, too, attributes high quality to all types of German wine. None of the groups has indicated price as a barrier. Key Findings · Sweet is NOT a Negative - sweet whites are regarded as just another variety of white wine, and are rated as highly as dry and semi-dry whites. · Vague Imagery - although there is perception of good German white wines of all types, this research indicates that German wines are largely unknown and less available than imports from other countries. Growing the U.S. Market Share for Germany · Increasing availability at point of purchase, both on restaurant wine lists and at retail outlets. "Some years ago we adopted a strategy to specifically promote Riesling wines, which seems to have been effective in increasing recognition and consumption of the variety," said Carol Sullivan, executive director of the German Wine Information Bureau. "We were gratified that this survey showed that 72 percent of consumers are familiar with Riesling and that it was the second-most recently consumed white wine variety. Now, our greatest challenge is increasing our share of all white wine consumption occasions by further enhancing 'top of mind' awareness." New York Leads the Way with Summer Festival Through her work with Eberhard Müller at Lutèce, Wilber met many of Germany's top wine producers. A trip in August 2000 led her to private tastings in the homes of leading producers and became the catalyst for Wilber's campaign to introduce more Riesling wines to her New York customers. The concept for a summer wine festival was born, and came to fruition the following year with Ark Restaurants' launch of "A Riesling for Living" in May 2001. "It was a natural step," said Wilber-"I had the venues and the passion to promote the wines." The festival's success last year generated solid support from venue managers as well as customers, and laid the foundation for an annual event. Scheduled to run this year at five of Ark's Manhattan restaurants from May 4 through July 31, "A Riesling for Living" is again spearheaded by Susan Wilber, and enthusiasm is running high. "Our restaurant Jack Rose has reported that Riesling is its most requested wine type," she commented, "and the Metropolitan Café's customers have been asking about this year's festival for some time now. It's a great opportunity to try some new wines. I think we're building serious momentum here." (The 2001 Riesling for Living Events Schedule follows.) German Wine Master Class at Gramercy Tavern With 16 years in the restaurant business, Paul Grieco serves as beverage director and service director for Gramercy Tavern. Over the past decade he has held key positions with major New York venues that include Remi, Bouley, Gotham Bar and Grill, Gabriel's and Judson Grill. Honoring his maxim that "all new knowledge is power," Grieco puts serious focus on educating his staff, and selects a different wine-producing country each year for his master-class sessions. A Perfect Dance Partner Paul Grieco's overview of German wines makes a compelling statement. "The inherent balance of the wines themselves is the most thrilling thing," he observed. "By itself, a single glass is not enough-the wine urges you to continue drinking-and with food, it is a perfect dance partner." |
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