REPORT: National Study on the Perception of French Wines in Canada (CROP)

The Time and Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2008  10AM to 2 PM

The Event: unveiling of the results of a national study on the perception of French wines, done by CROP for Sopexa.

The Venue: Third floor gallery of Burroughes Building, Queen St West

The Target Audience: wine importers, media

The Quote: "Overall, there was nothing new…BUT there is hard evidence to support what we already knew about. That's useful"

In summary, promotional activies revolve around in-store tastings, newsletters, wine classes, and newspaper articles. The demographics were 18-24 (entry level, cheap, social wines); 24-34 (exoticism, social), 35-54 (hard core), and 55+ (traditional, no real health concerns). French wines, of course, really do well in Quebec, but taper off as one moves westward. There was a suggestion that Sopexa could downsize its Montreal office and enlarge its Vancouver office for more promotion, especially with VANOC 2010. The survey made no distinction between Cellared in Canada and VQA wines, which was unfortunate since most people reported drinking "Canadian" wines. The overall perception of French wines: too expensive, not daring enough, snobby. There was little attachment to French wines outside of Quebec. But there is a potential for growth in Canada through awareness of more artisanal wineries and wine education, such as a French wine club (the former Compagnons de Vins de France? Come on down, Kristine Bach…).

The Wines: with the lunch, we sampled some wines from France (where else?): Leon Beyer Pinot Gris 2006 Alsace (attractive), Domaine Lamargue Viognier 2007, Le Bourgogne Chanson Pinot Noir 2006, Chateau Pey La Tour Reserve 2006 (needs time; Vintages Essentials), and the stunning Mas des Bressades Cabernet Syrah 2006 (from Vinexx).

The Food: a nice spread of salmon and chicken, plus salads and whole grains, desserts, etc., from Daniel et Daniel.

The Downside: too much data was transmitted too fast, and there were no handouts to rely on. We desperately needed summary sheets.

The Upside: the survey covered more than French wines – other countries' wines were also analyzed and how Canadians perceived them.

The Contact Person: annmarie.koumettou@sopexa.com

The Marketing Effectiveness (numerical grade): 84.

 

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com