Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/561374
1 8 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | S e p t - O c t 2 015 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m analysis. "The wineries that didn't charge a fee were sort of out in the middle of nowhere, whereas the wineries that did were part of an established wine region," McCole explained. "Were they buying because of the tasting fee or because the wine is better, or because of something else?" FUTURE STUDIES T h e p s y c h o l o g y b e h i n d w h y tasting room visitors do or don't buy is so compelling that MSU researchers are now designing a study specifically for the collec- tion of this data. McCole said he expects the results of the study, which will focus on smaller Wis- consin wineries that sell most of their production through the tast- ing room, to be published next winter. A similar study is also slat- ed for Minnesota wineries. "I think tasting room fees is a in Michigan," McCole said. "The industry lobbied for the law to c h a n g e , a n d w h e n i t d i d , t h e question became, 'Should we or shouldn't we?'" About 30% of the study respon- dents reported that they typically avoid tasting rooms that charge a fee. A number of respondents sug- gested they would find tasting fees more acceptable if they were rebat- ed to those who make a purchase. While the study didn't fully explore tasting fees, once the ini- tial findings were published, the interest level among wineries com- pelled the researchers to employ a regression model to determine what specifics could be revealed. Among the 600-plus surveyed, 400 visited one winery. Research- ers then asked if those wineries charged a fee, and found that those that did sold significantly more wine than those that didn't charge a fee. But the data demanded further really important issue to wineries, and they want to know the best approach," said McCole. "The prob- lem is that it's probably different for every winery. Factors such as loca- tion, geography – are they in prox- imity to other wineries? All of these things make it difficult to assess." When the MSU study asked par- ticipants why they chose to visit a Michigan tasting room, the No. 1 response was that they enjoy wine tasting. But when asked a separate question about what they value most in a visit, respondents ranked socializing, relaxing and engaging in a unique experience higher than wine-related activities, by a margin of 2 to 1. The conclusion McCole draws from these findings is that the most successful tasting room oper- ations not only offer quality wine tastings, but also a wide range of experience enhancements (friendly staff, fast and professional service, WINE WISE MARKETING JENNIFER STRAILEY