Cellar Door Sales

Question 1

Who are the cellar door customers?

Answer 1

-locals who have come specifically to buy wine
-tourists visiting region

Question 2

What is the attraction of cellar door sales to customers?

Answer 2

-experience provided- where wine is made
-taste wine before purchasing
-learn about story behind wine
-wine tours
-tastings of exclusive cellar door/reserve wines
-sometimes with food and wine pairings at additional cost
-for some foreign tourists- wine might not be available in home country/more expensive (import and intermediary costs)
-eg Alsace trade with tourists from neighboring Belgium and Germany

Question 3

What are the benefits of cellar door sales to producers?

Answer 3

-larger profits on their wines
-easily engage with customers
-tastings= important for marketing- people nervous about buying wine they haven’t tried= try before you buy increases sales
-builds up brand awareness and loyalty- valuable for new wineries
-promotes brand values and ability to forge more personal connection
=people who buy from cellar door more likely to recommend to friends and family= ‘word of mouth marketing’- important and free
-direct engagement= trials new products and get direct feedback= reducing need for expensive marketing research

Question 4

Why don’t some producers offer cellar door sales?

Answer 4

-lack of suitable location/ access
-takes too much time
-additional staff or focus on other routes to market

Question 5

How can producers overcome the location and acess issue for cellar door sales?

Answer 5

-cellar door in nearby town
-so people don’t have to visit estate
-eg Sonoma/Napa