To what extent does wine labelling affect consumer choice whenselectingand buying a wine a comparison of English and New Zealand Wine labels.

1.1 Purpose The purpose of this research was to examine to what extent a label on a wine bottle can have on influencing a consumer's choice when buying wine. The aims and objectives were to discover which key characteristics consumers thought were important on a wine label and will influence their decision. The research wanted to look at the contrasting designs of Old World and New World wine producing countries. Due to the large scale of wine been produced worldwide, the research chose two wine producing countries in particular to focus on and compare, these being England and New Zealand. Both relatively newcomers to the wine world, the research looks at the difference in the wine label and which ones are more beneficial in influencing a consumer decision. 1.2 Methodology The research was gathered from three different sources to try and avoid the least amount of bias as possible. Short questionnaires with a handout of English and New Zealand labels were given to a small sample of consumers. Two more comprehensive questionnaires were also produced and were sent to a wine buyer of a large supermarket chain which stocks and sell English and New Zealand wine. As well a wine label designer of a company based in England but designs labels for wine producers across the world including England and New Zealand. 1.3 Findings The findings showed that the key differences between English and New Zealand wine was the information provided on a label and the use of a picture. The majority of New Zealand labels informed the consumer of the grape variety on the label as this was used as a marketing tool as it allowed the consumer to make a connection with the wine regarding knowledge they may have already acquired. English labels did this less often and it was felt by the label designer that they were still a little undecided in which direction to go in regard to labelling. 1.4 Value The value of this research will allow wine producers to see which methods of wine labelling can help sell their wine. It will inform them of which details are useful to include and which can be left out. The research also give useful information on common differences between Old World and New World labels, with close attention paid towards English and New Zealand labels. 1.5 Limitations Due to the small scale of the research the findings and conclusion only give a snapshot of the wine market. The use of a bigger sample would most likely have given a much more in depth and informative piece of research.