My first glass of wine: A comparison of Gen Y early wine experiences and socialisation in New and Old Worlds markets

Purpose: The project was designed as a cross-cultural examination of Generation Y consumers’ early alcohol socialisation, with a specific focus on wine. Comparison between the New World and the Old World was of particular interest. Design/methodology/approach: The cross cultural comparison was conducted across five countries, comprising France, Italy, Spain, the USA, and New Zealand. The data were collected via an online survey that was distributed to eligible participants (of legal drinking age in their respective country and within Generation Y age boundaries). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and t-tests were used to analyse the data. Findings: Respondents in both the New and the Old World reported that they started drinking wine later than they started drinking alcohol in general. Significantly more Old World consumers had wine as their first drink. Early experiences with wine involved more red wine for Old World consumers and white wine for New World Gen Ys. Both Old and New World consumers first tried wine primarily in the presence of friends or family, but more New World consumers first tried wine in the presence of their parents and siblings. More Old World consumers first tried wine in an everyday context, as accompanying regular meal, while New World participants first tried wine mostly at a special occasion. Practical implications: For wine marketers to reach New World younger consumers, appealing to peer influence may be less effective than accessing them through their families. Since Old World consumers were introduced to wine as a drink at meal times, bringing back the tradition of wine as an everyday drink at the family dinner table should be the key marketing strategy for the Old World.