The role of Palermo’s wine shops in the business of quality wine

In the last few years, due to changes of consumers’ eating habits “quality wine” (“DOCG” – Designation of Origin Guaranteed, “DOC” – Designation of Origin, “IGT” – Typical Geographic Indication) demand has significantly changed. Wine, no longer considered only as an alcoholic drink, it now represents something that needs to satisfy the consumer’s desire of wellness and wellbeing. The evolution of wine sector, primarily related to consumer’s changes in eating habits and lifestyles, has also impacted some area of the supply chain as product distribution and sales. This growing business, characterized by having different types of distribution channels that cover demand of wine at different consumer level, requires the support of marketing teams able to communicate an international media message effective across cultures. Quality wine has now entered the area of social relationships where the emotional feeling is linked to the “the quality of drinking”. On other hands, it is also important that wine’s producers get complete information on the advantages and the critical issues/constraints of each different distribution channel, in order to easily meet consumers. Wine shops, extremely important distribution channel in the wine marketplace, have been always considered by experts the best sale channel and today they represent also as a trendy place where consumers can buy and drink wine outside home. This trend is also confirmed by the increasing presence in the market of the so called “wine bars”. These are places, popular among young people, where it’s possible to taste wine by the glass along with eating some food and listening music. Therefore on this scientific paper we want to analyze the role of wine shops for the distribution and sale of quality wine. The survey was restricted to the city of Palermo and it was used a two-stage sampling. We analyzed a sample extracted (at the second stage), from the Population of wine shops of the first stage (the extraction procedure was random, at the first stage and reasoned, at the second stage). The questionnaire was submitted to wine shops’ holders/managers and contained closed questions. Through the use of Cluster Analysis it has been possible to classify the wine shop in groups, with homogeneity in number of bottles purchased, cost of purchasing and the chosen brands highlighting marketing choices of wine shops managers/holders focused on of quality wine. In general we were able to know the homogeneity of wine shops that sell quality wines.