Knowledge and Consumption of Organic and Biodynamic Wines

Food and wine are a major tourist attraction for Italy as a tourism destination. In fact, two thirds of international tourists consider culture and food as the main motive to travel to Italy. Also the domestic market is pulled by the enogastronomic offer of the country, with 78% of Italian tourists being motivated by activities related to regional food and wine products when choosing the destination for their holidays (Coldiretti, 2015). Typical food and wines are not only tasted and enjoyed during the vacation; 28% of Italian tourists buy typical food delicatessen from the place visited to be eaten at home or to give away as presents and souvenirs (Coldiretti, 2015). Following the growing interest of both domestic and international tourists in the enogastronomic peculiarities of the country, many Italian destinations have started offering food and wine related activities, with wine marking a competitive advantage in regard to other European destinations. The Italian territory is characterized by 332 DOC (designation of origin) and 73 DOCG (controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin) wines (Coldiretti, 2017) and since decades it hosts wine-related business and entertainment events of international appeal (see for example Vinitaly in Verona, and “Cantine Aperte” across the country). In the academic literature, wine tourism has been defined as a niche, however, within this niche, sub-niches are being created, catering for specialised segments of the market. Within this paper, we are going to concentrate on the sub-niche of organic wine tourism. In recent years, despite the widespread economic crisis, worldwide an increase in the consumer preference for organic products has been recorded. Demand for sustainable and healthier products is affecting consumers in their preferences and ultimately in their buying behaviours relative to a number of food and beverage products, including wine. In 2015 there were 50.9 million hectares of organic agricultural land, with Oceania holding 45% of if it, followed by Europe (25%), Latin America (13%), Asia (8%) and Africa (3%) (Willer and Lernoud, 2017). From a market perspective, in 2015, global retail sales of organic products (food and drinks) reached 81.6 billion US dollars, recording an increase of about 10% from 2014 (Willer and Lernoud, 2017). The United States (47% of the global sales) and the European Union (35%) generate the highest product sales, however, their share is decreasing with an increasing request contribution by new emerging markets like Asia and Latina America (Willer and Lernoud, 2017). Italian wine production ranks among the top in the world in terms of cultivated surface, export of quality wines, turnover and export value. In the latestrecent decades, Italian wine producers have shifted from quantity to quality and production has increasingly shifted towards organic and biodynamic cultivation (Fortis and Sartori, 2016). Organic wines are therefore becoming and interesting product for wine tourists and wine event attendees. It follows that a niche within the wine tourism field can be identified. Nonetheless, lack of knowledge on the actual and the potential target market could jeopardize managerial strategies to develop this segment. The purpose of this study is to profile organic and biodynamic wine consumers in order to provide wine destinations, wine event organisers and wine cellars with useful information for market strategies to target this ever growing sub-niche. In specific, this work aims to determine the knowledge and consumption of organic/biodynamic wines by event attendees, i.e. consumers with a relative higher involvement in wine. Results of this study will provide managerial implications for both wine routes and wine event organisers and cellars on how to approach this segment within the wine tourism market.