Wine for women

Blass was the first Australian winemaker to recognize the need to change the taste of wine if it was to become more appealing (and more salable) to women. He softened the alcoholic, hard-edged local stuff by blending it with wines from other regions, then colour-coded his labels to identify the different varieties and styles. "When women are unfamiliar with a product, they’re likely to
make purchasing decisions based solely on packaging," says Rob. "One woman I spoke with buys Wolf Blass Grey Label shiraz because its dark grey label looks great on her granite kitchen counters."

Small wine producers face the same marketing challenges with fewer resources. Henry of Pelham winery, in St. Catharines, Ont., recently introduced two wines called Sibling Rivalry. Their labels – one teal blue, the other fire-engine red – feature three handsome young bucks who look like modernday Hardy boys. Copy focuses on the passion and personalities of the sibling owners, Daniel, Matthew
and Paul Speck, never mentioning any technical details. Sealed with screw caps and priced at $14, the wines hit women’s statistically preferred price band of $12 to $15. “I know nothing about marketing to women,” says Paul, winery president and eldest brother. “I thought the label was too masculine, but the women we showed it to all loved it.”

One of the most successful campaigns has been managed by Doug Beatty, vice-president of marketing for Colio Estate Wines in Harrow, Ont. In July 2008, the winery introduced a $13 red, white and rosé under the brand name Girls’ Night Out, with a screw cap, and promised to donate 25 cents for every bottle sold from July to December of that year to second-year female students at Ontario colleges (the province would match the amount). Bottles decorated with a cocktail dress and a cute saying were intended to appeal to 25- to 49-year-olds. To the winery’s surprise and delight, Girls’ Night Out was purchased by women of all ages, as well as by men taking it home to share with their wives or girlfriends. By Dec. 31, more than 9,500 cases of wine had been sold, and in early 2009, cheques were presented to the four beneficiaries.

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