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Generation Deference Gen Z v. Gen X Wine Experience

The fight for the role Gen z v Gen X and the paper torn stewarthilluk.com

Generation Deference:

Gen Z v. Gen X Wine Experience

We consulted with various sources of information for a perspective, an opinion or points of view (POV) for more on this hot topic:

Accepted view: Generational differences apparently significantly influence how people approach wine—both in terms of drinking habits and investment strategies. 

Gen X (born 1965-1980) and Gen Z (born 1997-2012) seem to exhibit distinct preferences shaped by their cultural, economic, and technological contexts. 

As the wine industry continues to evolve, understanding these generational differences can help producers, investors, and marketers target the right audience. 

We looked at a comparison of how Gen X and Gen Z view wine drinking, wine investing, and their broader cultural and social influences; with much banter inter-office, we found:

Attitudes Toward Wine and Wine Drinking

Gen X: Traditional and Sophisticated

  • Classic Preferences: Gen X tends to gravitate toward traditional wines, favouring renowned regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa Valley. Their choices often reflect a preference for quality and a strong brand reputation.
  • Wine as a Lifestyle: For many Gen Xers, wine is an essential part of their lifestyle. It’s associated with sophistication, social gatherings, and enhancing meals. They enjoy wine as a way to relax and connect with friends or family.
  • Brand Loyalty: This generation tends to stick with what they know. Once they find a wine they trust, they are likely to remain loyal to that brand or label, valuing consistency and quality.
  • Informed Choices: Many Gen Xers take pleasure in the knowledge they’ve built over time. They appreciate wine tasting experiences and the nuanced differences between various wine styles.

Gen Z: Adventurous and Health-Conscious

  • Exploration of New Varieties: Gen Z is more willing to experiment with new and unique wine varieties. They enjoy discovering natural, organic, and low-intervention wines, showing a marked shift away from tradition.
  • Health-Conscious Choices: With a stronger focus on wellness, many Gen Z wine drinkers opt for lower-alcohol, non-alcoholic, or health-focused options. Sustainability and ethical practices in production are important factors in their decision-making.
  • Casual Consumption: Wine drinking among Gen Z is often more casual and social. Rather than following formal wine rituals, they may prefer wine cocktails, spritzers, or relaxed social settings.
  • Social Media Influence: Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and wine-related apps are modern references with a heavy influence on Gen Z’s wine choices. Recommendations from influencers and peers guide their purchasing behavior.

Top 3 Factors influencing Generations experience of wine tasting stewarthilluk.com

Attitudes Toward Wine Investing

Gen X: Traditional and Long-Term Approach

  • Stable Investments: Gen X typically prefers a traditional approach to wine investment, focusing on well-established wines with a history of appreciating in value, such as fine Bordeaux and Burgundy.
  • Long-Term Strategy: Wine investing is seen as a long-term endeavour. Gen X investors are often willing to wait years or even decades for their investments to mature.
  • Diversified Portfolios: While they see wine as a valuable asset, they also diversify their portfolios. Gen X investors usually balance wine investments with more traditional options like stocks and bonds, seeking stability and lower risk.

Gen Z: Tech-Savvy and Short-Term Focus

  • Tech-Driven Investment: Gen Z’s approach to wine investing is influenced by technology. They tend to use digital platforms and apps that make investing in wine more accessible and transparent.
  • Shorter Investment Horizons: Compared to Gen X, Gen Z  are collectors. They may treat wine as a commodity to be bought and sold, rather than a long-term asset.
  • Sustainable Investment Choices: Much like their drinking habits, Gen Z’s wine investment decisions often center around sustainability. They are more likely to invest in brands that emphasize ethical practices and environmentally friendly methods.
  • Blockchain and NFTs: Gen Z is intrigued by emerging trends like NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and blockchain technology, which provide transparency, traceability, and unique digital assets tied to physical wine bottles.

Cultural and Social Influences

Gen X: Status Symbol and Expertise

  • Wine Experts: For many Gen X individuals, wine is not just a drink but a symbol of success and sophistication. They are influenced by wine critics, publications, and the prestigious reputation of certain wine regions and producers.
  • Experience-Driven Choices: With years of experience and a developed palate, Gen X is more likely to appreciate the intricacies of wine, making more educated and refined choices when it comes to drinking and investing.

Gen Z: Experience Over Tradition

  • Experience Over Prestige: Gen Z values experiences and storytelling over traditional notions of wine prestige. They’re drawn to wines with unique narratives, even if those wines come from lesser-known regions.
  • Social and Environmental Awareness: Social and environmental concerns heavily influence Gen Z’s decisions. Whether choosing a bottle to drink or considering wine as an investment, they prefer brands that align with their values, particularly around sustainability and ethical production practices.

Purchasing Behaviour

Gen X: In-Store Shopping and Loyalty Programs

  • Traditional Shopping Experience: While online shopping has gained traction, Gen X still appreciates the experience of buying wine in brick-and-mortar stores, especially wine shops where they can receive personalised advice from experts.
  • Loyalty and Clubs: Gen X is more likely to engage with loyalty programs or wine clubs, valuing the perks, personalised recommendations, and exclusive offers these programs provide.

Gen Z: Digital and Price-Sensitive

  • Digital Natives: Gen Z prefers purchasing wine online through e-commerce platforms, delivery apps, and digital marketplaces. They are more influenced by peer reviews, ratings, and social media recommendations than traditional in-store advice.
  • Price Sensitivity: While Gen Z is often price-conscious, they are willing to pay a premium for wines that meet their values, such as those that are organic, natural, or sustainably produced.

It would seem …Gen X favors tradition, quality, and long-term investments. They value brand loyalty and often prefer classic wines from renowned regions. Wine investing is seen as a stable, long-term strategy.

While…Gen Z is more experimental, tech-savvy, and focused on sustainability. They seek quick returns in wine investments, prefer digital platforms, and are highly influenced by social media trends. Sustainability and ethical production are critical factors in their purchasing and investment decisions.

These generational differences reveal broader shifts in cultural and economic values. While Gen Z embraces innovation, sustainability, and technology, Gen X maintains a strong attachment to tradition, expertise, and long-term planning in both wine drinking and investing.

Real-World Perspectives: Quotes from Gen X and Gen Z

Gen X’rs (real opinions, identities hidden)

  1. On Wine Preferences: 
    • “For me, wine is about the experience. I love the complexity of a good Bordeaux or a California Cabernet, something that tells a story with every sip.”
  2. On Wine Investing: 
    • “I see wine as a long-term investment, much like fine art or real estate. It’s about finding the right vintages that will appreciate over decades.”
millennials are the surprise in wine stewarthilluk.com
“Younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are drawn to events where wine is part of a larger narrative.” (The Drinks Business)

Gen Z

  1. On Wine Preferences: 
    • “I’m more into natural wines these days. I love that they’re made without all the chemicals and that they come from sustainable farms.”
  2. On Wine Investing: 
    • “I think wine investing is cool, especially with the way NFTs are making it easier to get into. It’s like combining art with technology in a really unique way.”

These quotes showcase the distinct differences in how each generation approaches wine, reinforcing the shift towards sustainability, innovation, and digital engagement for Gen Z, while Gen X holds on to tradition, quality, and long-term value.

As the wine industry continues to adapt to changing generational preferences, understanding the contrasting attitudes of Gen X and Gen Z is ever more valuable insight for producers, investors, and marketers. 

“Condensing offerings and communication strategies to align with the distinct values of these two generations, the Wine Industry can ensure its continued growth and appeal to a broad range of consumers.” stewarthilluk.com

Click for more on these topics:

https://bcwinetrends.com/2017/12/01/2018-wine-trends/

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/wine/millennial-gen-z-wine-culture-debate/

Grenache plus from Stewart Hill WInes Jaleo a wonderful party of taste and vigour

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Ben Salisbury

Ben Salisbury, Founder and President of Salisbury Creative Group is a consultant, coach, content creator, public speaker, thought leader, subject matter expert, and entrepreneur for the wine and spirits industry.

His expertise in sales and marketing strategy has accumulated over four decades of work with some of the largest adult beverage companies in the world, including Ste Michelle Wine Estates and Constellation Brands.

Ben’s approach is to disrupt the status quo of how wines and spirits are marketed and sold, to challenge outdated practices, and to provide innovative solutions to help wineries and distilleries sell more products.

Ben frequently speaks at industry conferences, creates original content on his blog and YouTube channel, and has contributed articles to Wine Business Monthly.

Visit his website here.

Manuel Urcelay

Manuel has over ten years of experience in international business, in which he has developed a strong expertise in sales, business development, marketing and business strategy across diverse industries and regions, including wine and food. He has advised more than 30 companies on joint business plans, marketing implementations and supply chain management strategies in Asia, USA and Latin America, generating consistent revenue growth for all parties involved.

Manuel has recently completed his MBA at Imperial College Business School, where he expanded his knowledge and skills in innovation, marketing, operations, strategy and leadership. Manuel has made invaluable contributions to Stewart Hill’s Business Strategy and Planning”.

Rick Anderson

Rick is our Edinburgh-based Digital Design consultant, working remotely on everything from branding and label design to web and motion graphics.

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Veronica King

Veronica is a Social Media Strategist and Business Consultant based in London.

Andrea Midas

Born in London, based in Spain with over 20 years of experience in Marketing and CRM for business development.

Graduate from LSE London with Branding, Sustainability and research qualifications in UK and Spain.

Bilingual English and Spanish.

Patricia Harvey

Patricia is a former, credit controller and worked for 15 years for one of the UK’s leading financial handling insurance including freight.

She has always had a passion for wine and have been for the past 4 years worked with us learning the wine trade. Pat recently participated in our exhibition at USATT Chicago.

Her role at Stewart Hill is to handle and develop our logistics.

Lucilda Stewart

Managing Director & Founder

Lucilda is the managing director and founder of Stewart-Hill Wines.  She manages general day to day running of the business, as well as key relationships with both key personnel and a dedicated team of consultants.  Lucilda also travels to overseas destinations to meet with distributors, wholesalers and retailers.  She commends the evolution of her wine journey, to her dedicated team of professionals and strong family ties.  The accolades by the US Wine Ratings 2023, which led to silver awards for their Orchida Negra (Crianza), Malbec labels and a silver award for their Rose by London Wine Competition, demonstrates the integrity of their wines and Lucilda’s indomitable will to succeed.

Lucilda studied at the Inns of Court School of Law and graduated from UCL London University in 1992.   She is a former lawyer,  who created her own legal niche company, working as an intermediary in accordance with the Bar Council’s direct public access to barristers scheme.  Her interest in wine, began many years earlier from casual tastings, training culminated in a Department of International Trade visit to Rioja Spain where she commenced discussions with wineries and honing her skills in wine exporting.

In 2014, Lucilda developed her own private label wine brand, working and investing in award winning wineries in Argentina and Spain.  Her dedication over the last 10 years, has led to award-winning varietals for B2B exports.