Having sold more than 62 million litres of wine in Canada last year - and ranking number one for imports - you might think the French would be content to lie back in a chaise longue in Cap d'Antibes or Biarritz, happy to be collecting fat cheques from the liquor boards while Chile and Argentina scramble for market share.

But the reality is that sales of French wines are concentrated in Quebec and France has missed out on much of the substantial increase in wine sales in English Canada over the past decade. French wine sales outside la belle province are still enviable, but the Australian juggernaut has roared through to take top spot in Alberta and BC and, by value, in Ontario. But before preparing for a fresh assault on the English speaking provinces (which account for just 36% of French wines sales in Canada), Wines of France decided to do some reconnaissance...

With its wide selection of varieties and styles, France could certainly be doing even better here, so the marketing agency Sopexa undertook a study on Canadians' perceptions of wines. They wanted to find out how consumers decide which wine to buy.

At a recent presentation in what looked like an abandoned building but which turned out to be a cool art gallery space on Queen St. W., the final tabulations of the extensive study were presented.  

Focus groups of self-declared wine lovers in the four biggest provinces were grilled on everything from their food choices to social outlooks and lifestyles to their perceptions of different countries' wines, and where they looked to for advice. In most categories, responses played out pretty much along east-west lines: Quebec was usually at one end while Alberta and BC jostled for position at the other end, with Ontario in the middle - but usually more in line with Alberta and BC. 

Nationwide, women are "more interested" in wine than men, and the age demographics were a bit of a shock. No surpise that people 55+ are the least interested, but the younger Boomers and Generation Xers are pipped by Generation Y:  25-34 year olds are resoundingly the "most interested", and 18-24 year olds rank second. 35% of those surveyed said they are drinking more wine than they did three years ago while just 9% say they're drinking less.

How the Provinces Stack Up
On straight-up "interest in wine", the order is exactly what you'd probably guess: Quebec, Ontario, BC, Alberta. English Canadians are most likely to look to friends, family and co-workers for wine recommendations, though that was easily Quebeckers' number one approach too. Quebeckers are far and away more likely to look to television programs for wine advice (40% vs. an average of 17% or so for les anglais). Ontarians are the most likely to go online and Albertans are almost completely indifferent to brochures or wine guides (QC, BC and ON are much more interested in printed material). The west wins hands down on interest in wine fairs and shows while Ontarians are by far the most interested in wine magazines (alas only 16%... and that's substantially higher than the other provinces). Quebeckers are most interested in hearing about wine on the radio while interest is virtually nonexistent in BC - just 1% turn to the radio. 

All Canadians like free samples in wine stores (from 58% in Quebec to 63% in Alberta and Ontario). Quebeckers are far and away the likeliest to turn to journalists and wine writers - 59%, vs. 38% in ON, 30% in BC and just 22% in AB. Ontarians are substantially more interested in e-mailed newsletters and reports than the other provinces (23% vs. 10-11% in QC, BC and AB), but Albertans lead the pack in wine classes - 24% vs. just 8% in Quebec (16% and 10% in ON and BC, respectively). British Columbians are the least likely to care about promotions/information/advice of any kind: 18% opted for "none".

Lifestyles
"Foodies" are the most regular wine drinkers. Gourmands who appreciate innovative and "healthy" foods are most likely to be "regular (3x +) per week" imbibers. Quebec foodies are more "structured" (i.e., conservative) in their habits than English Canadians, who tend to favour the "exotic". This would explain the much greater interest in wines from different countries in the English speaking provinces. 

Canadian Wine
Considering that BC is often held up by Ontario wine folk as being "lucky" that its citizens are so supportive of its wines, Ontarians are actually almost as likely to pick Canadian as their first choice: 45% here vs. 47% in BC. And since there's not much BC wine sold here, they're talking about Niagara.

French Wine
The researchers created a grid of perceptions of countries' wines to see where they fit in in terms of perceptions of quality, value, modernity, etc. France's place on the grid was as the top dog in wines that are "traditional", that "inspire confidence", that are "authentic" and offer a "wide range". But they were also seen as "expensive" and "snobbish". In each of the four provinces, France scored number one in the "high quality" category, and in each case ranked number one for "expensive". In a rare confluence of opinion, Albertans and Quebeckers both ranked France number one for "offers a wide variety", while Ontario and BC elected their own product for that honour.

What Your Favourite Wine Country Says About You
Like Starbucks vs. Tim Hortons and Holt Renfrew vs. The Bay, wine-by-country choices can make broad statements. If you have a moderately active and healthy lifestyle and are attracted by tradition and structure, and are willing to pay a bit more, you'll go French. If you like all of the above but are more health oriented and interested in "pleasure", you'll turn to Italy. If you're a little less traditional, less of a "foodie", less of a spendthrift, more health conscious, and moving towards "unstructured" and "exotic", you'll go for Chilean. If you're even sportier and less "structured", Australia's for you.

Finally, if you have "a more functional attitude to food, opting for facilty over taste," and like a lower price, you'll keep it in North America, choosing American or Canadian wine - it seems those pricey Napa icons and recherche Niagara stars are, ahem, not representative...

All information taken from "The Wine Market and Perceptions of French Wine in Canada". © Sopexa Canada, on behalf of Wines of France – September 2008