Wine Consumption Motivation: Segmentation and Hierarchical Analysis of Behavioral and Autochthonous Wine-Related Characteristics

This study examines the motives for wine consumption on a sample of 598 tourists staying in hotels in Istria County, Croatia. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to identity wine consumption motivation dimensions, followed by cluster analysis and hierarchical multinomial logistic regression to identify and profile wine consumer segments. Four motivation dimensions were identified: status, hedonism, relaxation and socialization, resulting in four consumer segments; low, high, hedonic and socially motivated. Wine consumption and travel-related behavior variables differentiated the segments more than demographic characteristics alone. Among the variables related to Malvazija Istarska as an autochthonous regional wine, purchase intention was the only variable that significantly differentiated across all the segments. The findings support motivation-based segmentation and suggest that behavioral characteristics and purchase intention toward regional wine provide useful information for differentiating wine consumer segments.