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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of perceived risk and implementation of risk-reduction strategies (RRS) regarding the consumer wine purchase decision in the fine dining restaurant environment. The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of elements within the control, or influence of the restaurant (staff, reputation, previous visitation and previous consumption) on reducing the perceived risk of consumers. Design/methodology/approach -Data are collected through the use of a self-administered, highly structured questionnaire in a well established fine dining restaurant in central Adelaide, South Australia over a three week period in April and May 2008. The sample consists of restaurant consumers who made a wine purchase decision at the restaurant during the collection period. A response rate of 85 per cent is achieved resulting in 105 useable questionnaires. Findings -A low overall level of perceived risk is noted in the wine purchase decision-making process in the fine dining environment. The restaurant's reputation and advice from staff are found to be important RRS with a high incidence of utilisation. The reputation of the restaurant, incidence of previous visitation and previous consumption of the wine ordered in the restaurant, are all found to reduce the level of perceived consumer risk. A significant incidence of customers engaging in riskseeking behaviour through selecting wines with which they are unfamiliar, is also noted.Research limitations/implications -The findings of this research suggest that the overall level of risk associated with the consumer wine purchase decision may be lower than previously observed and can be reduced through measures within the restaurant management's control. Although tentative due to the exploratory nature of this study, these findings may provide useful insights to the wine and restaurant industries and would benefit from further investigation on a larger scale. Originality/value -This study is of value to academic researchers, restaurant managers/ sommeliers and the wine industry as it highlights important aspects of consumer behaviour with regard to wine purchases in a growing and lucrative sector of the on-premise trade.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of wine's region of origin in the consumer wine-buying decision-making process in the Australian domestic market. Design/methodology/approach -Data collection takes place by means of a self-administered and online approach in tandem utilising a highly structured questionnaire completed by wine consumers. The sample is limited to three groups of wine consumers -patrons of a wine bar in Sydney and two online wine communities unlocking access to a cross-section of on-premise trade and online consumers. The active memberships of the online communities amount to 3,600. In total, 352 usable surveys are obtained. Findings -Region of origin is an important choice factor in the wine-buying decision making process of consumers, but particularly so in terms of its multi-dimensional nature (region name, wine type and grape variety). The most important choice factors in consumers' wine-buying decisions are quality, price, grape variety, wine style and region of origin. Region of origin varies in degree of influence within different segments. Higher ratings for region of origin are given by female wine consumers, high involvement wine consumers and consumers who have participated in wine tourism to a greater degree.Research limitations/implications -The findings of this research suggest that wine's region of origin is a significant choice factor in the Australian consumer's wine-buying decision making process. More than half of the respondents are residents of Sydney and the findings are therefore tentative due to the geographical limitation. Originality/value -This study is of value to academic researchers, wine industry practitioners, and on-and off-premise operators alike as it furthers the understanding of the importance of various choice factors in the consumer's wine-buying decision-making process and in particular the relative importance of region of origin within the main choice factors. It also highlights the specific market segments (geodemographic, behavioural and involvement level) and conditions under which the relative importance of region of origin varies.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and examine key areas of the wine consumer's interaction with region of origin, specifically through access to wine information, wine knowledge, the auxiliary relationship with wine tourism involvement and the impact this has on the wine buying decision‐making process.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual research “model” was developed to set the direction for the development of the research hypotheses and questions. A highly structured questionnaire was administered at a high‐end independent wine retail shop in Sydney, Australia using a convenience sample of 100 randomly selected respondents, all of whom were in the basic wine drinker category or higher. A series of quantitative and qualitative datasets were collected during timeslots spanning 8‐15 minutes per questionnaire.FindingsThe results confirm that as wine knowledge increases together with wine involvement, it develops into a greater understanding of a wine's region of origin, impacting positively on the consumer's wine decision‐making process. A consumer's willingness to interact with wine‐related motivations through wine tourism visitation has a profound effect on the importance of a wine's region of origin, therefore attributing to greater recall of wine region in the wine buying decision‐making process.Research limitations/implicationsWine education and access to wine information have a strong relationship with increasing a consumer's awareness of wines' region of origin and offer scope to further investigate the importance of in‐store assistance and cellar door staff interaction with consumers. Although both these aspects are considered positively by a statistically significant percentage of the sample study, a relationship does not coexist with the importance of wine region as an aid or attribute for consumers when purchasing wine.Originality/valueWine marketing strategies in Australia are beginning to incorporate a complementary product brand relationship with region of origin and the use of regional branding, not only as a point of difference, but as an extension of a wine product's attributes. This study aids in further identifying information regarding regional branding and its relative importance, which could lead to subsequent comprehensive research studies. The research findings may be utilized to provide small‐ to medium‐sized wineries an overview of how they may consider closer interaction between their individual brand and regional branding.