C’ing is believing: What types of characteristics are found on bottles of wine? Do more characteristics mean more online presence?

Abstract

Wine bottles feature various textual and visual elements. Aside from necessary legal information, wine-branding decision-makers choose what goes on the bottle. They may also choose a bottle shape that is out of the ordinary to draw more attention. Rather than a cork, they may opt for a screwcap so that the opening of the bottle requires no corkscrew. The bottle’s base may be flat, or it may be concave. In sum, decisions are made either to blend in with the other wines on the shelf or to stand out. This research set out to tackle two subjects. Firstly, what are these characteristics and how can they be called? Secondly, are wines with more characteristics also more present online? This article proposes a framework, “The C Matrix”, codifying these characteristics so that they all begin with the letter “C”. Still, white, rosé and red wines sold by three different mass retailers in Los Angeles (LA) County in California in the USA priced between US$5 and US$15 were studied. LA is an important market in terms of volume consumed. Furthermore, the presence of both domestic and foreign wines makes it an interesting place for a wine-packaging study. The US is the largest country importer of wine in volume and in value. The goal is to better understand what types of characteristics are featured on a mid-range bottle of wine in this lucrative yet competitive market. Calculations reveal a slightly positive coefficient correlation, namely wines with more bottle characteristics are also more prevalent online. This may mean that, in LA, it is beneficial to provide more information and to stand out from crowd.