Wine industry still bullish on China

[Photo by Mike Peters/China Daily]

A guy thing

Most purchases of wine in the world are made by women, several panelists noted, and that's hardly news: Most people in any supermarket are women.

"Sixty-five percent of our customers are women," says Terry Creaturo, adult beverage coordinator for the US grocery giant Kroger. "But that's actually down from 70 percent－now more men are shopping."

Stephanie Gallo says her family-owned winery saw an opportunity in that demographic shift.

Gallo is well-aware that branding and labels drive many purchases－a Kroger study shows that 50 percent of wine buyers didn't have wine on their shopping list when they arrived at the store. As vice-president of marketing, Gallo has spearheaded campaigns that have made Barefoot the largest bottled wine brand in the world; other successful brand launches include Naked Grape, Vin Vault and Dark Horse.

So how do you attract male eyeballs in the store?

Gallo created the brand Carnivor.

"It's aimed at what we call the fast-brain response," says Gallo. The bottle of "bold, intense" cabernet sauvignon is black; the label has a crest with a spear-toting lion. "It says, 'I'm a steaky guy', Gallo says of the brand's appeal. "It's an appeal to male pride."