Conjoint/Concept Test on Single Serve Wine

Conducted by IIM, January 2026

​

1

Project Methodology

• 15 minutes online survey conducted December 2025 among the following:
• Gen Z (n=402)
• Millennials (n=408)
• Wine Drinkers in the past month
• Employed, retired or a student
• Purchase wine beyond just restaurants

Research Objectives

• Understand the opportunity for a high-quality single serve wine offering in retail.
• Understand current wine consumption habits and practices and how a new single-serve wine offering fits into existing habits.

Results

• The wine consumer is alive and well; almost 50% of our respondents drink multiple glasses of wine daily or several times a week, and they want a glass of wine that’s standard ABV and higher quality.

​

​

• Consumers want wine that’s 14% ABV, and prefer white varietals in traditional glass bottles. Wine region can play a secondary “delighter” role in driving wine choice. Offering wine that’s lower sugar, or organic, is nice to have, but does not move the needle on preference.

​

• For the most part, Gen Z and Millennial wine drinkers have very similar habits, practices and attitudes; the same proposition will work across both demographics.

​

​

Market Opportunity for Single Serve Wine

Under 21

16%

Unemployed or only buys wine in a restaurant

11%

Drinks wine <1x monthly

25%

Single Serve Wine Market

48%

48% of sample who was sent the survey link qualified; most were disqualified because drinking wine less than once a month.

Conjoint Variables in this research

Feature Importance�

Amount of alcohol and the brand/logo are the strongest drivers of preference. The varietal and wine region also play important roles in appeal.

Gen Z vs Millennial Overall Preference Share

Both Gen Z and Millennial wine drinkers have extremely similar drivers of preference for single serve wine. The amount of alcohol matters a bit more for Millennials, and the brand and wine region matter a bit more for Gen Z, but the hierarchy of needs is quite similar between cohorts.

Feature Importance: Alcohol %�

In small sizes, more alcohol is better, with almost half of respondents preferring 14% ABV. Offering a non-alcoholic option is the least appealing option to these consumers.

Feature Importance: Varietal�

Sweet White blends are the most preferred but again, we see quite a variety of preferences. Overall whites are the more preferred varieties.

Feature Importance: Wine Region�

International regions have the highest preference. Specifying a region within California does not change preference. Oregon has the lowest preference, perhaps because of the strong tie to Pinot Noir (which also has low preference)

Feature Importance: Package Type�

Glass bottles trump cans in driving appeal, and almost 50% of consumers prefer the traditional wine bottle shape.

Feature Importance: Price�

Interestingly, price plays less of a role in appeal for these single serve wine options. That said, consumers prefer the least expensive option, but preference is rather parity with the most expensive option.

Feature Importance: Sugar Level�

Offering a lower sugar option may be nice for some, but it does not change preference share.

Feature Importance: Size (mLs)�

Offering a single-serve wine option that is a bit more than a glass is slightly more preferred than a standard 187ml pour.

Feature Importance: Organic�

As with sugar, an organic offering makes no impact on preference share.

Wine Habits and Practices

Both Gen Z and Millennials are most likely to purchase wine from a retail store.

Q6: Please select the location you buy wine from most often.

2/3ds of both Gen Z and Millennials are drinking wine at least once a week or more often.

Q5: How often do you drink wine?

Gen Z and Millennial wine drinking habits are very similar. Both are drinking multiple times during the week and multiple times a weekend.

On average, how often do you drink wine on weekdays (Monday – Thursday)?

On average, how often do you drink wine during the weekend (Friday - Sunday)?

Gen Z and Millennials wine consumption is also very similar. They are drinking multiple glasses during the week and weekend.

Q139: How much wine are you typically drinking during the week (Monday - Thursday)?

Q141: How much wine are you typically drinking during the weekend (Friday - Sunday)?

Most varietals are being consumed multiple times a week/weekend and aren’t “dedicated” to weekday or weekend drinking. About 10% of Gen Z and Millennials indicated they don’t drink sparkling or dessert/sweet wines.

Q143: What types of wine do you drink on the weekdays vs. weekends? Please select the best response for each variety of wine.

24% of Gen Z and 33% of Millennials are not drinking non-alcoholic wine. Low ABV wine is also less of an interest.

Q143: What types of wine do you drink on the weekdays vs. weekends? Please select the best response for each variety of wine.

Single-serve wines are appealing to both groups! Millennials are more likely than Gen Z to current drink single-serve wines.

Q144: Which of the following bottle sizes and types of wine do you typically drink/purchase? Please select one option for each item.

Among both age groups, most influential characteristics for choosing wine include high quality, taste, price and varieties.

Somewhat Agree

T2B

Q145: Now we’d like to know what you, personally, look for in a wine for everyday consumption. To do this, below is a list of characteristics that wine may have. How much does each attribute influence your everyday wine consumption.

Strongly Agree

Gen Z: Wine Characteristic Influence

Millennials: Wine Characteristic Influence

Somewhat Agree

T2B

Strongly Agree

Both groups (statistically higher for Millennials) are interested in drinking higher quality wine. About one out of five are looking to limit their wine intake during the week.

Q142: Do you have any goals related to wine consumption? Please select all that apply.

Both age groups define premium wine as having a “better taste”, “higher quality grapes” and “brand reputation”.

Q147: What does “premium wine” mean to you? Please select all that apply.

Millennials are more likely to shop a wider range of retailers. Both groups are most likely to buy wine from Walmart, Target or Costco.

Q148: Which of the following retailers do you shop for wine? Please select all that apply.