Exploring Awareness of Greek Protected Geographical Indication Regional Wines and Their Terroir: The Case of the Prefecture of Drama Greece

This research explores if wine consumers are aware of the wines of the Greek prefecture of Drama and, in particular, its wines with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and if they have previously experienced them. It also investigates where do consumers search online for wine information, and which of the 17 directly related to wine terroir attributes they seek information for. Lastly, it explores if the male and female wine consumers have the same level of awareness and experience with these PGI wines, and if they seek the same terroir elements on the online information channels. An online questionnaire was used to collect 917 valid responses. The data analysis showed that all participants were aware of the wines of Drama Prefecture, and as for the PGI wines (PGI wines of Drama, Hadriani, and Agora), about one half of the sample knows the Drama PGI wines and 48% has had previous experience, 29% knows Hadriani PGI wines and 24.3% has previous experience, and 23.3% knows PGI Agora wines and 20.2% has previous experience with these wines. Main online information search channels are the winery’s website, Google + and Facebook. The terroir elements most searched for information is “area of wine production”, “grape varieties”, and “wine authenticity”. No gender differences were found in knowledge and previous experience with PGI wines of the prefecture of Drama, while for four out of 17 terroir elements that consumers were seeking information of in their online search, gender differences were observed: Place attachment, vineyard terrain, winery landscape architecture, and grape harvesting. Results are discussed and provide suggestions for terroir-based marketing. Results provide insight to consumer behaviour and may lead wineries to implement programs for wine tourism and education on wine terroir characteristics and wine choice connected to gastronomy.