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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wine Market Council Accepting Applications for New $10,000 Research Grant to Support
Outstanding Wine Business and Wine Marketing Related Research
2015 research grant winner, Texas Tech University PhD Candidate Nicholas Johnston, will present
findings on Millennials at the upcoming Wine Market Council
Consumer Research Conferences St. Helena, CA, January 5, 2016 -- Wine Market Council today announced that the non-profit has
opened the application process for their 2016 research grant. Graduate-level students are invited to
apply for a $10,000 grant to support a wine business or wine marketing related research project in the
coming year. Wine Market Council is looking for exceptional students who have the capability of
conducting research on topics of interest to the Wine Market Council’s membership and the wine
industry as a whole.
Wine Market Council awarded their first-ever research grant in 2015 to Texas Tech University doctoral
student, Nicholas Johnston. Johnston has spent the past year researching how Millennials respond to
traditional and less traditional wine packaging and will present his findings at Wine Market Council’s
2016 Consumer research conferences taking place Monday, January 25 in New York and on
Thursday, March 10 in Yountville, California.
“We are honored to champion wine-related research from graduate students studying wine-related
topics,” said John Gillespie, President of Wine Market Council. “We are also looking forward to
Nicholas Johnson’s presentation which will provided valuable insight on Millennials and their
interaction with wine packaging.”
The council is looking for exceptional students who have the capability of conducting research on
topics of interest to the Wine Market Council’s membership and the wine industry as a whole. The
project proposal deadline is April 15, 2016, and the research must be completed and the final report
submitted by November 23, 2016.
Examples of such research projects include:
• Beverage alcohol purchasing and consumption preferences among recent college graduates,
including “occasion-driven” choices of wine, spirits/cocktails, beer (including craft beer), or
other beverage alcohol choices.
• Factors influencing purchase and usage of all forms of beverage alcohol, including
family/friends recommendations; wine reviews, scores and ratings; recommendations of staff in
stores and restaurants or bars; information accessed on social media; and other sources.
• Wine on-tap: Who/what/where does it work best, what is the growth potential, problem areas,
and how could this area continue to change?
• How consumers make choices between wine, beer, and spirits by occasion and venue.
• Other topics of relevance to Millennial-aged beverage alcohol consumers will be welcomed and
considered.
All proposals will be reviewed and three finalists selected. The finalists will be invited to present their
research project proposal to the Wine Market Council grant committee via WebEx or Skype.
Any student enrolled in a graduate-level program at an accredited university doing research on a wine
business or wine marketing related topic is encouraged to submit a proposal. Proposals should
include:
• Student background
• A detailed description of the research project
• Methodology to be used
• How grant money will be used
• Why student feels the research to be conducted would be of importance to the wine industry
• Description of how the resulting data will be presented in a final report
The student chosen will have the opportunity to present their project results during a 15-minute slot at
one of Wine Market Council research conferences in January or February 2017 (in Napa or New York).
Questions should be directed and proposals emailed to Jennifer Pagano, Director of Research, Wine
Market Council, jpagano@winemarketcouncil.com 415-608-0335. Wine Market Council’s 2016 Consumer Research Conferences Wine Market Council’s 2016 Consumer Research Conferences take place on Monday, January 25,
2016, in New York and on Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Yountville, California. Wine Market Council’s
Consumer Research Conferences are free for Wine Market Council members (up to 3 company
representatives can attend) and $125 for non-members. Both conferences include a networking wine
and hors d’oeuvres reception directly following the conference presentations. Registration is now open.
Attendees can register at winemarketcouncil.com/conference. Media passes are available. For media
passes contact Teplin+Nuss at contact@teplinnuss.com. For more information on the conferences,
contact Sherri Fidel at admin@winemarketcouncil.com or 707.738.8796.
About Wine Market Council
Wine Market Council is a non-profit association of grape growers, wine producers, importers,
wholesalers, retailers, and other affiliated wine businesses and organizations. The council’s mission is
to grow, strengthen, and stabilize the wine market in the U.S. on behalf of all segments of the industry.
Wine Market Council provides its members with consumer research that is proprietary to Wine Market
Council members, who incorporate it into their strategic planning, marketing and sales execution. Wine
Market Council was established in 1994 as a non-profit (501c6) trade association working through all
tiers of the U.S. wine industry to grow the wine market. More information can be found at
WineMarketCouncil.com and on Twitter @WineMktCouncil.
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