Does Product Diversity Signal Bargains in Australian Wine?

The residuals from a set of linear regression equations built to explain the quality of a bottle of Australian wine via eight quality signals are examined to determine whether there is any relationship between their signs for individual producers and the diversity of their offerings. Product diversity is found to be a fault-ridden signal of a quality-bargain, which we define as a bottle of wine whose quality rating exceeds its regression-based expectation. Indeed, to the extent that the signal does impart useful information, the message would be that consumers are less likely to get their money's worth the greater is the diversity of the producer's offerings.wine marketing, product diversity, wine quality, predicted quality, quality-bargain, Agribusiness, Marketing,

Establishing a vineyard in Missouri

"Decide to establish a vineyard two years before your proposed planting date. Two years gives you time for adequate evaluation and preparation of the site, ordering plants, and finding a market for the grapes. All of these are important for a successful vineyard. In fact, failure to plan properly often has caused growers to abandon a vineyard long before its financial potential can be realized. With proper care, a well planted vineyard should last at least 25 years. Choose the best possible site because you will have to live with that choice for the life of the vineyard."--First page.Larry Lockshin (Department of Horticulture College of Agriculture)New 11/82/10

Pruning and training grapevines

"The grapevine is remarkable because its vining habit can be trained in innumerable ways. Over the several thousand year history of grapevine cultivation, standard training systems have evolved in established grape-growing regions. However, new research and growers in new regions like Missouri have refined these techniques. Growers need a good understanding of the physiology of the grape plant, the differences in cultivar behavior, the characteristics of the specific soil and site, and the intended market before deciding on a training system."--First page.Larry Lockshin (Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture)New 5/83/10

Analysis of consumer preferences for information and expert opinion using a discrete choice experiment

We present a study of consumer preferences for information in wine purchases. Consumers are presented with extra information in the form of qualitative product descriptions and quantitative expert ratings. We implement a discrete choice exper- iment in which we vary experimentally the presence of the descriptions and ratings and the values of the ratings themselves. Respondents are asked to choose amongst a set of 5 wine bottles in a sequence of 21 choice scenarios. We find that the presence of extra information and high expert ratings have a significant impact on the will- ingness to pay for a given wine. The dispersion of ratings for a given wine does not affect respondents’ choices. In our estimates high average ratings by experts carry a premium of AUD $10.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Herbicide damage to sensitive crops

"Over the past several decades in Missouri and other states, the greatest and most widespread uses of herbicides have been in the production of row-crops and forages and in the clearing of brush for pasture improvement."--First page.John Lower and Larry Lockshin (Department of Horticulture) and L.E. Anderson (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)New 5/84/10

A letter by the Regional Editor for Oceania: China and wine: Its impact on the global wine trade

China׳s growing wine consumption is having a major effect on the global trade in wine. Growing awareness and consumption of grape-based wine in China has moved from a small number of very wealthy and often older buyers to an increasing number of younger, middle-class consumers. In this editorial, I will explore some of the effects I think this growing market is having on the wine trade and how this shapes the future research agenda for wine business related to China