Can consumers be convinced that a wine is a regional hero?

This study has provided some concrete recommendations on how to promote a regional hero once it is chosen. The most important factors were found to be flavour preference, media, presence of the hero in restaurants and visits to the region. All of these factors are, in some part, currently addressed by the industry, except for consumer preference. The Australian wine industry therefore needs to debate the usefulness of considering consumer preference when defining a regional hero. If considered incompatible with the ideal of a hero, perhaps the concept of a consumer hero could be developed. The 'Brand Champion' category in the Directions 2025 Strategy comes close to this, but these wines are generally not regionally branded. Further research is required to understand the current benefit of cellar door, which might in turn generate ways of utilising this channel more effectively.