Contact:  Wine Trend: Bill Hamby
804-690-4271
coach.44@comcast.net

Jack Graham
804-935-7121
jgraham@winetrend.com

Unique Homes:
Lisa Masters 561-743-1839
lmasters@uniquehomes. com

For Immediate Release 

U.S. LUXURY-HOME-MARKET STUDY FINDS

IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOM-DESIGNED WINE ROOMS HAS GROWN

Interest In Wine Storage Amenities On The Rise

     Richmond, VA, May 14, 2007 – A national survey of homeowners and realtors in the U.S. luxury home market to determine the growth trends, rankings and relative importance of indoor amenities -- including custom-designed, climate-controlled wine cellars, rooms and closets – has found growing interest, importance and demand for such wine storage solutions.  More specifically:

• In the luxury home market (home or condo with a listing price of at least $2 million), location (90%), lifestyle (91%) and upscale amenities (90%) are the three most important attributes when considering the purchase of a luxury home.
• Professional kitchens (96%), home theater/media rooms (64%), in-home spa/gyms (46%) and custom-designed wine cellars, rooms or closets (38%) top the list of indoor amenities in the U.S. luxury home market.
• More than a third (38%) of respondents find such wine amenities important in a luxury home, while more than half (55%) feel the importance of wine amenities has increased compared with five years ago.
• Among that 55%, most say the following specific wine amenities have increased in importance over the past five years: custom-designed wine room (96%), custom-designed wine cellar (94%), custom-designed wine closet (84%), modular display cabinets (94%).
• 50% of respondents say a custom-designed wine room is viewed as necessary in a primary home, while 34% say one is necessary in a secondary home. Why?  Because of an increase in wine collecting and entertaining, plus more people being interested in wine and a current trend in luxury home design have led to an increase in the importance of wine amenities.
• When designing and installing a wine cellar, room or closet, respondents (58%) prefer consulting a wine room specialist; when researching luxury home trends, they turn mostly to magazines, then the Internet, friends and other sources.
  
• Interest in wine amenities extends well beyond current ownership levels. This “ownership-interest gap” suggests a growing market for wine amenities.
  

  Wine room:	Own 15%	Interest 59%
  Wine cellar:	Own 17%	Interest 67%
  Wine closet:	Own 20%	Interest 61%
  Display cabinet:	Own 54%	Interest 65%

  
  

Study Sponsors:
     The study was sponsored by the Richmond, Va.-based international wine consulting firm Wine Trend, Inc. (www.winetrend.com). The firm enhances people’s enjoyment of wine with custom-designed, climate-controlled wine storage solutions for homes, restaurants, hotels, clubhouses and resorts; client-tailored wine education/wine cellar management tutorials and wine- centered entertainment events. Co-sponsor of the research project was Unique Homes, a 36-year-old luxury real estate magazine available on newsstands and by subscription, which offers an upscale worldwide readership. Through its website (www.uniquehomes.com) and bi-monthly four-color magazine, Unique Homes profiles the most exclusive homes available in the U. S. and around the world and introduces upscale home shoppers to the real estate professionals who list and sell them. Unique Homes’ subscriber list includes consumers, realtors, designers, etc. – the people who create and follow the U. S. luxury home market.

Motivation For The Study:
     The idea for the 2007 Wine Trend-Unique Homes Luxury Home Market research project emanated from Wine Trend’s experience serving architects, designers, builders and developers in providing their homeowner and hospitality-market clients functional yet elegant wine storage solutions.

     “We know empirically that the demand for wine storage in the luxury home market is growing. We’re in the market every day and see this trend strengthening,” says wine consultant Paul Koder, founder/ceo of Wine Trend. “We wanted to verify and benchmark this trend in a credible, valid and reliable way, so we partnered with Unique Homes and hired Southeastern Institute of Research to conduct the survey.”

     The study’s findings also suggest that wine is about so much more than just the wine, says Koder. “It’s an entire lifestyle that goes with the wine – fine food, entertaining, celebrations, conversations, collecting, travel and so on – and sharing this way of life with family and friends.”

     Unique Homes’ publisher Rick Goodwin adds, “There is no question that luxury amenities are one of the most important factors that come into play in the purchase of a high-end residence. As affluent consumers look for ways to set their homes apart, the emerging trends are raising the bar in terms of those amenities that are considered necessary for a true luxury lifestyle. The evolution of the wine cellar into an important lifestyle and entertaining feature is one of the more interesting developments in the luxury market, as such a feature truly has the potential to redefine how wealthy individuals utilize their home for both personal pleasure and entertaining.”

     Koder notes that Wine Trend has the option to do periodic follow-up studies to track any changes in custom-designed wine storage trends in the luxury home market.

Study Objectives and Methodology
     Please refer to the Executive Summary by visiting www.wintrend.com and clicking on the survey icon at upper right of the home page.

2007 Wine Trend-Unique Homes Luxury Home Market Study

Other Findings

     For additional detail about the findings below, please refer to the Executive Summary by visiting www.winetrend.com and clicking on the survey icon at upper right of the home page.

• Most luxury homeowners enjoy and buy wine often. 40% of the consumer respondents are wine enthusiasts, collectors or connoisseurs; 70% say their partner shares an interest in wine. Two-thirds of luxury homeowner respondents have owned/do own luxury homes, and a third have owned/do own two or three luxury homes. Three-quarters of homeowner respondents use their luxury home as the primary residence. More than half of the realtor respondents have sold six or more luxury homes.
  
  
• Almost two-thirds (62%) of luxury home market respondents are Baby boomers (born 1946—1964). Silent generation (born before 1946) (87%) and Baby Boomers (80%) are more likely to have sold a luxury home than Gen Xers (’65-’81) and Gen Yers (’82 and later) (60%). A quarter (25%) sold a luxury home in order to buy a similar or larger home, while 19% sold to downsize and 17% sold because the luxury home “no longer meets needs.”
  
  
• Location of the luxury home/condo is far more important today (64%) than five years ago. The luxury home market is fairly evenly distributed geographically across the nation, with 45% of luxury homes found on water.
  
  
• New construction with built-in amenities is most desirable (64%), followed by previously renovated homes (57%), newly constructed homes ready to customize (54%) and pre-owned, ready-to-renovate homes (24%). Females (61%) are more likely than males (51%) to think pre-owned, previously renovated is desirable.
  
  
• 4 in 10 of the U.S. luxury home market respondents’ interest in wine has increased over the past five years.
  
  
• Increases in wine collecting and entertaining have led to an increase in the perceived importance of specific wine amenities in luxury homes.
  
  
• Among those who indicated they have a wine amenity in the home, they see many uses for it beyond wine storage. Used for: Showcase in home décor (57%), entertaining (55%), wine tastings (49%), storing cigars (41%), dining (23%), storing other liquids (19%), food pairings (16%) storing chocolates (7%), storing furs or leather goods (4%).
  
  
• Appreciation and/or ownership of wine amenities correlate with collecting art, rare books and sculpture. Luxury Home Market consumers who find wine amenities important are more likely than those who do not collect art (65% vs. 37%). Luxury Home Market consumers who have wine amenities in their homes are more likely than consumers who do not to collect art (64% vs. 35%), sculpture (36% vs. 10%) and rare books (31% vs. 11%.)
  
  
• Entertaining, proper storage and lifestyle enhancement are the most important reasons to install a custom wine amenity. Among those who find wine amenities important, 83% say entertaining, 81% say proper wine storage, 68% say lifestyle enhancement and 64% say wine accessibility are the top important reasons to have or install a customer-designed wine cellar, room or closet. In addition to wine storage, 57% of those who find wine amenities important also think that a custom wine cellar, room or closet would be a showcase in home décor, and 84% find that alternative important.
  
  
• Most respondents (74%) say custom-designed wine amenities must be insulated/climate controlled. Just 14% say such amenities are “only for serious collectors”.
  
  
• The U.S. Luxury Home Market wants wine rooms that protect the wine (78%), are technically sound (77%), are easy to use (77%) and maintain (76%).