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Professor Steve Charters

Background

Steve Charters left the School in 2007 to take up the role of inaugural Professor of Champagne in Reims Management School in France. He still contributes to the School as an Honorary Senior Fellow. Steve originally qualified as a lawyer in the UK, but was seduced by the allure of wine, working in retail and wine education in both London and Sydney. He is one of only 290 members of the Institute of Masters of Wine in the world, having passed its rigorous theory and tasting examination in 1997. He obtained his PhD from ECU in 2004. Steve is also a part-time wine journalist and writer, having contributed to a number of popular books and magazines on wine.

Staff qualifications

  • 2012 - Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne). Entitled, The cultures of wine consumption: How one product can be used to explore the context and involvement of consumers.
  • 2004 - Doctor of Philosophy (Edith Cowan University) on the topic: Perceptions of wine quality.  
  • 1997 - Examination of the Institute of the Masters of Wine (Institute of Masters of Wine) passed in May 1997 at the first attempt. Winner of the Robert Mondavi award for the best overall papers in the theory and dissertation, and the Robert Oatley award for the best essay on wine and the wine trade.
  • 1993 - Diploma of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust - both parts passed with a distinction at one sitting. Winner of J R Philips’ scholarship.
  • 1983 - Qualified solicitor (UK).
  • 1983 - MA (Hons) Modern History (University of Oxford).

Professional memberships

  • Institute of Masters of Wine; Circle of Wine Writers.

Awards and recognition

  • 1997 - Winner of the Institute of Masters of Wine Robert Mondavi Award and Robert Oatley Award.
  • 1997 - Winner of the Australian Vin de Champagne Award (professional section).
  • 1994 - Member, Wine and Spirit Education Trust scholarship tour of New Zealand.
  • 2005 - Edith Cowan University, Faculty of Business and Law Dean’s Award for Professional and Community Engagement.
  • 2005 - Edith Cowan University, Faculty of Business and Law Award for the Best New Researcher in the Faculty.

Research

Research interests

  • Perceptions of quality in wine
  • The mythology surrounding wine consumption
  • Wine tourism
  • The motivation to drink wine
  • The social context of wine production

Current research areas

  • The nature and evaluation of quality in wine
  • Winery cellar door service

Recent publications

Books

  • Charters, S. (Ed.). (2011). The business of champagne: A delicate balance.  Abingdon: Routledge.

Book chapters 

  • Fountain, J., & Charters, S. (2010). Generation Y as wine tourists: Their expectations and experiences at the winery cellar door. In Beckendorff, P., Moscardo, G., & Pendergast, D. (Eds.). Tourism and Generation Y. (p. 47-57). Wallingford: CAB International.
  • Charters, S. (2008). Listening to the wine consumer: The art of drinking. In Alhoff, F. (Ed.). Wine and Philosophy. (p. 186-202). Oxford; Blackwell Publishing. 

Refereed journal articles

  • Mitchell, R., Charters, S., and Albrecht, J. (2012). Cultural systems and the wine tourism product. The Annals of Tourism Research 39(1) pp. 311-335.
  • Charters, S. and Menival, D. (2011). Wine tourism in Champagne. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research. 35(1) pp. 102-118 
  • Charters, S., Velikova, N., Ritchie, C., Fountain, J., Thach, L., Dodd, T., Fish, N., Herbst, F., & Terblanche, N. (2011). Generation Y and sparkling wines: A cross-cultural perspective. International Journal of Wine Business Research. 23(2) pp. 161-175.
  • Charters, S. (2010). New World and Mediterranean wine tourism: A comparative analysis. Tourism (57)4 pp. 369-379.
  • Pettigrew, S., and Charters, S. (2010). Alcohol consumption motivations and behaviours in Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 22(2). pp. 210-221.
  • Charters, S. (2009). Does a brand have to be consistent? The Journal of Product & Brand Management, 18(4). pp. 284-291. 
  • Charters, S., Fountain, J., and Fish, N. (2009). ‘You felt like lingering…’ Experiencing ‘real’ service at the winery tasting room. Journal of Travel Research. 48(1). pp. 122-134.

Conference papers in proceedings

  • Menival, D, & Charters, S. (2012). Wine tourism: Increasing future champagne sales. International Conference on Innovation and Trends in Wine Management. Dijon, 22nd June: ESC Dijon.
  • Charters, S., & Menival, D. (2012) The characteristics of strong territorial brands. XI Congres des Terroirs Vitivinicoles. Dijon-Reims, 29th June.
  • Charters, S., Mitchell, R., & Menival, D. (2011). The territorial brand in wine. 6th International Conference of the Academy of Wine Business Research. Bordeaux: AWBR.
  • Kniazeva, M. & Charters, S. (2011). Staging authenticity in the cellars of Champagne. 6th International Conference of the Academy of Wine Business Research. Bordeaux: AWBR.
  • Menival, D, & Charters, S.(2011). The impact of the geographical reputation on the value created by small producers in Champagne. 2011 World Marketing Congress. Reims: Academy of Marketing Science.
  • Muraz, S., & Charters, S. (2011). Types of authenticity in champagne: The brand managers’ view. 6th International Conference of the Academy of Wine Business Research. Bordeaux: AWBR.
  • Ritchie, C., Charters, S., Fountain, J., Kolyesnikova, N., Dodd, T., Thach, L., Fish, N., Herbst, F., & Terblanche, N., (2011). It’s my party: Influences upon young adults to consume sparkling wine and champagne in restaurants, bars and night clubs. ICCAS 2011 (Seventh International Conference Culinary Arts and Science). Bournemouth, 12th-14th April.
  • Smith Maguire, J., & Charters, S. (2011) Territorial brand and scale of production: The example of champagne. 6th International Conference of the Academy of Wine Business Research. Bordeaux: AWBR.
  • Charters, S., & Mitchell, R. (2011) Critical success factors for an emerging territorial brand: The case of Central Otago wines.  Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference 2011, Perth, Australia, 28th-30th November: ANZMAC.
  • Mitchell, R., & Charters, S. (2011) Industrialised nature: A champagne myth.  Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference 2011, Perth, Australia, 28th-30th November: ANZMAC.
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