Investigating the effect of extrinsic cues on consumers' evaluation of red wine using a projective mapping task

Abstract

Consumers' perception (intrinsic sensory characteristics) of wine can be affected by extrinsic cues. This study aimed to determine the influence of extrinsic cues (price and label information/bottle) on consumers' sensory perception of red wine blends.A total of 202 participants (regular consumers of red wine), evaluated six red wine blends. Projective mapping (PM) and ultra-flash profile (UFP) were used to characterize the wines in three separate sessions: blinded, presented with the bottle, and presented with their price. Participants separated the red wine blends based on sweet, fruity, bitter, and peppery attributes. RV coefficients indicated that the presentation of the bottle and label information affected the participants' results, and the PM sessions were not significantly correlated (RV = 0.500). The participants' results were affected by the brand name presented on the wine bottle. However, the blinded and price PM sessions were correlated (RV = 0.733). The consumers were able to evaluate the wines using the PM and UFP method. The extrinsic cues, except for the brand name, did not affect consumers' descriptions of the different wines. Practical ApplicationsProjective mapping (PM) asks participants to express similarities and differences between samples, as well as position samples on a two-dimensional plane. PM is usually paired with ultra-flash profiling and allows researchers to identify the main attributes that account for differences among the samples. This study investigates the effect of extrinsic cues (bottle/label information and price) on consumers' evaluation of red wines blends. Brand names were found to affect consumers' evaluations.Understanding how consumers use label information and price when making their purchase decision is vital to both winemakers and for package design of wines.

Investigating the disclosure of ingredient lists impact on consumers' sensory perceptions of red wines produced in Nova Scotia, Canada

“…The first dimension separated the wines based on bitter, peppery, dry, and medium body on the positive side, with sweet, fruity, cranberry, and red fruit on the negative side. This separation agrees with a past study that found that the NS red wines could be separated based on sweet, fruity, bitter, and peppery attributes (Jantzi et al, 2020). On the second dimension, all the wines presented with ingredient lists (W1IL, W2IL, and W3IL) were on the positive side and were associated with sweet, floral, fruity, and dried fruit.…”

“…These methods are also a convenient alternative to descriptive analysis, as they can quickly assess differences in the samples (Liu, Grønbeck, Di Monaco, Giacalone, & Bredie, 2016). Furthermore, PM and UFP have been used in a variety of different studies to assess the sensory attributes of wine (Fariña et al, 2015; Hopfer & Heymann, 2013; Jantzi, Hayward, Barton, Richardson, & McSweeney, 2020; Kemp, Pickering, Willwerth, & Inglis, 2018; Liu et al, 2016).…”

I think I like this: assessing conscious versus subconscious wine taste responses using neuroscientific techniques

“…Researching different target consumers' evaluation of wine under conditions of full sensory (intrinsic) and non-sensory (extrinsic) information disclosure, has gained traction within the wine sector in recent years (Sogari et al, 2019). In wine marketing, differences in perceived preferences and expectations between blind and full conditions of the product may often be influenced by extrinsic attributes such as the brand name or region of origin (Jantzi et al, 2020). These expectations can influence the consumer's conscious response to a particular wine, however, might not have the same effect on the consumer's subconscious response (Lockshin and Corsi, 2020).…”

Investigating the effects of two volatile phenols on aroma perception of four red wine cultivars using Projective Mapping

“…Kemp et al (2018) noted that PM is suited to a wine industry context because of its spontaneous aspect and its flexibility. Additionally, Lawrence et al (2013) espouse a “free comments” method for wine professionals stating that “methods classically used for sensory analysis appear to be poorly suited to a professional wine panel, which has less time available than other panel types.” Jantzi, Hayward, Barton, Richardson, and McSweeney (2020) have recently applied the method even in the context of extrinsic cues consumers receive for red wines (such as price and information/bottle).…”