Influence of sensory and non-sensory attributes of Chardonnay wine on acceptance and purchase intent

Twenty commercial Chardonnay wines were profiled by descriptive analysis. Of these, 10 wines that spanned the flavor space were selected. One hundred and twenty-six novice and experienced Chardonnay wine consumers rated acceptance and purchase intent for the 10 coded wines. After they were surveyed for demographic, knowledge, experience, consumption, and brand familiarity information, the consumers rated acceptance and purchase intent for the same 10 wines, which were identified and accompanied by the corresponding wine bottle. Finally, participants rated purchase intent for concepts presented on a computer screen as combinations of text or pictures depicting types of non-sensory attributes of these wines. From these data, consumer segments which had similar preferences for the wines were identified. The relative impact of sensory and packaging attributes varied with each segment. Only two of the four segments' purchase intent for the wines were significantly impacted by the wine bottle, label, and brand name. While all consumer segments were most likely to buy wines possessing low to moderate levels of oak aroma which varied in intensity in fruit and floral aromas, segments were influenced differently by specific packaging attributes. For each segment, wines rated highest in purchase intent during informed evaluations had the same packaging characteristics that concept testing showed to be most important for purchase decisions, indicating internal consumer consistency. For the two segments that were impacted the most by brand, those brands that were familiar and rated highest in importance during concept testing were also rated highest in purchase intent during informed evaluations of the wines. During concept testing, a third segment exhibited a tendency to buy wines possessing labels that described the wine as fruity. This group also rated fruity wines high in purchase intent during blind and informed evaluations. Also, concept testing revealed that a fourth group was attracted to low priced wines and labels describing oak aroma. These preferences were confirmed during informed product evaluations, as inexpensive, intense oak smelling wines were rated high in purchase intent.