Do you prefer drinking sauvignon blanc or reading about it? That question may not be as silly as it sounds.
Choosing the “right” wine at the point of sale is a difficult task, “whether it be a bricks-and-mortar retail outlet or online”, says Lukas Danner, a research scientist at Australia’s Agriculture and Food agency in Melbourne.
“The importance of wine labels and label information has been widely studied and back labels in particular show they play an important role.”
Danner’s 2017 study, I Like the Sound of That!, was the first to explore whether different levels of information on back labels shape consumers’ expectations and preferences, and how much they would pay.
A sample of 126 regular white wine drinkers evaluated a chardonnay, a riesling and sauvignon blanc, with three levels of information provided about the wines: blind (no information), basic (a sensory description) and elaborate (a sensory description plus wine quality and favourable winery information). The results showed that elaborate back labels trigger higher expectations, and after consumers have tasted the wine, the highest rates of preference. Wine with no information was tasted and liked the least, while those with basic descriptions were in between.
The consumers in the study were also swayed by the sensory descriptions of the three grape varieties:
1. “This pale lemon-coloured sauvignon blanc has intense tropical fruit and passionfruit aromas and flavours, accompanied by grassy green characters ending with a light acid finish.”
2. “This riesling has a pale yellow/green colour. The nose shows upfront, citrus fruit aromas supported by floral notes that follow through on the palate and leave the mouth with a crisp acidic finish.”
3. “This mouthfilling, golden coloured chardonnay displays aromas and flavours of honey, dried apricots, vanilla, butterscotch and oak, all prominent in the long finish.”
By triggering “significantly more intense, positive emotions”, such as “happy”, “enthusiastic” and “passionate”, the sauvignon blanc back label was favoured, ahead of the riesling, then the chardonnay. Consumers’ high level of familiarity with the very distinct flavour of passionfruit, but lower awareness levels of oak-matured white wine characters offered by the chardonnay, may explain the preference for the sauvignon blanc labels, Danner suggests.
Wine of the week
Oraterra Martinborough Pinot Gris 2023
★★★★★
Full of personality, this beauty was hand-picked from mature vines and handled in a large Austrian oak barrel. Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling and savoury, with rich stonefruit and spice flavours, fractional sweetness, a slightly oily texture and excellent weight, complexity and harmony. Pinot gris at its finest. (14% alc/vol). $36-$45
