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

Abstract

AbstractWineries have started to state their ingredients list on their bottles of wine; however, they have not considered how this may affect consumers' acceptability and sensory perception. The first objective was to determine the attributes consumers used to describe Nova Scotia (NS) red wines. The second objective was to identify the impact ingredient lists have on consumers' sensory perceptions of wine. In the first trial, 81 participants evaluated NS red wines (n = 8) using projective mapping and ultra‐flash profiling. In the second trial, three red wines were selected to be evaluated with and without an ingredient list. Participants (n = 98) evaluated the wines through a check‐all‐that‐apply questionnaire and 9‐point hedonic scales. Sweet, fruity, and floral attributes were used more frequently to describe the wines with a shorter ingredient list. However, there was no significant difference in the acceptability of wines when they were evaluated blinded and with the ingredient list.Practical applicationsConsumers are asking for more information on to be presented on alcoholic beverages, including ingredients. Understanding which attributes contribute to and the impact of ingredient lists on consumer liking is vital to the wine industry. This study used check‐all‐that‐apply and hedonic scales were used to evaluate how the presence of ingredient lists affected the participants' sensory perception and overall liking of the red wines. It was determined that the presence of ingredient lists did not significantly affect the acceptability or the perceived sensory properties of red wines.