The centuries-long enjoyment of wine has shaped our national cultural practices and social norms around its consumption. Researchers at Stellenbosch University’s South African Grape and Wine Research Institute (SAGWRI), in collaboration with international partners, recently conducted a study to explore wine aromas from the perspectives of South African, French and Portuguese consumers. This study aims to uncover cultural similarities and differences in how these aromas are conceptualised.
Methodology
Wine consumers from South Africa (n = 60), France (n = 46), and Portugal (n = 62) completed an online survey. The survey collected socio-demographic data (age, sex, nationality and education) and wine consumption data (frequency and preferences) to ensure that a comparable subset of these populations was used. Participants described the aromas of wine, white wine and red wine.
Text analyses were conducted in the participants’ original languages, with spelling errors corrected and words reduced to their root forms (e.g., ‘berries’ to ‘berry’). Descriptors with the same semantic meaning were grouped (e.g., floral and flowers). The frequency of these words was calculated and organised in tables by concept and country, including only attributes cited by at least 10% of participants from one culture. The relationship between the wine concepts was described using Cosine similarity and Pearson’s correlation.
Results and discussion
The descriptions elicited are purely cognitive, as no wine samples were evaluated. This methodology allows us to infer the influence of cultural background on consumer perceptions in countries with different winemaking histories without any wine selection biases.
The relationship between wine concepts was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (Figure 1A). The circles depict the concepts, and the arrows show the relationship between them. A correlation close to one indicates a strong similarity (linear correlation), while a correlation close to zero indicates no similarity (poor correlation). When comparing the three wine concepts, the data suggest that consumers, regardless of country, view red and white wine aromas as two ends of a spectrum (correlations between 0.28 and 0.44), with general wine aromas (correlations between 0.65 and 0.81) falling in between and sharing elements of both (Figure 1).
FIGURE 1. The correlation (Pearson’s correlation coefficient) between wine (shades of blue), white wine (shades of gold), and red wine (shades of red) concepts among South African (A), French (B), and Portuguese (C) consumers.
When comparing the wine concepts from South Africa, France and Portugal, the data show that the wine and white wine concepts were generally similar (correlation greater than 0.75), but the red wine concepts showed significant variation (correlation less than 0.57) between these countries (Figure 2). Red wines are generally viewed as more complex than white wines, possibly contributing to the observed differences. Similarity tests also show that the wine conceptualisations of French and South African consumers were more similar to the Portuguese than to each other. This is surprising, given that South Africa and France grow the same grape varieties.
FIGURE 2. The correlation (Pearson’s correlation) between the wine (A), white wine (B), and red wine concepts (C), as described by consumers from South Africa (SA), France (FR), and Portugal (PT).
“Fruity” is the attribute most frequently associated with the general wine concept (Figure 3A). For white wine, in addition to fruity, French consumers frequently described it as “floral” and “mineral”, and South African and Portuguese consumers frequently cited “fresh” and “light” descriptors (Figure 3B). This association of freshness (fresh, acid and crisp) with white wine is less prominent in the French data (Figure 3B). This is possibly due to different winemaking styles, such as the use of malolactic fermentation in Burgundy, where the French data was collected.
The sensory attributes “fruity” and “wooded” were used to describe red wines in all three countries (Figure 3C). South African and French consumers described red wine as having a “spicy” and “undergrowth” character. Additionally, unique descriptors like “heady/rich”, “deep”, “heavy”, “smoke” and “black fruit” appeared in South African data, while “dried fruit” and “tannins” were distinctive to Portuguese and French red wine descriptions, respectively. Portuguese consumers emphasise “body” and “boldness” in red wine, while French consumers highlight the presence of “animal” and “red fruit” aromas with “tannins”. South Africans associate red wine with “spicy” and “smoky” notes.
FIGURE 3. The word clouds illustrate how consumers from South Africa, France and Portugal described the aromas of wine (A), white wine (B), and red wine (C). The darkest text represents the South African data, the intermediate shade the French data, and the lightest shade the Portuguese data. The size of the text corresponds to the percentage of participants who used each attribute, considering only attributes cited by at least 10% of participants in one country.
Significance of the study
This study sheds light on consumer expectations across various cultural contexts, highlighting opportunities for tailored wine marketing strategies. For instance, South African wine marketing could emphasise the “spicy” and “smoky” qualities of red wines (when relevant to the wine) to attract domestic consumers. In contrast, French consumers may respond more favourably to messages that focus on fruit aromas and tannins, which they associate with quality and complexity.
Additionally, in cultures like France, where wine is closely linked to enjoyment, marketing and labels can emphasise the pleasure of drinking wine alongside technical details, such as aroma or complexity.
Understanding how wine is described in different cultural settings can also benefit local wine tourism. For example, knowing which wine descriptors are popular with French and Portuguese consumers can help sommeliers and tasting room staff present wines in ways that enhance tourists’ willingness to purchase.
Future research could explore these conceptualisations further, offering deeper insights into how consumers experience wine.
Reference
Fairbairn, S., Brand, J., Ferreira, A.S., Valentin, D. & Bauer, F., 2024. Cultural differences in wine conceptualisation among consumers in France, Portugal and South Africa. Scientific Reports 14, 15977.
For more information, contact Samantha Fairbairn at fairbairn@sun.ac.za.
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