The label carries more weight than the tasting when setting the value of a partially dealcoholized wine

Monday, September 21, 2026

A study published in the journal Foods suggests that label information and explanations of the production process carry more weight than tasting notes when determining the value consumers place on partially dealcoholized wine. The research was conducted with 187 Italian consumers during a science festival in Puglia and measured their stated willingness to pay for a 125 ml glass of Primitivo wine reduced to 1.5% ABV.

The wine analyzed was obtained through vacuum evaporation at low temperature and was not pasteurized. Participants were divided into three groups. One group received only written information about the product. Another tasted the wine without prior information. The third group received both information and a tasting. Afterward, the researchers collected ratings on visual appearance, aroma, flavor, and overall impression, as well as the price each person would pay for a glass.

The most significant difference appeared in willingness to pay. The group that received information but did not taste the wine reported an average of €5.52 per glass. Among those who only tasted it, the figure dropped to €3.81. The difference was €1.71, equivalent to 44.9% more. The group that combined information and tasting placed their average at €4.71, that is, €0.90 and 23.6% higher than the group that only tasted the product.

The authors interpret this information as acting as a price reference in a category that is still relatively unestablished among many Italian consumers. Without this reference, responses were more scattered, suggesting greater difficulty in placing the product within a price range. In other words, when consumers know the origin, variety, production method, or calorie content beforehand, they tend to attribute more value to the wine, even before tasting it.

In terms of sensory evaluation, the study found that prior information improved the ratings of visual appearance, aroma, and overall impression compared to the group that had only tasted the wine beforehand. However, taste showed no clear differences between groups. This difference aligns with one of the most debated issues surrounding non-alcoholic or very low-alcohol wines: the removal of ethanol can alter the perception of body and complexity on the palate, although current techniques mitigate some of this loss. Even so, the product did not receive an overall negative rating, and the average assessment remained moderately favorable.

The study also analyzed prior familiarity with non-alcoholic or low-alcohol wines. Those already familiar with these types of products tended to judge the wine more harshly, which, according to the researchers, was associated with an expectation of lower quality due to the reduced alcohol content. This effect was mitigated when these individuals received detailed information about the production process and the wine's characteristics. Among those with no prior experience with this type of wine, the reception was more open and less biased.

Another finding points to the influence of habitual consumption preferences. People with a stronger preference for traditional red wines showed a lower willingness to pay for the partially dealcoholized version. In contrast, variables such as age, sex, nationality, or frequency of consumption did not have a significant effect on the experiment. According to the authors, this suggests that the aversion to these wines is more related to cultural and gustatory expectations than to demographic characteristics.

The research comes at a time when alcohol-free and low-alcohol wines are gaining ground rapidly in markets such as the UK, the US, and several northern European countries, while in major traditional producers like Italy, France, and Spain, acceptance is more cautious. In these countries, alcohol is often associated with a wine's identity and attributes such as authenticity, structure, and quality. Previous studies cited by the researchers had already observed that many Italian consumers expect a proportional discount when the alcohol content is reduced.

Despite the interesting results, the study's design itself sets clear limitations. It doesn't reflect actual purchases, but rather a declared willingness to pay. The sample is small, drawn from attendees of a science festival in Apulia, and focuses on a single wine, a partially dealcoholized Primitivo. For this reason, the data cannot be directly extrapolated to the Italian market as a whole, nor to other varieties, styles, or sales channels.

The researchers argue that the practical value of the study lies in how the product is presented to the consumer. In a category where many buyers still have limited knowledge, details such as the grape variety, the dealcoholization technique, the final alcohol content, and nutritional information can influence price perception as much as the tasting experience itself. They also suggest that the recent authorization of domestic production in Italy, under stricter conditions than in other European countries, may have delayed public familiarity with these wines.