What Effect Does Wine Closure Type Have on Perceptions of ...

1 AAWE 2014 What Effect Does wine Closure Type Have on Perceptions of wine s appearance , bouquet , Taste, and overall quality ? an empirical investigation Amy Holbrook, Research Assistant, Washington State University Dennis Reynolds, wine Business Management Director and Ivar Haglund Endowed Professor, Washington State University ABSTRACT During the last several decades, wineries have experimented with a variety of alternate wine -bottle closures with the intent of better protecting the wine and, in some cases, to save money and better protect the environment. Earlier studies included examination of sulfur dioxide and ascorbic acid concentration and spectral measures ( , Skourourmounis et al., 2008) while others have looked at the benefits of different closures relative to distribution channels ( , Wilson & Lockshin, 2010). The purpose of our study is to examine consumer perception of wine appearance , bouquet , taste and overall quality based solely on Closure type.

2 Specifically, we had participants evaluate wines while providing only information regarding the type of Closure : natural cork, synthetic cork, screw top, or glass seal. More than 300 participants, aged 21 to 63 (mean age was 30). Two Bordeaux blends from Washington State were randomly poured into four tasting glasses. The wine was dispensed from nitrogen-equipped kegs to protect from any real effects of wine Closure type. Each sample was placed alongside a picture of a plain wine bottle with the respective Closure next to it. As hypothesized, participants ranked the wine paired with the natural cork as significantly (p < .001) better on all aspects; wines with the screw top received the lowest evaluations. Interestingly, participants ranked the wines with the glass seal as low in terms bouquet , and taste but high in terms of appearance . For wineries, these finding suggest that the consumers perceive natural cork as superior despite empirical evidence that other closures may provide a more effective seal (Mortensen & Marks, 2002).

3 This indicates that the industry must enhance efforts toward educating consumers on alternative Closure types while also understanding the effects on consumer behavior. Mortensen, W., & Marks, B. (2002). An Innovation in the wine Closure Industry: Screw Caps Threaten the Dominance of Cork [Scholarly project]. In Victoria University. Retrieved from Skourourmounis, G. K., Kwiatkowski, M. J., Francis, I. L., Oakey, H., Capone, D. L., Duncan, B., .. Waters, . J. (2008). The Impact of Closure Type and Storage Conditions on the Composition, Colour and Flavour Properties of a Riesling and a Wooded Chardonnay wine During Five Years' Storage. Australian Journal of Grape and wine Research, 11(3), 369-377. Wilson, D., & Lockshin, L. (2010). The Communications Issues for Producers of Alternative Closures in the wine Industry. Academy of wine Business. Retrieved from