Estimating wine consumer preferences for sustainability attributes: A discrete choice experiment of Californian Sauvignon blanc purchasers

Abstract

In an increasingly saturated global market, winegrowers and wineries have an opportunity for product differentiation born out of environmental and social pressures coupled with growing consumer preferences. The wine industry has seen significant establishment of sustainable certification systems as wine consumers preferences for sustainability have developed. However, there is a risk that the prominent use of symbol and icon type labels may obscure individual sustainability attributes and weaken signalling to consumers searching for specific credentials. Consumers may respond to individual components of sustainability programs differently to others and the use of simplistic symbols and logos makes it difficult for consumers to identify which elements are contained within a scheme.