Consumer Acceptance of Low Alcohol Wines

The wine industry is facing a continuous decrease in wine consumption on the part of the more frequent users of the product, particularly in the counties where wine drinking is traditional. The surveys show that alcohol is one important reason for not (or no longer) drinking. Several firms or research institutes are then turning to low alcohol wine as a solution to this problem, so far with limited success. Is the consumer ready to accept such a product in the first place? This paper is an attempt to identify those factors associated with the acceptance of a new product, taking low alcohol wine as an example. Acceptability of low alcohol wine is presented as an attitudinal model in which perception of product attributes, involvement in wine, consumption habits for wine and light products in general, personal innovativeness and consumption situations are determinant factors. This research suggests that low alcohol wine could get acceptance if the problem of the taste can be solved. In this case, low alcohol wine should be positioned as a wine rather than a diet drink.