This study aims to explore the cognitive structures and underlying values that shape German consumers’ preferences for Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder).
Drawing on the means-end chain (MEC) theory (Gutman, 1982), we conducted 12 soft-laddering interviews with regular German wine consumers to examine how product attributes – such as winemaking style, origin or taste – connect to personal values. We then synthesised choice patterns through manual interpretive clustering at the ladder level, allowing multiple motivational logics to co-exist within the same individual.
The findings reveal three motivational logics shaping Spätburgunder choice: hedonic–experiential, epistemic–growth-oriented and utilitarian–protective. These motivational logics highlight the interplay between sensory pleasure, curiosity and decision security, and show that German consumers interpret producer-related cues in different ways depending on the consumption context and the values they seek to satisfy.
The study is qualitative, exploratory and context-specific. It does not aim for statistical generalisation, but for a deeper understanding of the cognitive and motivational structures shaping German Spätburgunder choice. Future research should test these motivational logics quantitatively across regions, price tiers and purchase occasions, and compare how they vary across cultural and market contexts.
The study offers an original perspective on German consumers’ Spätburgunder choices by identifying multiple coexisting motivational logics and linking them to producer identity, value-based segmentation and communication strategy. It also extends MEC research in wine by showing how similar product cues can generate different meanings and choice pathways across consumers.
