You Taste Who You Are: The Impact of Wine Labeling on The Sensory Taste of Wine

Abstract

Within a culture, individuals may have difficulty distinguishing themselves or projecting who they want to be to both themselves and others. Consumers are able to express a self-definition through the systematic appropriation of goods that represent who an individual wants to be (McCracken, 1986). This study focuses specifically on the connection that consumption culture has to the formation of identity within the conceptual framework of consumption culture theory. Within this framework, consumers are viewed as identity seekers navigating opportunities in the marketplace that provide messages that embrace who they are (Askegaard & Linnet, 2011). Specifically, this research explores how relating to the visual sensory cues on a wine label can symbolically represent a desired identity, which may influence the sensory experience of wine.Five distinct research phases were used to address the central research question: do wine label visual sensory cues influence the perceived sensory taste of wine? Two online surveys, two in-person sensory evaluation tests, and in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the individual sensory impact of constructing an identity through consumption. As people seek to author their sense of self through the visual sensory cues that provide meaning to that person, there may be a cross-modal sensory association that influences the actual taste of the wine.

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