Thesis
Consumer preference and willingness to pay for oak attributes in Washington State Chardonnay
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2011
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102303
Abstract
Consumers sampled three Chardonnay wines which were all from the same Washington State vintner and vintage with varying levels of oak treatment. The objective of this research is to produce information about consumer acceptance of four sensory attributes in Chardonnays which have different levels of oak treatment, and to determine if oak levels influence consumer willingness to pay for a bottle of Chardonnay. The study was conducted at Washington State University food science lab on October 5, 2010. The panel consisted of 66 participants of an average age of 35, about half of which were male. Participants sampled the three wines, one at a time in random order and assessed their acceptance and the intensity of four sensory attributes; flavor, aroma, sweetness and acidity. Following this evaluation the participants assessed their willingness to pay using a double-bounded contingent valuation method. One analysis of willingness to pay using only oak variable showed that consumers were willing to pay $0.67 less for a fully oaked bottle of Chardonnay than an unoaked Chardonnay. Also the summary statistics for consumer ratings of their acceptance of sensory attributes showed that on average consumers rated the fully oaked wine lower in overall liking and flavor acceptance than the unoaked wine. In the results for models which included attribute intensity and acceptance ratings the oak variables were insignificant indicating that consumers may not, knowingly or unknowingly, consider oak attributes when assessing willingness to pay. It is likely, however, that novice consumer are unable to assess acceptance ratings while considering specific characteristics in wine and rather assess in general how much they like a wine, ignoring subtle nuances. The results of this study will be beneficial to wine producers and grape growers all over the state. Not only will the results discuss the influence of oak on consumer preferences and willingness to pay but also the importance of the sensory attributes to willingness to pay.
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Details
- Title
- Consumer preference and willingness to pay for oak attributes in Washington State Chardonnay
- Creators
- Christina Michelle Holmquist
- Contributors
- Jill J. McCluskey (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Economic Sciences, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525048401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis