Browsing by Author "Mokonotela, Tshepo Tshiamo"

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    Insights into South African sparkling wine : a sensory and consumer study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03) Mokonotela, Tshepo Tshiamo; Nieuwoudt, Helene; Pentz, Chris D.; Jolly, Neil P.; Bauer, Florian; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Viticulture and Oenology. Institute for Wine Biotechnology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: To be locally and internationally competitive, the South African wine industry needs to understand consumers’ preferences and purchase motivations. It is especially the sparkling wine category Méthode Cap Classique wines (MCC) that was identified as requiring further insights to develop marketing strategies that appeal to the South African (SA) consumer. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design to gain insights into how young (18-35 years old) SA sparkling wine consumer experiences the MCC product offering. A selection of five different styles, namely brut, brut rosé, demi sec, demi sec rosé and low alcohol were chosen. The first objective was to investigate and explore the sparkling wine category producers and growth, as well as the product’s sensory (taste and aroma) characteristics. This was accomplished by data mining of the wine industry information sources Platters South African Wine Guide and the South African Wine Industry Information Systems (SAWIS) database. The second objective investigated how the SA sparkling wine consumer experienced the five styles of MCC intrinsically. This was accomplished by actual tasting of the MCC wines by 278 respondents, who had previously been exposed to MCC or sparkling wine, combined with the completion of a closed-ended tasting questionnaire. The questionnaire included wine evaluation with a Check All That Apply (CATA) list where respondents had to select sensory attributes perceived by them, liking and likelihood to buy, price perception, preference ranking, familiarity with MCC, and product involvement. The third objective investigated young SA sparkling wine consumers’ familiarity with MCC, and their perceptions of the product’s extrinsic features, such as label design, bottle shape and colour, brand name, price, and packaging. This third investigation was done by means of using a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire in one-to-one interviews with 13 consumers who also participated in the tasting.Results of the quantitative phase showed that the respondents indicated an above average liking of the MCC wines tasted. They can distinguish between different styles of MCC in a blind tasting. The respondents liked the sweeter demi sec style the most, and the low alcohol style the least. The respondent’s price perceptions of the wines, based on intrinsic features, were lower than the actual retail prices; however, the price was perceived to be higher than retail prices when based it on the bottle extrinsic features. The respondents also rated themselves as more familiar with sparkling wine than MCC. In the subsequent qualitative approach, the respondent’s familiarity with MCC revealed that they possessed knowledge of the MCC and engaged with the product category. They find different occasions and opportunities to consume MCC that were not limited to formal celebrations, such as weddings or graduations. While occasion of usage is important, bottle appearance and price emerged as the main determinants of whether they would select a bottle of MCC for a specific occasion. Respondents were also aware that their choice of a bottle of MCC for a specific occasion, communicates non-verbal cues about them in a social context to their peers.This study has laid a foundation on how a selection of MCC wines are perceived in South Africa from respondents’ multiple perspectives. Although the study is not generalisable to the whole South Africa, the mixed method research strategy used provided insights into consumers’ perceptions and the use of mixed methods. Of these the preference for sweeter styles and nonpreference for lower-alcohol wines – these aspects can be investigated in follow up studies using the methodology established in this study.