In the USA, a discussion has recently arisen about the attempt to legislate an obligation to indicate the full nutritional values of wines on the bottles. A study by two researchers from Texas Tech University, published last year in the Journal of Consumer Marketing, revealed that many consumers are unaware of the true nutritional values of wine, and adding Nutritional labels on the bottles may significantly change their perceptions.
The study, which included nearly 800 participants, found that American consumers are not used to seeing nutritional information on wine labels, which now each producer can decide whether or not to add.
After being asked to read the labels, the participants perceived the wine as less healthy than they had previously perceived it, and the chances of them purchasing it decreased.
This suggests that nutrition labels on wine challenge the popular perception of wine as a healthy drink (of course, in controlled consumption), and stimulate consumers to reconsider their choices.
One of the key findings of the study was the surprise expressed by consumers regarding the sugar content of sweeter wines, such as Muscat.
This suggests that some types of wine may contain more sugar than consumers think, which could affect their dietary choices.
The European Union has already imposed a requirement for nutritional labeling on wine, while in Israel it is customary to label the bottles only with their calorie content.
Analysts in the US predict that Europe will follow in the near future. This could lead to significant consequences for the wine industry; while companies have so far expressed concerns about increased costs for compliance and labeling processes, it now appears that the more serious 'danger' for producers lies in greater transparency may cause consumers to reconsider whether to consume it.
What the study did not answer is differences between different age groups and populations in relation to nutritional labels on wines.
It is likely that this will be tested in other studies - but existing studies regarding other types of food show that consumers who are more interested in nutritional values than others are young.
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