Sensory characterisation and consumer preference segmentation to meet the demand of changing trends in wine appreciation using minority grape varieties

The aim of this study was to investigate consumer acceptance and sensory drivers of preference for wines produced from Portuguese minority grape varieties, using them as a case study to assess how wine involvement modulates intrinsic liking. A two-step approach combining expert sensory characterisation and consumer testing was applied. First, 12 white and 12 red wines made from minority varieties including one reference sample made from a blend of major commercial grape varieties for each category were selected. Each group of wines was first sensory evaluated conducting projective mapping followed by ultra-flash profiling by a panel of 21 wine professionals. A generalised procrustes analysis, followed by agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis carried out on each wine category yielded four distinct sensory clusters, one of which contained the commercial sample. The most representative sample from each minority cluster was selected for subsequent consumer tasting. In the second step, three white (Donzelinho Branco, Callum, Rabo de Ovelha) and three red (Moreto, Tinta Francisca, Negra Mole) minority varieties together with the two commercial blends were scored for liking using a 10-point scale and described by rate-all-that-apply by 84 Portuguese wine consumers, who were stratified according to their level of wine involvement. Overall, the liking scores were mostly neutral-to-positive. When the responses were averaged across all consumers, the commercial reference wines received higher mean liking scores than the minority-variety wines; however, preference segmentation revealed niche consumer groups showing comparable or higher appreciation for specific minority-variety profiles. For white wines, differences in preference among clusters were mainly associated with variations in perceived reductive notes and dried-fruit character, whereas for red wines, preference patterns were related to differences in perceived fruit character, woody/spicy notes, astringency, and colour-linked style perception. Wine involvement contributed to differences in preference patterns, particularly for white wines, but did not fully explain all consumer segments. These results highlight the usefulness of combining rapid expert mapping with consumer segmentation and involvement stratification to characterise sensory diversity and identify consumer niches with potential interest in wines from minority grape varieties.