Research Background and Methodology
The German specialized magazine der deutsche weinbau published an article about a highly intriguing study titled "Bewusst Geniessen" (Conscious Enjoyment). This research was conducted in Austria and focused on the reasons behind natural wine purchasing decisions.
Various studies have already been conducted on wine purchasing behavior, including natural wines. Most previous research employed a methodology where participants blind-tasted wines and were then asked whether they would want to purchase those wines. A study on natural wine purchasing behavior that we introduced in a previous article also used this approach.
What makes this study particularly interesting is that it did not adopt such conventional research methods. Instead, it conducted in-depth psychological interviews with consumers who had actually purchased natural wine to explore their underlying motivations.
The purchasing motivations for natural wine have long been noted to show somewhat different patterns from conventional wine consumption behavior. While this study was not large in scale, it provides insights into some aspects of the distinctive consumer behavior surrounding natural wine purchases.
This article analyzes how consumers decide to purchase natural wine based on the content published in the magazine.
Is Natural Wine an Imaginary Product?
The issue of definition inevitably arises in any discussion about natural wine. What exactly is natural wine? Without a clear definition, neither the product category itself nor research into it can be properly established. However, the definition of what constitutes natural wine remains extremely ambiguous.
On the other hand, demand for natural wine has been continuously growing in recent years. Recently, in response to this demand, many wineries that do not specifically advocate for natural methods have begun expanding their product lines to include offerings that fall within the natural wine segment. This has made the question of what natural wine actually is even more unclear. Conversely, natural wine is beginning to be recognized as an extremely broad product segment.
Classifying such product groups based on specific characteristics and making them subjects of research is not easy. However, consumers who purchase natural wine demonstrate consistent purchasing behavior without being constrained by such ambiguity. This indicates that consumers are acting based on some fundamental consciousness that does not depend on specific product characteristics.
The psychological interview method for exploring deep psychology was adopted to provide a concrete framework for this imaginary product segment.
Natural Wine from the Purchaser's Perspective
The interviewees in this study were consumers who had actually purchased natural wine at wine shops. The research first asked them about the differences they perceived between natural wine and conventional wine, and then inquired about their associations with natural wine.
The responses to these questions showed interesting results.
Regarding differences from conventional wine, respondents gave answers similar to what is generally said about natural wine: "more natural," "more sustainable," "healthier," and "lighter." However, alongside these responses, answers such as "surprising in taste" and "trendy beverage" were also given in nearly equal numbers.
Furthermore, when asked about impressions associated with natural wine, "unique," "healthy lifestyle," "nature-loving," and "natural" were the most frequent responses, followed by "sustainability" and "surprise." However, items that might be considered more closely connected to the essence of natural wine—such as "complex taste," "natural cloudiness," "biodynamic grapes," or "minimal intervention winemaking"—were hardly associated at all.
The study classified these various elements into several categories and examined the connections between each category to clarify what factors drive natural wine purchasers' behavior and what value their actions ultimately provide.
The True Value Sought by Purchasers: "Enjoyment"
Analysis of the connections between various elements revealed that what natural wine purchasers truly seek is "enjoyment." This simultaneously indicates that obtaining "enjoyment" serves as the most powerful purchasing motivation when buying natural wine.
In this study, the association "taste → deliciousness → enjoyment" was established in all respondents' answers. Natural wine purchasers do not compromise on taste to achieve their ultimate desire of "enjoyment." They show strong commitment to finding wine that they perceive as delicious.
Through this analysis, it was also suggested that natural wine purchasers are trying to express the special value-laden enjoyment in their lives through purchasing products that represent such values.
The "Recognition" Expected from Natural Wine
The value that natural wine purchasers expected, linked to the "taste → deliciousness" association, was not limited to "enjoyment." "Recognition" was also connected within this association.
It was found that natural wine purchasers in this study mostly consume their wine among friends or within their communities. In other words, purchasers expect that the natural wine they buy will be consumed in such communities and that they will gain some form of "recognition" through the taste of that wine.
Since this article does not specify the exact object of this "recognition," it is unclear what kind of recognition needs consumers are trying to satisfy through natural wine. However, it can be reasonably expected that if the wine tastes good, they would receive positive evaluation from people around them within their communities.
Sources of Satisfaction Beyond Taste
The objects from which natural wine consumers derive satisfaction are not limited to the wine's taste. Their values of "nature," "conscious living," and "sustainability" are fulfilled through the consciousness of protecting regions and the environment that accompanies natural wine consumption.
Wine purchasers want to do something good for nature, the environment, and themselves through buying wines considered to be nature-conscious. They want to leave some kind of trace and express their conscious lifestyle. This tendency is not seen in conventional wine enthusiasts and can be considered characteristic of natural wine consumers.
The Structure of Natural Wine Purchase Motivations
Through this series of analyses, the decisive purchase motivations for natural wine consumers have been identified as the following five elements:
- Enjoyment
- Gaining social recognition during consumption
- Relationship with nature
- Impulse toward conscious lifestyle
- Sustainability
It also appears that they believe natural wine can satisfy their basic attitude toward enjoyment and hedonistic lifestyle.
The values that natural wine consumers hold regarding nature, conscious living, and environmental sustainability are satisfied not by the wine's taste, but by various information about environmental consideration, transparency, and social perspectives. Through this information provided by producers and others, consumers judge whether each producer's philosophy aligns with their own values, and they derive satisfaction by choosing wines that better match their personal values.
Conclusion: Understanding Complex Purchasing Behavior
The purchasing and consumption of natural wine has long been noted to differ from that of conventional wine.
Multiple cases have been observed suggesting that the dominant criteria in natural wine purchasing may not lie in direct elements such as wine taste and aroma. For example, wines that failed to satisfy consumers and were judged unsuitable for purchase during blind tasting sessions showed completely reversed purchasing decisions with high purchase intent after storytelling.
This study explains these previously noted observations from a new perspective: value judgment at the consumer's deep psychological level.
Elements such as wine taste and aroma were found to be merely components in the process of obtaining the essential value expected from natural wine consumption. It was also discovered that the values consumers want to satisfy through purchasing or consuming natural wine are not closely related to the various elements discussed in natural wine definitions.
In natural wine consumption, the image that the wine possesses needs to be connected to environmental friendliness and sustainability. However, specific viticultural and winemaking practices seem to be less emphasized.
While this study was small in scale and cannot completely explain the full picture of natural wine purchasing and consumption, the results can explain findings from other previous verification cases and appear to have reasonable reliability.
What do consumers seek when they buy natural wine? This discussion seems likely to continue for some time.
