Consumers’ perception of sustainability in viticulture

Abstract: Different market surveys showed that sustainability is a key aspect for the modern European consumers, but the sustainability concepts need to be communicated in a clear and efficient way. An analysis of the consumers’ perception of sustainability in the viticultural sector and their expectations with respect to a “sustainable wine” has been performed. A survey was prepared and submitted through the Internet to different audiences, obtaining 467 answers. The questionnaire results confirmed that consumers are interested in sustainable wines even if the concept of sustainability is not completely clear for the majority of respondents. Despite that, consumers would like to be more informed about grape and wine production methods; the majority of them are interested in reading the most important wine information directly on the bottle label when buying the wine. Finally, respondents are willing to access detailed information on grape production and wine-making consulting firstly on the bottle label and secondly, accessing to the winery web-site or through a QR Code that is linked to the wine technical card.