Wine Tricks: quando la mente degusta prima di te

Women of Wine and IULM University: the emotions behind wine consumption revealed at Vinitaly «Generation Z? Curious and aware but with new habits» The research “Wine and young Italians” by students of IULM University was presented at Vinitaly during the tasting-event of the National Association of Women of Wine, which highlighted the connections between taste and mind What is the relationship between young people and wine? They consume it, buy it, give it as a gift, but often without really knowing it. This is the picture that emerges from the research “Wine and young Italians: habits, purchases and perceptions” presented on Tuesday 8 April at Vinitaly on the occasion of the event “Wine Tricks: when the mind tastes before you”, promoted by the National Association of Women of Wine and curated by Prof. Vincenzo Russo, expert in Consumer Psychology and Neuromarketing at the IULM University of Milan. The survey, conducted by its students on a sample of 188 young people between 18 and 25 years old, shows a Generation Z fascinated by the world of wine but with still limited skills (average 2.99 out of 6). Red wine is the favorite (40.8%), followed by white (38%), while consumption occurs mainly in restaurants (61.1%) and at home (62%), less in bars, wine shops or nightclubs. The reasons for purchasing are linked to sociality: parties (19%), moments with friends and family (18.2%), gifts and weekends. The most popular price range is between 10 and 25 euros, and the main channels remain supermarkets, restaurants and clubs. The purchase is driven by personal experience (20.2%), word of mouth (19.5%) and price (19.4%), while label, packaging and sustainability count less. Even the symbolic aspect is scaled down: wine “does not create status”, with low scores for the statements “it makes me feel powerful” or “it increases my social prestige”. 

 Precisely to give shape and substance to these numbers, the Wine Tricks event took participants on a neuroscientific journey through perception, emotions and purchasing decisions, with an immersive experience designed to experience first-hand how our mind works in front of a glass of wine. From the live eye-tracking experiment – with the neurological reactions of a volunteer in front of a virtual shelf – to the Super Tester or Low Tester test to measure taste sensitivity, up to a sensory illusion that made us reflect on the difference between what we feel and what we perceive: everything contributed to showing how consumer choices are guided by often unconscious processes. "Young people are not simply consumers to be intercepted, but people to be understood in depth, with their emotions, expectations and values - said the president of the National Association Le Donne del Vino, Daniela Mastroberardino - Generation Z is curious, sensitive and much more aware than we think: they are not just looking for a good product, but an experience, a story, a meaning. With Wine Tricks we wanted to show how much the mind influences choices and how knowledge of how the brain works can help the world of wine communicate in a more empathetic and effective way". "Wine is a multisensory and cultural product, but our choices regarding it are never just rational - explained Professor Vincenzo Russo -. With Wine Tricks we have demonstrated how the mind profoundly influences the perception of taste and purchasing decisions, even before the wine is tasted. Through tools such as electroencephalograms, eye-tracking, sensory tests and psychophysiological measurement of emotions, we can now better understand how consumers, especially the younger ones, experience wine and how the context influences what we perceive. This is where truly effective communication strategies arise".

The research conducted by students of the IULM University highlights how wine consumption among young Italians of Generation Z, between the ages of 18 and 25 (188 respondents), is characterised by a certain curiosity, but also by limited competence: on a scale of 1 to 6, the average declared competence stands at 2.99. Red wine remains the favorite with 40.8% of preferences, followed by white (38.0%), rosé (10.6%) and to a lesser extent by sparkling wines (6.4%), passito (3.8%) and fortified wines (0.5%). The places of consumption reveal a clear preference for restaurants (61.1%), followed by home consumption (62.0%), bars (20.2%), wine shops (11.7%), events (6.1%) and discos (5.6%). In terms of purchasing wine products, a prevalence of occasional consumers emerges (40.6%), with 26.5% declaring that they rarely buy wine and only 5.9% declaring that they buy it often. The reasons that drive the purchase of wine