Discourses of Distinction in Contemporary Palestinian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Production

This article shows how Palestinian producers, faced with an “existential threat” to their own physical locality, seek to re-qualify their goods such as olive oil not only as elite goods based on the discourse of distinction of taste, but also in politically-inflected global discourses of distinction that attend to how the product is sourced, produced, and exchanged. Palestinian entrepreneurs and NGO-sponsored agricultural professionals are making olive oil “distinctive,” thereby seeking to locate these Palestinian products as elite goods within a global space of circulation and distinction. To produce this kind of extra-virgin olive oil, production practices must change and new skills must be inculcated, like organoleptic “tasting practices.” Ethical consumerism is promoted through fair trade strategies which seek to connect producer with consumer, embedding Palestinian olive oil with a “taste of solidarity.” “Quality” is perceived as a tool to gain international recognition of its olive oil and, by proxy, of Palestine itself.     

Wine produced by organic grapes in Greece: using means—end chains analysis to reveal organic buyers' purchasing motives in comparison to the non-buyers

The present study attempts to offer more insights into the Greek wine market with emphasis on wines produced from organically grown grapes by relating wine choice to consumers' personal value structure. With the use of a qualitative sample and applying the Means–end Chains methodology and the corresponding “laddering” interviewing technique, it attempts first to reveal the way basic motives are linked to wine shopping behaviour of consumers and the way wine purchase-relevant knowledge is stored and organised in their memory in relation to their personal values. Then, by discriminating between organic food buyers and non-buyers, the study identifies motivational and cognitive discriminating differences between the two consumer types, which can offer a solid explanation as to their distinctive purchasing behaviour in respect of the organic products.     

Food system orientation and quality perception among consumers and producers of organic food in Hedmark County,Norway

To explore the potentials of organic agriculture, it is important to know how consumers, as well as producers, relate to food quality and food system issues. A consumer survey from the Hamar region in Southern Norway provided information on a number of these issues, and a rapid food system appraisal and a seminar revealed concerns among organic farmers in the region. Multivariate analyses showed that traditional food quality aspects such as freshness and taste, called “observation traits,” were important to all consumers. In addition, those who purchased organic foods were more concerned about ethical, environmental, and health issues, called “reflection traits”. Three consumer orientations in the food market were identified. Consumers with a “practical” orientation were less likely, and those with a “local” orientation in the food market were more likely, to buy organic food, while “social” considerations were equally important to all. The results indicate that many interests of organic farmers coincide with concerns among those who buy organic food, and that these are more complex than the formal rules for organic agriculture. This may provide a basis for identifying common goals and improving communication and cooperation between consumers and producers in order to further develop the organic food system. [Note that organic agriculture is called “ecological agriculture” in the Nordic Region.]     

Volatile aroma compounds in wines from Chinese wild/hybrid species

The volatile aroma compounds in wines produced from Chinese wild/hybrid species were investigated in comparison to wines from European grapes. Volatiles were extracted by headspace solid‐phase micro‐extraction and identified by gas‐chromatography/mass‐spectrometry. The identification of analyte was performed by a combination of the linear retention index approach with the comparison of the obtained mass spectra. A total of 98 peaks were tentatively assigned as wine aroma components, and 15 odorants can be found at concentrations above their odor threshold among the odor activity values (OAVs) of 46 compounds evaluated in all of the wines. The “OAVs’ aroma wheels” showed that the classes of aromatic series are first fruity, next herbaceous and roasty and no spicy and caramelized notes. Via principal component analysis, all the grape germplasm studied could be divided into four groups: “Jingsheng‐1,” “Cabernet Gernischt,” “Beibinghong,” and others, which exhibited distinctive aroma features, respectively. Practical applications Chinese wild grape species have many desirable properties for wine grape breeding such as possessing strong resistant genes to fungal diseases and cold condition, especially after hybridization with European grapes. As an emerging wine country, wines from Chinese wild/hybrid species have achieved much success in the last few years. The chemical content and biological properties have been studied extensively in many but there are a few studies in our knowledge about the wine tastes of these species. In this paper, the key odorants in wines produced from the Chinese grape species of V. amurensis Rupr., V. davidii Foex., and V. quinquangularis Rehd. and its hybrids were characterized in comparison to wines produced from European grapes (V. vinifera). The findings will help to the further understanding of the key aroma components in the different Chinese grapevine germplasm, and make further efforts to enrich the wine types in the marketplace.     

The use of place and geography to market wine in Oklahoma

The use of place and geography in wine marketing is well documented. Oklahoma, a state not often associated with producing wine, contains many wineries that use place to market their products. These wine producers construct specific and generic place-based identities that appeal to local and non-local wine consumers. In this study, we take an in-depth look at exactly how Oklahoma wineries use place and geography to market their products. We employ qualitative content analysis to evaluate the websites of 39 Oklahoma wineries, specifically focusing on graphics and text on wine labels and winery logos. Our analysis reveals the predominant themes presented on labels and logos that clearly connect the wine and/or winery to its location. Examples include noticeable links to Oklahoma historic events (e.g. Land Runs, boomer and sooner references), Native American culture, and local natural hazards (severe weather, especially tornadoes) to name a few. Importantly, the geographic scale at which most place associations occur is at the state-level. Rather than constructing more localized regional identities (e.g. based on region, which is very common), these wineries have cultivated a decidedly Oklahoman sense of place.     

EVALUATION OF IDEAL WINE AND CHEESE PAIRS USING A DEVIATION-FROM-IDEAL SCALE WITH FOOD AND WINE EXPERTS

Most information regarding the suitability of wine and cheese pairs is anecdotal information. The objective of this research was to provide recommendations based on scientific research for the most desirable “wine & cheese pairs” using nine award‐winning Canadian cheeses and 18 BC wines (six white, six red and six specialty wines). Twenty‐seven wine and food professionals rated the wine and cheese pairs using a bipolar structured line scale (12 cm). The “ideal pair,” scored at the midpoint of the scale, was defined as a wine and cheese combination where neither the wine nor the cheese dominated. For each cheese, mean deviation‐from‐ideal scores were determined and evaluated by analysis of variance. Scores closest to six were considered “ideal,” while higher or lower scores represented pairs where the “wine” or the “cheese” dominated, respectively. In general, white wines had mean scores closer to six (“ideal”) than either the red or specialty wines. The late harvest, ice and port‐type wines were more difficult to pair . Judges varied considerably in their individual assessments reflecting a high degree of personal expectation and preference.     

Enzymes as Potential Markers of Wine Aging

There is no analytical method currently available in Spain to determine elapsed time in wine aging. The only control used is based on the levels of esters and other secondary metabolites as important indicators related to wine quality. The main goal of this work was to establish a useful method to differentiate among young, “crianza”, “reserva” and “gran reserva” wines based on the study of the enzymatic decay of different hydrolases present in the wines and also to determine which enzyme(s) may be applicable in fraud detection as regards time and storage conditions of the wine. We elaborated red wine based on “Tempranillo” grapes from the Rioja Alta Alavesa and fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae USC 013, followed by malolactic fermentation by Oenococcus oeni CECT 630 in order to evaluate the different enzymes. One of the enzymes present, i.e., invertase, which is resistant to inactivation, could be a useful marker of wine aging.     

Post–transitional development in the Hungarian wine sector: the case of the Mátra wine region

The global wine industry has experienced profound changes over the past decades. But no matter how fundamental these changes have been, they have hardly affected the duality of global wine production. Competition between producers from the Old World and the New World has been the dominant notion not only in the international wine trade and consumption but in academic discourses too. This paper aims to contribute to the latter by presenting a wine region from the Central and Eastern European region. The Mátra wine region, located in Hungary, is a perfect example of the various difficulties that a post-transitional wine region has had to face under free market conditions. By applying case study research strategy, the paper examines the development of the Mátra wine region over the past twenty-five years, focusing on region-specific issues that have slowed down its adaptation to these new circumstances.     

An emotion-based typology of wine consumers

Product consumption is a sensory experience that can evoke a wide range of emotional responses; and accordingly, the emotional component of food consumption has been widely addressed and has appeared in marketing literature with increasing frequency.To date, there is abundant literature on emotions elicited by product consumption, but there is little research concerning emotions and wine. In this context, we develop an emotion-based segmentation based on the emotions that consumers experience when consuming wine, both considering the valence and arousal dimensions of emotions. In addition, we profile and characterize the emotion-based obtained segments.For this purpose, an emotion-based cluster analysis is conducted through a two-step cluster procedure, followed by a MANOVA test on data from 1269 wine consumers.Our findings show that the average wine consumer does not exist, and that wine consumers cannot be seen as a homogenous group. More precisely, four clusters emerge from our results experiencing different emotions in wine consumption: “emotionally unattached”, “negatives”, “contented circumspects” and “wine lovers”. Results suggest that “wine lovers” is the most attractive segment due to their strong wine emotional bond; being the “negatives” the most challenging segment for wine makers. One useful insight for wineries is that it may not be possible to satisfy all these segments with one single wine.     

Putting the organic label in context: Examining the interactions between the organic label,product type,and retail outlet

The organic label has been studied extensively in the literature; however, few studies take into consideration the context in which the organic purchase takes place. In this study, we examine the product type (virtue vs. vice) as well as the purchase context (retailer: Target vs. Walmart). Using an online experiment with U.S. consumers (N = 605), we determine how the organic label interacts with each of these contexts and how these interactions impact downstream evaluations such as expected taste, nutrition, safety, likelihood of purchase, and attitude and trust toward the product’s brand. Results of the study reveal both the organic label and retail context impact product evaluations. First, results showed organic products were perceived more favorably on a number of measures (including nutrition, safety, brand attitude, and brand trust) than their non-organic counterparts, providing evidence of an organic “halo” effect. Interestingly, though, the organic “halo” did not extend to two measures: expected taste and likelihood of purchase. Secondly, organic labeling benefits virtue and vice products in distinct aspects – the organic virtue product had better expected taste while the organic vice product had higher expected nutrition. Finally, we find that retailers are a crucial factor that moderates the evaluation of organic products. Our results suggest retailers like Target may be better outlets for promoting organic vice products whereas retailers like Walmart may only be good outlets for promoting organic virtue products. This study has important implications for the National Organic Program, the Organic Trade Association, producers, and food brand managers.     

Pigment pattern and expression of colour in fruits from different Hylocereus sp. genotypes

Pigment profiles, betalain contents, colour and pH-values were studied in fruits from five Hylocereus sp. genotypes originating from Costa Rica. Significant colour differences between fruit pulps from “Nacional” and “San Ignacio” were found for C^⁎-values and “Lisa” exhibited the most reddish tint h°. Whereas highest betalain contents were registered in “San Ignacio” and “Orejona”, lowest values were found in “Nacional”. Additionally, pigment patterns of the genotypes were found to differ: While “Lisa”, “Nacional” and “Orejona” were characterised by a similar betalain pattern, “Rosa” and “San Ignacio” were significantly different offering a valuable tool for genotype comparison. Moreover, “Rosa” showed the highest betanin and isobetanin contents, whereas phyllocactin and hylocerenin were predominant in “San Ignacio”. Apart from the newly reported betalains neobetanin and gomphrenin I, indicaxanthin was the first betaxanthin so far detected in pitaya fruits.Industrial relevanceNatural substitutes for synthetic colourants are increasingly gaining importance on the global market. In particular, the so-called colouring foodstuffs representing aqueous or oily plant extracts extend their market share with red-coloured preparations being particularly requested. In this regard, pitaya fruits from the genotype Hylocereus have been proposed as promising colour sources, recently. To secure the authenticity of the plant material, a reliable differentiation of pitayas from different origins is required. In addition, Hylocereus fruits may differ in their colour quality and pigment content, the knowledge of which is crucial for the selection of appropriate plants for an emerging pitaya market.     

The premium price for Italian red wines in new world wine consuming countries: the case of the Russian market

Italian wine is increasingly appreciated in new world consumer countries and, in particular, in Russia where consumers associate its consumption with an Italian lifestyle. In this paper, market value for wine search attributes is measured through the estimation of a hedonic price model using online data from a Wine Searcher website and the information contained in the labels of wines marketed in Russia. Results show a premium price for wines from Piedmont and Tuscany, and in particular for non-native varieties and for Indicazione Geografica Tipica and Protected Geographical Indication wines. Additionally, vintage and higher alcohol content have a significant positive impact on the prices that consumers are willing to pay for wines. The knowledge of the implicit price of wine quality attributes has important implication for producers to aid in the adoption of effective marketing strategies, and for decision-makers for the adoption of effective measures to improve regional competitiveness in the world market.     

The Douro wine region: a cluster approach

The globalization of the wine industry needs to be perceived as a challenge and an opportunity to innovate by traditional European producers’ countries, like Portugal, characterized by a terroir model, that is, an economic structure supported by a large number of grape growers, small and medium wine firms and high public regulation, to compete in international markets. Using a cluster approach, this article presents the case of the most important Portuguese wine region, the Demarcated Douro Region (DDR), which is a strong reference of terroir and known for producing Port wine. To increase its competitiveness in the world wine market, the DDR needs to evolve from an organized to an innovative cluster.     

Profitability of wine grape growing in the EU member states

The aim of this work is to examine the profitability of European Union wine grape growing by comparing some economic indicators extrapolated from information in the Farm Accountancy Data Network, data banks already widely used to analyse the income of European agricultural holdings. The results show that in recent years the profitability of European wine grape growing has grown overall, but to overcome the current economic crisis and face the challenge of “New World” wine producers, it is necessary to make an effort towards public intervention to increase the profitability of wine farms. In this context, the new reform of wine Common Market Organisation (2008) and new Common Agricultural Policy (2007–2013) aimed at improving the profitability of wine grape growing by reducing production costs, increasing added value of wine, promoting the participation of farmers in food quality schemes, etc.     

Partial Dealcoholization of Red Wines by Membrane Contactor Technique: Effect on Sensory Characteristics and Volatile Composition

Recently, the European Union regulation has fixed the maximum permitted dealcoholization level at 2 %; however in some cases, higher dealcoholization levels could be necessary. It is assumed that higher levels of dealcoholization could negatively affect the organoleptic quality of wine, but little data on this item is available. In the present study, two red wines (cv. Aglianico) with different initial alcohol contents (15.37 and 13.28 % v/v), were partially dealcoholized at three levels (?2, ?3, ?5 % v/v), by a polypropylene hollow fibre membrane contactor apparatus. In order to evaluate if dealcoholized wines differed from the untreated ones, triangle sensory tests were performed. Both ?2 % wines were not perceived as different from the standard wines, while both ?5 % wines were different. Sensory profiles and overall quality ranking were obtained by a selected and trained panel. Dealcoholization caused a modification of the sensory profiles, and the greatest differences were found after a dealcoholization of 5 % v/v. The most decreased olfactory notes were those of “Red fruits”, “Cherry” and “Spicy”, which is very important for the sensory quality of red wine. Concerning taste, both ?5 % dealcoholized wines were more astringent than the correspondent untreated ones. Slighter differences were found for the other degrees of dealcoholization. The analysis of the volatile compounds, both free and glycoconjugated was performed by solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrography analysis. While the composition of the glycoconjugated volatile fraction was almost not affected, many free compounds were decreased, most of all esters and alcohols, with an increasing amounts as the level of dealcoholization raised.     

Representational and sensory cues as drivers of individual differences in expert quality assessment of red wines

The aim of this study was to model decisional consensus in expert red wine tastings, using an integrated competency framework. Wine assessment responses on both technical and emotional scales were collated for two wine categories (Premium vs. Secondary) under several different sensory conditions: six global tastings (all senses involved), three unimodal tastings (visual, smell, and taste), and three bimodal tastings (visual-smell, visual–taste, and taste–smell). Psychological predictors also included vocabulary and vividness of mental imagery associated with the various senses involved, together with professional experience indicators (age and tasting frequency). Principal component analyses revealed a greater response consensus with unimodal vision cues compared to all other sensory conditions (at least equal to global conditions). On average, a greater consensus was observed among technical quality scale responses under all sensory conditions, compared to emotional scale responses. The quality responses were used to build a 4-factor prediction model: age, wine imagery, vocabulary, and smell consensus. The image responses were used to build a two-factor prediction model: visual words (semantic knowledge) and visual-smell consensus. This indicated that the quality decisional consensus was based on smell information (wine aroma), combined with longevity/knowledge. In contrast, the image decisional consensus was based on visual information (wine color), combined with visual knowledge (and smell as a subordinate factor). Taken together, our results revealed previously uncharted individual differences in wine tasting and decision-making, concomitant with similarly weighted predictions based on sensory and psychological factors.     

Volatile components and sensory properties of jujube wine as affected by material preprocessing

Fermented jujube wine, derived from the red jujube berry, has a unique flavor, a mild and sweet taste, and high nutritional value. Among diverse varieties of jujube, Bokjo and the native variety are the most frequently cultivated varieties in Korea. The present study aimed to determine the brewing properties of jujube and to compare the characteristics of fresh and dried fruits of the native and Bokjo varieties for optimal brewing conditions for jujube wine production. We investigated the physicochemical and sensory properties, and we compared the volatile compounds in jujube wine prepared using different methods, through solid-phase microextraction (SPME) GC/MS analysis. The physicochemical properties of jujube wine depended on the drying process rather than the cultivar or the presence of seeds. Sensory properties including aroma and sweetness, which have positive effects on jujube wines, were greater in the whole dried fruit group, while negative properties including grassy aroma, sourness, and bitter taste, were high in the fresh fruit group; these observations contrast their physicochemical properties, as analyzed using dried jujube with seeds. Significant differences were observed in volatile compounds among jujube wine samples. In particular, isoamyl octanoate, isoamyl decanoate, ethyl laurate, ethyl myristate, and 2-phenethyl acetate potentially contribute to the jujube-like flavor of dried jujube wine. These results could be useful as basic data for raw material processing for jujube wine production.     

Direct mapping of affective pictures and taste words

Affective pictures have been shown to influence taste perceptions under various experimental paradigms. How are affective visual inputs associated with different tastes? More specifically, are there associations between different types of affective pictures and taste words? Here, we undertook a systematic study aimed at delineating the relationship between affective pictures and taste words. Pictures from the Chinese Affective Picture System (CAPS) and other online websites were selected, evaluated and reorganized according to the participants' hedonic and arousal ratings. The pictures were then divided into positive, neutral and negative groups according to their hedonic ratings. Each affective group was subdivided into mild, medium and strong sensations according to the arousal ratings. During the experiments, the participants were shown the pictures and were instructed to choose one of the four taste words (sour/sweet/bitter/salty) as an immediate response. The results showed that positive affective pictures were significantly associated with the word sweet. When the arousal of the positive pictures increased, the choice ratio of “sweet” increased. Negative pictures, with low to medium arousal, were significantly associated with “sour”. Negative and neutral pictures, with strong arousal, were significantly associated with “bitter”. Neutral pictures, with mild to medium arousal, were not significantly associated with any taste word.