Wine as a functional food: chemical, sensory, and consumer perception considerations

The specific phenolic compounds, catechin, quercetin, and resveratrol, and the antioxidant activity of the analyzed Australian red wines varied between individual wines; the maximum variation was more than two fold. The wine price was not correlated with these health beneficial compounds nor with the antioxidant activity; in general, wine price was negatively correlated with health functionality. The consumer rejection threshold varied in the green tea extract or grape seed extract spiked wines between Korean and Australian consumer groups; the Korean sample better tolerated the green tea extract spiked wines while the Australian sample had a higher rejection threshold for the grape seed extract spiked wines. In this spiking method, antioxidant activity increased dose dependently as the concentrations of these extracts increased. Regarding consumer preference on the perceived healthiness of wine and consumer behaviors, Australian consumers perceived health benefits of red wine more than Korean consumers. At the same time, Australian consumers had more health related wine knowledge than Korean consumers. Taste was the most important factor for both Korean and Australian consumers in wine choice. On the other hand, health enhancement of wine was more important to Korean consumers than that of Australian consumers. The most preferred wine outlet for Korean consumers was supermarkets while bottle shops was the most preferred place to buy wine for Australian consumers. In relation to gender, Korean women consumed red wine as much as men, but Australian women consumed significantly more white wine than men. These results are insightful for wine consumers, winemakers, and the wine industry, providing information about the health benefits of wine, methods that increase health functionality, sensory evaluation, and the perceived healthiness of wine in culturally diverse consumer groups.