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Author: Amy Blake, Senior Research Technician, Consumer, Sensory & Market Insights
We recently published a study (2021-2023) in the Journal of Wine Research that examined consumer acceptance and sensory attributes of Marquette, a cold-hardy hybrid grape, with the goal of guiding wine production and marketing decisions.
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In the study, 113 red wine consumers evaluated commercial Ontario-made Marquette wines alongside comparable red wines, at Vineland. Participants rated their liking and completed a survey on wine experience, knowledge, and purchasing habits. Subsequently, the Vineland Trained Sensory Panel (N = 17) characterized the sensory attributes of the same wines using Free Sorting methodology. The results were integrated and used to identify drivers of liking and characterize consumer segments.
Four consumer segments differing in wine knowledge, interest, and preferences were identified. Novice consumers preferred Marquette wines with fruit-forward or spicy–savory profiles, while more knowledgeable and wine-interested consumers (53% of respondents) favored wines characterized by dark fruit, herbaceous notes, and a fuller body.
This study offers practical guidance for the production and marketing of Marquette wines and demonstrates a framework that can be applied to other novel or non-traditional wine varieties. These results were published in the Journal of Wine Research:
Blake, A., & Bowen, A. J. (2025). Product development approach to introducing a new wine style and grape varietal: Marquette. Journal of Wine Research, 36(4), 217–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571264.2025.2463104