Résumé
This paper addresses the potential of fostering the sensory and psychological acceptability of a product which has been significantly altered. In the case of low-alcohol red wine, we conducted a longitudinal study of consumption in the home, allowing us to measure both the consumed quantities and the hedonic evaluations before and after exposure to the product. During the first phase, 24 consumers were divided into two separate groups, and, over a two week period, were given wine containing a reduced alcohol content of 9%, and then a “standard” wine containing 12.5% alcohol. During the second phase, 40 consumers were given a wine containing 12% alcohol but with a label indicating 10.5% or 13.5% alcohol, according to an alternate protocol. The results of the first blind tasting suggest a good sensory acceptability of the reduced alcohol wine which persisted after the trial of the two products. The second phase, with information provided, indicated an equivalent psychological acceptability of the supposedly “weak” alcohol content and the supposedly “strong” alcohol content because the consumed quantities of the products were equal regardless of the information accompanying the products. This result is inconsistent with previous studies comparing the acceptability of wines containing varying degrees of alcohol. It must be underlined that the size of the sample may have made it difficult to obtain the desired significant results.