The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumers’ Motives in Purchasing and Consuming Quality Greek Wine

Abstract

In the rising post COVID-19 period the world is different not only from the economic point of view but also from the social and cultural point, including the selection of goods, and foods by the “new” customers. Wine is a major daily drink worldwide, affecting the lives of consumers worldwide. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on consumers’ motives for quality wine, namely the Greek wine and the local Samos’ Greek wine, assessing possible changes in their wine habits effecting current and future wine production, consumption, and sustainable regional development. Consumers’ motives were tested using variables of wine purchase and consumption (such as place of purchase, money spent, amount consumed, accompaniment meals), and preference for quality wine (such as traditional, appearance, organoleptic, sustainable, general characteristics). A self-response questionnaire survey was carried out in January and February 2022 on a sample of 1493 participants through the Google platform. Basic statistical tools, combined with cross and Chi-square tests were used in order to analyze the collected data. The results show interesting changes in consumers’ motives in the new rising global era. The participants buy less from supermarket (−4.2%), more via online (+1.8%) and equally from other places, the majority one bottle per month spending 10 to 20 euros today. They consume less wine (−5.1%), the majority one bottle per month, preferable at home (+6%), with friends (+1.6%), rather than at the restaurant (−8.2%), the club/bar (−8.9%), the night club (−5.8%), or during celebration (−3.2%). They continue to prefer the “red with red, white to white” accompaniments with meals. They select quality wines based on the conventional variables with emphasis to the taste (94.5%), aroma (83.9%), value for money (72.8%). The participants expressed similar motives for the quality Samos’ wines. However, even though they are aware of its high quality (92.9%), only 53% of them have tasted them, and fewer are consuming then occasionally (32.3%). Our findings indicate that the sustainability, and growth of the quality wine in the new socioeconomic era, should focus on the easy access (including on line), the consumption at home, with friends and family, keeping the same preferences between different kinds of wine with the different meals for the consumers.

1. Introduction

At the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economy, numerous issues pose challenges to scholars and policy makers [1], such as economic, environmental, and societal [2]. Philip Kottler, the pioneer of marketing, distinguishes five types of the new consumers (the anti-consumers) namely the Climate activists, the Degrowth activists, the Life simplifiers, the Food choosers, and the Conservation activists [3]. Food sector faces critical issues, such as the safety, the waste, the security, the 4.0 industry of foods, and the nutritional concerns of the products [4]. The global food production and supply need to move at the consumption site. Information Technologies of any kind, and the redefinition of consumption are the modern approaches in the coming environment [5]. Quality, nutrition, natural resources of the foods are what the consumer is searching for his protection, the environment and the regional economies [6,7]. These changes contribute to adapting to new norms for foods and drinks for consumer’s motives, perceptions and decision making. These norms, when identified and accepted by the local producers, will contribute to the sustainability of their regional economies, since they will increase local food productions and consumption. The aim of this paper is to identify such “new” changes by the consumers for quality wines providing thus practical directions for the producers for sustainable, permanent local development in the new, post COVID-19 era already under way.

Literature Review

Consumers’ wine choice is more complex [8], and it will become more complicated in the future. It is one of the most differentiated products on the food market [9]. The quality is connected with the place of origination [10] being different among vintages and wine produces [11]. Consumer determining factors change according to the range of wine characteristics, supporting a hierarchical scale of wines, as the quality increase or decrease [8]. Consumers have to deal with many different cues on wine labels [12]. The main selection drivers are the country of origin and the region of production [13]. Variety of grapes [14], cost [15], and branding [16] are key parameters for wine selection. Sustainability has also become a key issue for the consumers and the industry [17]. The certifications show new selection criteria for the wine of consumers [18]. The consumers’ preference for organic wines is heterogenous [19]. However, are not yet fully understood the organic labeling effects, the perception of quality, and the support for the claimed benefits [20]. Increased interest is also recorded for organic wines with no added sulfites [21]. Consumers also prefer the wine produced with hand—harvested grapes, without interconnection with the organic wines [22]. Personal values are also influencing consumers’ behavior shaping the choice drivers for wine [23]. Emotions also play a role to consumers’ choice for wine categorizing them in four groups: “emotionally unattached”, “negatives”, “contented circumspects” and “wine lovers” [24]. The “wine lovers” is the most attractive segment due to their strong wine emotional bonds. Innovative wine attributes such as “canned wine”, “alcohol—free wine” and “vegan wine” are still least important to consumers [25]. Finally, recent study shows that consumers express a positive perception in terms of corporate social responsibility performance of wine such as “health and food safety”, “sustainable agricultural practices”, “air pollution”, with least important “energy consumption”, “sustainable packaging”, and “fair trade” [26].

Greece is a country with a long tradition, where viticulture and wine production are integral element for many regions of Greece that continue to develop in parallel with the cultural heritage of each region [27,28]. Throughout the long history of Greek wine, the vine-wine relationship is inextricably tied to all residents of Greece, from one end of the country to the other [29]. The Greek wine history goes back a long way since the ancient years, in terms of vine production and timeless production of wines. The beginnings of viticulture in Greece transcend historical times and are lost in the mists of time. Since then vineyard and wine accompany Greeks until today without interruption. The cultivation of vine is one of the most basic crops of Greece reaching up to 49.502 hectares (ha) in 2019, according to data of Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) [30], as compared to 45.177 hectares in 2016. In

Table 1. Distribution of the recognized Greek wines and the wine production between the different regions of Greece.

Region	PDOs	PGIs	Wine Vineyard Areas (ha) 2016	Wine Vineyard Areas (ha) 2019
Northern Greece	7	36	11,352	12,651
Central Greece	5	40	9,746	11,214
Southern Greece	3	14	6,232	7,552
Western Greece	0	3	5,640	5,259
Greek islands	18	23	12,207	12,826
TOTAL	33	116	45,177	49,502

the distribution per region is shown as well. Wines, being traditional products, have geographical and traditional indicators in the E.U. for the promotion and protection of the names of quality food stuffs, their origin, and authenticity (e.g., PDO: protected designation of origin, PGI: protected geographical indication, TGI: traditional specialty guaranteed) [31]. Greece has incorporated the provisions of the Regulation in the National Legislation with Ministerial Decree (3321/145849) issued by the Hellenic Ministry of Food & Agricultural Development since 2006 [32]. The registered Greek wines by the different types in each Greek region are shown in Table 1, reaching up to 33 PDOs, and 116 PGIs. There are no TGIs registered Greek wines up to now.

Among the quality Greek wines Samos’ wine is the most important, well known brand worldwide, because of its unique worldwide origin of grapes (muscat of Samos), the unique wine products, and by far the highest percentage of export (50%). Samos island is famous for its quality wines (sweet, semi dry, dry, natural), produced from white muscat grapes [33] by the United Winemaking agriculture Cooperation of Samos (UAWC of Samos) [34], are famous worldwide, with long tradition since 1932. They are famous for their unique aroma, taste and specialty such as the sweet Samos labels Vin Douc, Nectar, Grand Cru, Anthemis (4 PDOs) and white muscat labels (2 PGIs) Samos produced 6.505 tones of wine from 1031.7 ha of wine vineyard cultivation in 2019, last year of available statistics [30] with 2000 number of holdings. It is for all these reasons that the specific quality wine was selected as part of our overall consumer’s study presented below.

Wine is an important product for the Greek economy and its sustainable future development for both agriculture and industry, with a shift towards the bottling of superior quality wine and its export as well as a closer collaboration between companies in the sector [35,36]. Consumer preference is influenced by many factors making difficult for Greek companies in the industry to formulate promotion strategies and tactics [37]. In literature there are very few studies from the long past on consumers motives and perception for the Greek wines such as loyalty determinants [38], preferences for cask wine [39], response for quality wines [40], motives for organic wine [41], willingness for origin label [42], and evaluation for product certification, geographic association, traceability [43].

In order to identify consumers’ characteristics beyond the COVID-19 period for Traditional Foods (TFs) we have initiated recently a wide research effort covering different aspects of the subject matter. Our initial findings prove that the “new” consumers trust the TFs as safe, healthy, sustainable, authentic and tasty [44]. They consider traceability regarding questions on package information, on food itself, quality, production process, and personal information important for the purchase of TFs [45]. Their attitudes and perceptions regarding TFs remain high, therefore, with high expectations of growth in the coming “new normality” [46].

We have shown the importance of wine for the consumers, and for the regional economies as part of their TFs vital for the development and growth [47]. Quality wines, like the rest of TFs, have the potential to become the drink of selection for the citizens, the anti-consumers. The scope of this research is to evaluate the factors connected with the consumers’ motives for the quality Greek wine in order to identify the data required to ensure its future, growth and development in the new era. To accomplish the scope, according to the literature on the parameters of consumers’ preference, perceptions, attitudes for wine [48,49,50,51], the work examines the following three determinants of consumers’ motives and preference on Greek wine in the post COVID-19 period:

(I)

Consumers’ motives for the purchase and consumption of Greek wine. This involves data regarding place of purchase (including online), place of consumption, quantities purchased and consumed before and after COVID-19, as well as consumption preference on the combination of meals with different kinds of wines (red, white, rose etc.)

(II)

Consumers’ preference for quality Greek wine. This involves data regarding traditional parameters, organoleptic parameters, appearance, sustainability, and general characteristics.

(III)

Consumers’ preference and knowledge of the Samos’ Greek wine. This involves data regarding preference for specific kinds of wine, consumption, place of purchase (including on line), and knowledge of the Samos’ wines available, their export capacity, quality, organoleptic and taste characteristics, together with knowledge regarding the island of Samos, and its agricultural products.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Data Collection and Sample Characterization

This survey was based on a questionnaire prepared to investigate the information that influence consumers’ motives and preference on Greek wine influenced by the COVID-19 period. The questionnaire was built up in four parts and it is presented in Table S1 in the supplement section. Each question was created in such a way that it could provide the best possible information for each section. The parts were built up using a similar previous study [52]. The first part included questions about the social-demographic characteristics of the respondents, specifically, gender, age, level of education, civil state, job situation, and permanent residency in different parts of Greece. The second part consisted of ten questions designed to assess the motives on purchase and consumption of Greek wine in the post COVID era. The third part included five questions focused on the participants’ preference of choice for quality Greek wine. Finally, the fourth part, consisted of ten questions searching information about the knowledge and preference of the “Samos’ Wines”, one of the most famous quality Greek wines. To guarantee the quality of the data obtained through the application of the questionnaire, this was pretested with 50 respondents. This phase was pivotal to ensure that the questions were clear and understandable, so that respondents could answer them easily. The research was carried out using electronic questionnaires as it was easier to distribute and collect during the semi-lockdown period. The distribution method chosen was by e-mail, as similarly performed in recent papers investigating consumer behaviors [53,54,55]. A snowball method was used in order to obtain a large number of participants [56]. The sample of the population is very well distributed, since it included a wide range of ages, civil states, levels of education etc. and were familiar with the new technologies.

A higher rate for female respondents recorded at 63.9% is similar to the observation by other papers as well [57,58,59,60], leading to the conclusion that women respond more willingly to food-related surveys as they are primarily involved in the household organization. The research questionnaire was created through the Google Platform and the Google Forms function due to the ability of direct export of the results to an Excel sheet for further processing. The geographical context for the present study was all the Greek regions, divided in five parts. Respondents received e-mails explaining the purpose of the research and the importance of their participation, while there was an attached link that led to the electronic form of the questionnaire. Responses were anonymous and no personal information was collected or correlated with any of the responses to ensure the protection of participants.

The survey took place during the period January–February 2022, at the decline of the pandemic, and consisted of 1493 participants.

2.2. Data Analysis

The exploratory analysis of the data was achieved through basic statistical tools. The survey was prepared in Greek and divided into four parts, as above detailed:

Part I. Sociodemographic data.

Part II. Purchase and consumption of Greek wine in the post COVID-19 era.

Part III. Preference of choice for quality Greek wine in the post COVID-19 era.

Part IV. Knowledge and preference of “Samos’ Wines” in post COVID-19 era.

The sociodemographic characteristics were collected in the first part of the questionnaire (six questions-one dichotomous, one ordinal variable and four nominal variables). The second part recorded information concerning the purchase and consumption motives of participants (ten questions-three ordinal variables, one dichotomous and four multiple choices with each response considered as dichotomous variables). The third part consisted of five questions (ordinal variables) recording the preference of choice for quality wine of the participants and finally the fourth part (ten questions- three multiple choices with each response considered as dichotomous variables, six dichotomous and one ordinal variable) recorded information about the knowledge and preference of “Samos’ Wines”.

Analytical data was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 25.0, IBM Corp. Armonk, NY, USA), as described by Skalkos et al. [46]. The Cramer’s V coefficient used in the ch2 tests, ranging from 0 to 1, can be interpreted as follows: V ≈ 0.1 weak association, V ≈ 0.3 moderate association, and V ≈ 0.5 or over, strong association. In all the tests performed, the level of significance considered was 5% (p < 0.05).

3. Results

Table 2. Sociodemographic characterization of the sample.

Variable	Groups	(%)
Gender	Male	36.1
	Female	63.9
Age	18–25	41.8
	26–35	10.2
	36–45	10.1
	46–55	22.3
	56+	15.7
Level of education	None/Primary school	0.1
	Secondary school	0.2
	High school	12.3
	University	87.4
Civil state	Single	55.4
	Married	39.0
	Divorced	4.8
	Widow/widower	0.8
Job situation	Employed	52.0
	Unemployed	2.4
	Student	41.7
	Retired	3.9
Permanent resident in Greece	NORTH GREECE (regions of Macedonia—Thrace)	23.8
	WEST GREECE (region of Epirus—Etoloakarnania prefecture)	21.0
	CENTRAL GREECE (including Athens)	42.1
	SOUTH GREECE (region of Peloponnese)	4.2
	ISLANDS (Ionian and Aegean)	8.9

presents the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants in the survey.

Regarding the spatial distribution, participants were 21.0% permanent residents of west Greece, 42.1% of central Greece (including the capital Athens), 23.8% residents of north Greece, 8.9% residents of the Greek islands, and 4.2% of south Greece, leading to a wide geographical distribution. The majority of the participants were aged between 18–25, 46–55, and 56+ years (41.8%, 22.3%, and 15.7% respectively), while the other age groups, 26–35, and 36–45, were the least represented (10.2% and 10.1%, respectively). Regarding the level of education, most of the participants had higher education (university, 87.4%), while the employment status category was dominated by employed (52.0%), and students (41.7%) participants. Regarding the civil state of the participants, 39.0% were married, 55.4% single, 4.8% were divorced and only 0.8% were widows. It is worth mentioning that there was a significant percentage of young participants by 41.8% (students, at the age of 18–25) in the study which gives a better prospective, value to the results obtained, since the new generation shows better the trends of the future.

Table 3. Participants’ motives on purchase and consumption of Greek wine.

Where DID YOU PURCHASE the Wine You Consumed Before COVID-19.	Never	Very Seldom	Seldom	Often	Very Often
From supermarket	6.1 *	10.2	16.2	51.6	15.9
From wine cellar	15.0	19.0	29.4	31.7	4.9
From local winery—producer	33.3	21.5	17.2	21.7	6.3
Via on line	82.6	7.7	5.7	3.6	0.4
Where DO YOU PURCHASE the wine you consume now
From supermarket	6.7	9.4	15.2	47.4	21.3
From wine cellar	19.9	19.2	23.3	32.0	5.6
From local winery—producer	38.8	19.2	15.1	19.9	7.0
Via on line	79.7	8.0	6.1	5.4	0.8
How many bottles of wine do you buy per month TODAY	One bottle per month	Two bottles per month	Three bottles per month	Four bottles per month	More bottles per month
	47.7	23.2	11.2	8.4	9.5
How much MONEY do you spend MONTHLY for the purchase of wine	>10 euros	10–20 euros	20–30 euros	30–40 euros	<40 euros
	32.7	34.4	16.2	7.3	9.4
Do you consume MORE or LESS wine TODAY as compared with the period BEFORE COVID-19	More	Less
	44.9	55.1
Which KINDS OF WINE do you consume TODAY	Red	White	Rose	Semisweet	Sparkling	Other kind
	54.5	57.4	42.0	44.0	21.3	3.9
With what DO YOU ACCOMPANY WINE consumption TODAY	Meat	Fish	Chicken	Cheese	Fruits	Nuts	None
	67.6	30.5	33.2	50.8	16.3	42.0	19.8
Which WINES do you prefer with the following accompaniments?	None	Red	White	Rose	Sparkling
Meat	5.7	69.1	10.7	13.4	1.1
Fish	21.2	4.6	69.0	4.3	0.9
Chicken	12.5	21.5	43.5	21.3	1.2
Cheese	13.0	30.8	31.9	16.5	7.8
Fruits	25.5	13	22.1	17.6	21.8
Nuts	16.2	32.2	24.0	16.5	11.1
	At home	At the restaurant	With friends	At the club/bar	During celebrations	At the night club
Where do you consume the WINE TODAY?	76.1	66.3	71.7	21.6	58.4	14.6
Where did you consume the WINE BEFORE COVID-19 pandemic?	70.1	74.5	70.1	30.5	61.6	20.4

* values represent %.

presents the participants’ motives on purchase and consumption of Greek wine. The results show that the majority of the participants before the pandemic of COVID-19 often purchased wine from supermarket (51.6%) and wine cellars (31.7%), while the online purchase was not very popular (3.6%). These results seem to differ slightly in the post COVID-19 era as the often purchase from supermarket decreased to 47.4% and the online purchase increased slightly (5.4%). Regarding the quantities and the money spent for wine per month, one bottle (47.7%) and 10–20 euros (34.4%) were the most popular answers.

The 55.1% of the participants consume less wine today compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of preference of meals with wine meat (67.6%) and cheese (50.8%) are the most preferable accompaniment meals, while in terms of preference of wines with the red (54.5%) and white (57.4%) wines are the most preferable in general. Specifically, red wine is the most preferable accompaniment for meat (69.1%) and white for fish (69.0%), chicken (43.5%) and cheese (31.9%). The majority of the participants, today consume wine at home (76.1%) with friends (71.7%) as compared to the pro-COVID-19 period where they consumed wine more frequently at the restaurants (74.5%) with friends (70.1%).

The results of the chi-square test presented in

Table 4. Associations between motives on purchase and consumption of Greek wine and the sociodemographic variables.

	Gender			Age			Level of Education			Civil State			Job Situation			Residency
	X2 *	p **	V ***	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V
Where DID YOU PURCHASE the wine you consumed before COVID-19				0000000000
From supermarket	24.363	0.000	0.132				32.565	0.001	0.088	21.536	0.043	0.072
From wine cellar				26.479	0.048	0.071				23.497	0.024	0.078				42.868	0.000	0.091
From local winery—producer				115.235	0.000	0.150				70.115	0.000	0.136	98.062	0.000	0.160	41.994	0.000	0.091
Via on line	19.740	0.001	0.130	62.217	0.000	0.115	125.401	0.000	0.188	55.879	0.000	0.126	47.075	0.000	0.115	39.396	0.001	0.091
Where DO YOU PURCHASE the wine you consume now
From supermarket	27.095	0.000	0.141				30.754	0.002	0.087
From wine cellar																36.909	0.002	0.085
From local winery—producer				87.197	0.000	0.132				56.654	0.000	0.123	79.343	0.000	0.145	29.658	0.020	0.077
Via on line	16.845	0.002	0.120	54.537	0.000	0.108	71.666	0.000	0.143	39.530	0.000	0.107	53.749	0.000	0.124	31.124	0.013	0.082
How many bottles of wine do you buy per month TODAY
One bottle per month	42.643	0.000	0.171	118.381	0.000	0.284				77.534	0.000	0.231	114.182	0.000	0.280
Three bottles per month				24.823	0.000	0.130				15.566	0.001	0.104	16.926	0.001	0.108
Four bottles per month	22.867	0.000	0.125	56.953	0.000	0.197				29.919	0.000	0.143	39.614	0.000	0.165	21.915	0.000	0.122
More bottles per month	53.989	0.000	0.192	48.988	0.000	0.183				32.097	0.000	0.149	29.759	0.000	0.143	12.345	0.015	0.092
How much MONEY do you send MONTHLY for the purchase of wine
>10 euros	23.377	0.000	0.126	91.576	0.000	0.250				62.454	0.000	0.207	87.857	0.000	0.245	22.027	0.000	0.123
10–20 euros	10.274	0.001	0.084	13.218	0.010	0.095
20–30 euros	10.121	0.001	0.083	34.801	0.000	0.154				36.653	0.000	0.159	28.278	0.000	0.139	13.926	0.008	0.097
30–40 euros	4.023	0.045	0.052	18.722	0.001	0.113				23.436	0.000	0.127	18.265	0.000	0.112
<40 euros	51.398	0.000	0.187	65.635	0.000	0.211				46.393	0.000	0.180	49.561	0.000	0.184	15.808	0.003	0.104
Do you consume MORE or LESS wine TODAY as compared with the period BEFORE COVID-19				45.128	0.000	0.178				18.129	0.000	0.113	40.790	0.000	0.170	12.855	0.012	0.095
Which KINDS OF WINE do you consume TODAY
Red	44.857	0.000	0.174	28.547	0.000	0.139				15.207	0.002	0.102	14.409	0.002	0.099	14.413	0.006	0.099
White	15.313	0.000	0.102	74.672	0.000	0.225				38.063	0.000	0.161	70.557	0.000	0.219
Rose	8.216	0.000	0.075	32.279	0.000	0.148				19.739	0.000	0.116	26.407	0.000	0.134
Semisweet	43.819	0.000	0.172	298.988	0.000	0.45	16.189	0.001	0.105	136.342	0.000	0.305	261.369	0.000	0.421	18.641	0.001	0.112
Sparkling	37.540	0.000	0.160	19.387	0.001	0.115				15.186	0.002	0.102	16.436	0.001	0.106
Other kind							17.295	0.001	0.108				14.456	0.002	0.099	11.494	0.022	0.088
With what DO YOU ACCOMPANY WINE consumption TODAY
Meat	56.460	0.000	0.196	101.377	0.000	0.262				75.865	0.000	0.228	78.206	0.000	0.231
Fish	78.497	0.000	0.231	300.300	0.000	0.452	9.782	0.021	0.082	217.958	0.000	0.386	226.658	0.000	0.393	21.265	0.000	0.120
Chicken	10.969	0.001	0.086	44.401	0.000	0.174				23.913	0.000	0.128	22.531	0.000	0.124
Cheese				13.539	0.009	0.096							13.039	0.005	0.094
Fruits	4.475	0.034	0.055							13.597	0.004	0.096
Nuts	54.889	0.000	0.193	82.058	0.000	0.236	8.428	0.038	0.076	52.121	0.000	0.189	77.860	0.000	0.230
I prefer to consume it plain-None				49.214	0.000	0.183				44.983	0.000	0.175	34.151	0.000	0.153
Which WINES do you prefer with the following accompaniments
Meat	23.318	0.000	0.127	41.575	0.000	0.085	56.505	0.000	0.114	37.316	0.000	0.093	26.037	0.011	0.078
Fish	26.487	0.000	0.138	218.651	0.000	0.198	102.856	0.000	0.157	137.453	0.000	0.182	176.836	0.000	0.207	28.373	0.029	0.072
Chicken	16.874	0.002	0.111	77.547	0.000	0.119	49.218	0.000	0.110	51.550	0.000	0.113	67.373	0.000	0.129
Cheese	35.634	0.000	0.162	79.746	0.000	0.121				47.441	0.000	0.108	61.971	0.000	0.123
Fruits	22.119	0.000	0.131	95.412	0.000	0.136				66.431	0.000	0.131	96.897	0.000	0.158
Nuts	31.569	0.000	0.155	55.985	0.000	0.103				40.184	0.000	0.101	50.191	0.000	0.113
Where do you consume the WINE TODAY
At home	17.606	0.000	0.109	110.448	0.000	0.274				87.032	0.000	0.244	88.093	0.000	0.245	9.662	0.047	0.081
At the restaurant							11.077	0.011	0.087							15.481	0.004	0.103
With friends	23.054	0.000	0.125	107.341	0.000	0.270	10.418	0.015	0.084	68.396	0.000	0.216	88.760	0.000	0.246
At the club/bar	23.956	0.0000	0.128	66.453	0.000	0.212	12.216	0.007	0.091	62.573	0.000	0.207	64.439	0.000	0.209	10.872	0.028	0.086
During celebrations	17.078	0.000	0.108	80.75	0.000	0.234				53.972	0.000	0.192	78.841	0.000	0.232
At the night club	6.152	0.013	0.065	61.193	0.000	0.204	21.446	0.000	0.121	43.277	0.000	0.172	58.415	0.000	0.199	22.523	0.000	0.124
Where did you consume the WINE BEFORE COVID-19 pandemic
At home	36.467	0.000	0.158	87.647	0.000	0.244				61.024	0.000	0.204	52.900	0.000	0.19	12.527	0.014	0.092
At the restaurant				37.961	0.000	0.161	10.391	0.016	0.084	22.712	0.000	0.125	47.204	0.000	0.179	16.804	0.002	0.107
With friends	12.095	0.001	0.091	20.58	0.000	0.118	8.951	0.030	0.078				11.657	0.009	0.089
At the club/bar	37.342	0.000	0.159	44.162	0.000	0.173				27.136	0.000	0.136	17.658	0.001	0.11
During celebrations	32.594	0.000	0.149	42.663	0.000	0.170				19.444	0.000	0.115	37.084	0.000	0.159
At the night club	16.720	0.000	0.107	18.303	0.001	0.111	21.455	0.000	0.121	10.669	0.014	0.085	11.365	0.010	0.088

* chi-square test, ** level of significance of 5%: p < 0.05, *** Cramer’s or Phi coefficient.

showed that there were significant differences between consumers’ motives on purchase and consumption of Greek wine. As can be seen from Table 4, regarding the place of purchase of wine before and after the COVID-19 pandemic many associations were found between civil state and residency, while the number of bottles purchased aw well as the money spent for that reason seem to be affected by mainly by age, gender, and civil state. On the other hand, the kind of wine purchased and the type of food which accompanies this kind of wine affected by age, gender, civil state, and job situation. Finally, a significant association were found between the place of wine consumption before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and age, gender, civil state, and job situation.

Table 5. Frequencies regarding the preference of choice for quality Greek wine in the post-COVID-19 era.

How Important Are the Following TRADITIONAL PARAMETERS for the Selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE	Not at All	Little	Medium Level	Much	Very Much
The price of the wine	2.7 *	8.9	35.3	36.2	16.9
The variety of the grapes	6.7	11.6	25.8	38.0	17.9
The year of wine production	14.7	22.7	32.2	22.4	8.0
The geographical origin	10.6	15.7	28.6	31.2	13.9
The existence of quality certificates such as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) etc.	8.9	14.4	27.2	30.7	18.8
How important are the following ORGANOLEPTIC PARAMETERS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
The taste	0.9	1.0	3.6	34.1	60.4
The aroma	1.4	2.8	11.9	43.3	40.6
The sweetness	5.0	10.0	23.7	35.8	25.5
The habit	10.7	18.5	35.2	24.6	11.0
The influence from friends and relatives	12.5	24.3	32.0	21.7	9.5
How important are the following APPEARANCE PARAMETERS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
The fame—name (BRAND) of the wine	7.2	12.4	34.1	35.8	10.5
A beautiful bottle	10.8	23.0	34.3	25.8	6.1
A beautiful label	12.3	23.7	35.4	22.8	5.8
The description and the rest data on the label	7.6	16.5	34.4	33.7	7.8
The size of the bottle (750 mL/500 mL/250 mL etc.)	11.7	20.6	31.1	26.4	10.2
How important are the following SUSTAINABLE CHARACTERISTICS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
Organic wine	11.2	18.4	32.3	25.6	12.5
Without alcohol	26.6	24.6	30.1	14.2	4.5
Without sulfur	19.5	22.8	26.2	21.1	10.4
In friendly to the environment packaging	13.0	19.7	31.4	24.6	11.3
With awards	11.6	12.5	33.3	28.6	14.0
How important are the following GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
Rational value for money	2.7	4.8	19.7	47.9	24.9
Unique and special	6.5	12.6	32.2	35.3	13.4
Added value for the region where it is produced	9.8	18.0	32.5	29.9	9.8
A myth (historical narrative)	21.3	30.1	29.1	14.4	5.1
Timeless but also modern	12.4	15.5	30.3	30.1	11.7

* values represent %.

represents the frequencies concerning preference of choice for quality Greek wine in the post-COVID-19 era. Participants find relatively important the price (36.2%), the grapes’ variety (38.0%), the geographical origin (31.2%) and the existence of quality certificates (30.7%) for the selection of a quality wine. The organoleptic parameters that seem to affect the selection of wine are taste (60.4%-very much), aroma (43.3%-much) and sweetness (35.8%-much). However, the appearance parameters are of medium level of concern for the selection of wine: a beautiful bottle (34.3%), a beautiful label (35.4%), description and other data (34.4%) and size of the bottle (31.1%). Similarly, the sustainable characteristics also seem to be of medium level of concern for the selection of wine: organic wine (32.3%), without alcohol (30.1%), without sulfur (26.2%), environmentally friendly packaging (31.4%) and awards (33.3%). On the other hand, the importance of some general characteristics varies on the level of concern regarding the selection of wine: rational money value (47.9%-much), uniqueness (35.3%-much), added value for the production area (32.5%-medium) and modern (30.3%-medium).

The results of the chi-square test presented in

Table 6. Associations between preference of choice for quality Greek wine and the sociodemographic variables.

	Gender			Age			Level of Education			Civil State			Job Situation			Residency
	X2 *	p **	V ***	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V
How important are the following TRADITIONAL PARAMETERS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
1. The price of the wine				62.723	0.000	0.105	119.258	0.000	0.167	44.839	0.000	0.102	67.850	0.000	0.126	47.976	0.000	0.092
2. The variety of the grapes	17.006	0.002	0.109	73.881	0.000	0.114	36.550	0.000	0.093	70.669	0.000	0.129	84.903	0.000	0.141
3. The year of wine production							24.609	0.017	0.077				26.067	0.011	0.079
4. The geographical origin				39.297	0.001	0.083				38.972	0.000	0.096	38.579	0.000	0.095
5. The existence of quality certificates such as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) etc.				35.269	0.004	0.079	22.317	0.034	0.072	38.228	0.000	0.095	25.774	0.012	0.078
How important are the following ORGANOLEPTIC PARAMETERS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
1. The taste	18.385	0.001	0.113	39.900	0.001	0.083	208.461	0.000	0.219	72.062	0.000	0.129	30.474	0.002	0.084
2. The aroma				41.717	0.000	0.085	134.794	0.000	0.177	50.784	0.000	0.109	31.826	0.001	0.086
3. The sweetness	119.382	0.000	0.291	164.719	0.000	0.171	37.374	0.000	0.094	74.055	0.000	0.133	94.999	0.000	0.150	33.090	0.007	0.077
4. The habit	23.913	0.000	0.131	36.921	0.002	0.082				25.290	0.014	0.078	26.687	0.009	0.080
5. The influence from friends and relatives	36.925	0.000	0.163	89.142	0.000	0.126	22.733	0.030	0.074	54.110	0.000	0.114
How important are the following APPEARANCE PARAMETERS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
1. The fame-name (BRAND) of the wine	10.885	0.028	0.086	53.402	0.000	0.095	34.847	0.000	0.089	37.916	0.000	0.093	66.566	0.000	0.126
2.A beautiful bottle	36.851	0.000	0.161	50.852	0.000	0.094	23.321	0.025	0.074	34.703	0.001	0.09	46.797	0.000	0.103
3.A beautiful label	25.769	0.000	0.135	28.884	0.025	0.071				30.289	0.003	0.085	26.565	0.009	0.079
4. The description and the rest data on the label	20.324	0.000	0.119				28.292	0.005	0.081				25.577	0.012	0.077
5. The size of the bottle (750 mL/500 mL/250 mL etc.)	39.564	0.000	0.167	107.662	0.000	0.137	28.598	0.005	0.082	84.761	0.000	0.141	98.541	0.000	0.152
How important are the following SUSTAINABLE CHARACTERISTICS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
1. Organic wine	25.642	0.000	0.133	35.163	0.004	0.078				26.358	0.010	0.078
2. Without alcohol	94.490	0.000	0.258	41.884	0.000	0.086				28.907	0.004	0.083	24.686	0.016	0.076	28.961	0.024	0.071
3. Without sulfur	13.536	0.009	0.098	57.632	0.000	0.101	27.709	0.006	0.081	58.791	0.000	0.118	55.149	0.000	0.114
4. In friendly to the environment packaging	71.791	0.000	0.225	31.208	0.013	0.074				25.972	0.011	0.078	28.700	0.004	0.082
5. With awards				33.539	0.006	0.076				22.241	0.035	0.072	29.106	0.004	0.082
How important are the following GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS for the selection of QUALITY GREEK WINE
1. Rational value for money				27.596	0.035	0.069	43.181	0.000	0.100	31.579	0.002	0.085	21.726	0.041	0.071
2. Unique and special				58.156	0.000	0.101	22.228	0.035	0.072	40.416	0.000	0.097	65.797	0	0.124
3. Added value for the region where it is produced										26.574	0.009	0.079	27.848	0.006	0.081	38.591	0.001	0.082
4. A myth (historical narrative)										26.639	0.009	0.079
5. Timeless but also modern	21.304	0.000	0.122										21.280	0.046	0.070	29.724	0.019	0.072

* chi-square test, ** level of significance of 5%: p < 0.05, *** Cramer’s or Phi coefficient.

, showed that there were significant differences between consumers’ motives on preference of choice for quality Greek wine in the post-COVID-19 era. Regarding the parameters of selection quality Greek wine, traditional and organoleptic parameters were found to be associated by age, level of education, and civil state, while gender, age, level of education, civil state, and job situation were found to be associated with appearance and sustainable characteristics.

In this part of questionnaire, residency played minor role in consumers’ motives on preference of choice for quality Greek wine.

Table 7. Frequencies regarding the knowledge and preference of the Samos’ wines in the post-COVID-19 era.

	Red	White	Rose	Sweet	Semi-Sweet	Sparkling	Dry	Semi-Dry
Which kinds of wine do you believe that the island of SAMOS is producing	49.0 *	69.5	38.1	49.0	49.5	16.8	42.5	24.6
Which kinds of SAMOS WINE would you buy TODAY	28.8	44.2	22.0	26.4	36.3	10.3	16.4	6.7
	From supermarket	From wine cellar	Via on line
Where would you like to purchase SAMOS’ WINE from, in case you decide to buy it TODAY	48.5	44.8	6.7
	Yes	No
Do you consume SAMOS’ WINE	32.3	67.7
Do you know any winery in the island of SAMOS	20.1	79.9
Have you tasted any of the SAMOS’ WINES	53.9	46.1
Do you believe that SAMOS’ WINES are QUALITY WINES	92.9	7.1
Do you believe that SAMOS WINE is exported in significant quantities	55.9	44.1
Have you visited the island of SAMOS	24.8	75.2
Which one do you think is the basic agricultural product of the island of SAMOS TODAY	Olive oil	Raisins	Wine	Olives	Honey	Orchids
	12.4	11.7	64.6	5.5	3.6	2.2

* values represent %.

represents the frequencies concerning the knowledge and preference of the “Samos’ Wines” in the post-COVID-19 era. Participants seem to know certain kinds of Samos’ wines, i.e., red (49.0%), white (69.5%) and semisweet (49.5%) and the same kinds of wine they would buy today (red-28.8%, white-44.2% and semisweet-36.3%), from supermarket most preferable (48.5%). However, the majority of the participants do not consume Samos’ wine (67.7%), do not know of any Samos’ winery (79.9%) and haven’t visited Samos Island (75.2%) even though they have tasted its wines (53.9%), have great respect for their quality (92.2%), and they know that they are exported in significant quantities (55.9%). Finally, participants’ knowledge in Samos’ local agricultural products is adequate since they know that the island is producing wines (64.6%), olive oil (12.4%) and raisins (11.7%) mostly.

The results of the chi-square test that showed significant differences between consumers’ knowledge and preference of the “Samos’ Wines” in the post-COVID-19 are presented in

Table 8. Associations between knowledge and preference of the “Samos’ Wines” wine and the sociodemographic variables.

	Gender			Age			Level of Education			Civil State			Job Situation			Residency
	X2 *	p **	V ***	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V	X2	p	V
Which kinds of wine do you believe that the island of SAMOS is producing
Red				20.376	0.000	0.118				23.568	0.000	0.128	21.382	0.000	0.121
White																36.778	0.000	0.159
Rose				10.624	0.031	0.085
Sweet	36.224	0.000	0.158	133.487	0.000	0.303				66.908	0.000	0.215	98.397	0.000	0.261	34.687	0.000	0.155
Semi-sweet				30.331	0.000	0.144				25.493	0.000	0.133	26.341	0.000	0.135	23.956	0.000	0.128
Sparkling	7.234	0.007	0.071	31.777	0.000	0.148	9.751	0.021	0.082	18.999	0.000	0.115	22.020	0.000	0.123	9.804	0.044	0.082
Dry	4.054	0.044	0.053	61.312	0.000	0.205				37.125	0.000	0.160	54.702	0.000	0.194	28.183	0.000	0.139
Semi-dry	5.528	0.019	0.062	62.023	0.000	0.207				43.437	0.000	0.173	50.383	0.000	0.186	16.131	0.003	0.105
Which kinds of SAMOS WINE would you buy TODAY
Red				13.328	0.010	0.095				11.015	0.012	0.087	17.464	0.001	0.109	11.193	0.024	0.088
White	11.53	0.001	0.089	18.677	0.010	0.113				8.704	0.033	0.077	16.729	0.001	0.107	11.939	0.018	0.090
Rose	7.339	0.007	0.071	29.573	0.000	0.142				20.224	0.000	0.118	33.809	0.000	0.152	9.601	0.048	0.081
Sweet	26.997	0.000	0.136	35.057	0.000	0.155				23.299	0.000	0.127	34.908	0.000	0.155	23.173	0.000	0.126
Semi-sweet	16.618	0.000	0.107	25.873	0.000	0.133				8.555	0.036	0.077	33.625	0.000	0.152	13.114	0.011	0.095
Sparkling	19.931	0.000	0.117	17.369	0.002	0.109	13.958	0.003	0.098	17.034	0.001	0.108	18.104	0.000	0.111
Dry	4.655	0.031	0.056				10.846	0.013	0.086							10.761	0.029	0.086
Semi-dry				10.148	0.038	0.083	11.813	0.008	0.090
Do you consume SAMOS’ WINE	27.297	0.000	0.137 (Phi)	173.037	0.000	0.343				113.578	0.000	0.279	159.343	0.000	0.3300	81.743	0.000	0.236
Do you know any winery in the island of SAMOS	37.198	0.000	0.160 (Phi)	103.815	0.000	0.266				57.361	0.000	0.199	100.123	0.000	0.262	95.647	0.000	0.256
Have you tasted any of the SAMOS’ WINES	54.237	0.000	−0.193 (Phi)	396.27	0.000	0.520				256.223	0.000	0.420	349.419	0.000	0.490	80.335	0.000	0.235
Do you believe that SAMOS’ WINES are QUALITY WINES	7.219	0.007	−0.071 (Phi)				10.583	0.014	0.086	26.250	0.000	0.136	11.981	0.007	0.092	9.98	0.041	0.084
Do you believe that SAMOS WINE is exported in significant quantities										12.711	0.005	0.095
Have you visited the island of SAMOS	38.314	0.000	0.162 (Phi)	179.947	0.000	0.350				123.097	0.000	0.291	167.279	0.000	0.338	78.012	0.000	0.231
Which one do you think is the basic agricultural product of the island of SAMOS TODAY
Olive oil	4.517	0.034	0.056	20.136	0.0000	0.118				10.794	0.013	0.086	15.554	0.001	0.104
Raisin	20.616	0.000	0.119	69.718	0.000	0.219				35.607	0.000	0.157	62.94	0.000	0.208	13.697	0.008	0.097
Wine				37.898	0.000	0.161				21.358	0.000	0.122	31.238	0.000	0.147	17.922	0.001	0.111
Olives																11.107	0.025	0.087
Honey				19.084	0.001	0.114
Orchids				12.987	0.011	0.094	35.637	0.000	0.157	16.662	0.001	0.107	10.364	0.016	0.085	23.767	0.000	0.128

* chi-square test, ** level of significance of 5%: p < 0.05, *** Cramer’s or Phi coefficient.

.

In this part of questionnaire level of education did not associate with any of consumers’ knowledge and preference parameters, while there was a significant association between age, civil state, job situation, and residency with the majority of the parameters tested.

4. Discussion

In this research the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers’ motives for quality wine, specifically the Greek wine is investigated for the first time. As a reference quality wine the famous Samos’ quality Greek wine was chosen as part of the study for comparison reasons, since it is a typical Greek wine with relatively high recognition by the Greek consumers, and abroad [33,34]. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants of the survey exhibited a suitable distribution between the different categories. similar to other recent reports [61], with an increased percentage of young participants for better future prospective of the results obtained.

Regarding the places for purchasing wine before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the supermarket remains the place of choice for the majority of participants, however, they prefer to buy wine today more via on line (+1.8%), less from super market (−4.2%), and equally from wine cellar, and local winery-producer (Table 3). The results of the chi-square test, shown in Table 4, indicate that there are significant differences with weak association however varying from V = 0.082 to V = 0.188, regarding places of purchase of wine before and after the pandemic for most of the demographic variables. Similar results regarding consumers’ preference for the supermarkets and the wine shops, with the least preferred the e-shops for the purchase of wine are reported by similar studies conducted over the last decade. American generation Y most often buy wine in stores (liquor, grocery) and wine shops, at least on internet [62]. Similarly, young Moldova consumers buy wine most often in super markets, then the neighboring shops and specialized wine shops [63]. The most common places for wine purchase are wine shops and supermarkets for Check consumers too [64].

Regarding the consumption of wine participants consume less wine today (−5.1%), the majority one bottle per month, spending 10–20 euros as shown in Table 3. The results of the chi-square test, presented in Table 4, indicate that there are significant differences with moderate association only for “age” regarding the bottles of wine and the money spend per month (V = 0.284/0.250), and for “job situation” regarding the same questions (V = 0.280/V = 0.245), while for the rest of the sociodemographic variable the significant differences were with weak association varying from V = 0.052 to V = 0.207 for all questions. Studies on frequency and intensity of alcohol consumption, as well as cost of purchase so far have been conducted in order to study the health concerns of the extensive consumption and purchase rather than normal dietary frequency [65,66,67]. Therefore, the results of the existing studies are not comparable with our findings.

Regarding the participants’ preference for wine with accompaniment meals and vice versa, they prefer to drink red and white wine compared to other kinds, more preferable with meat and cheese, and specifically red wine with meat, and white wine with fish, chicken and cheese in the order of less preference. The results of the chi—square test, presented in Table 4, indicate that there is strong association for “age” regarding the accompaniment of fish (V = 0.452), and for “job situation” semisweet wine consumption, and accompaniment of fish (V = 0.421/0.393), while for all other sociodemographic variables a weak association was recorded. Once again recent studies on food and wine pairing are in the framework of diets such as the Mediterranean diet and health [68]. Nevertheless, our results agree with the literature concept of harmony crystallized in this adage: “red with red, white with white” [69]. An alternative explanation for the general pairing of “red with red” has been proposed as well [70]. In accordance to our findings too, white wines are perceived to be more balanced in flavor with a range of cheeses than red or specialty wines [71].

Overall, the participants have increased the consumption of wine at home (+6%), and with friends (+1.6%), while have significantly decreased the consumption at the restaurant (−8.2%), the club/bar (−8.9%), and to a less extend at the nigh club (−5.8%), and during celebration (−3.2%). The results of the chi-square test, shown in Table 4, indicate that there are significant differences with weak association however varying from V = 0.065 to V = 0.274, regarding the places of consumption of wine before and after the pandemic for all demographic variables. A recent study examined the drinking location of wine with the amount consumed in 17 countries in order to identify their interconnection [72]. It was found that where people drink wine and the type of wine they drink, affected the amount of alcohol reported to reach different stages of intoxication.

Regarding, the participants preference for quality Greek wine in terms of the traditional parameters the variety of grapes (55.9%) and the price (53.1%) were chosen as equally important much and very many parameters, while the existence of quality certificates (49.5%), the geographical origin (45.1%), and the year of production (30.4%) were followed in their preference (Table 5). The results of the chi-square test, shown in Table 6, indicate that there are significant differences with weak association for selected sociodemographic variables and choice parameters with weak association from V = 0.072 to V = 0.141.

The participants in terms of organoleptic wine selections chose by far the taste (94.5%) as the most important, followed by the aroma (83.9%), the sweetness (61.3%) and the habit (35.6%) much and very many parameters (Table 5), with the chi-square test indicating once again significant differences with weak association for the sociodemographic variables varying from V = 0.074 to V = 0.291 (Table 6).

In terms of the appearance parameters the order of wine selection as much and very much preference by the participants was brand name first (46.3%), label data second (41.5%), size of bottle third (36.6%), bottle appearance fourth (31.9%) and label appearance last (28.6%) as shown in Table 5. In terms of the sustainable characteristics the order of selection by the participants was similar among the different parameters with wine awards (42.6%), organic wines (38.1%), environmental package (35.9%), without sulfur (31.5%) and last without alcohol (18.7%) as shown in Table 5. Finally, in terms of the general wine characteristics the value for money (72.8%) exceeded by far the rest selection parameters namely unique and special (48.7%), timeless and modern (41.8%), added value for the region (39.8%), and with a myth (19.5%) as much and very much choice by the participants (Table 5). The chi-square test for the selection preference of choice parameters for quality wine, as shown in Table 6, indicate significant differences with weak association for all sociodemographic variables. The results presented above for the quality wine choices by the consumers are in accordance with those results recorded recently, but before the pandemic, in literature by others too. These are for the traditional parameters of our findings such as the region of origin [10], the variety of grapes [14], the price [15], and the quality certificates [18], and for the sustainability parameters [17,56], the organic [22], without alcohol [25], and without sulfite [21]. Furthermore for the organoleptic parameters of our findings similar results are recorded too [73,74], and for the appearance parameters such as brand name [16], and labeling [51].

Regarding the participants knowledge and preference of the Samos’ quality wines even though they believe by far that they are quality wines (92.9%), even though not all of them have tasted them (53.9%) and fewer are consuming them (32.3%). They would buy the Samos’ wines more from supermarket, and wine cellar and to a certain extent, similarly to other wines too, via online. The majority of the participants haven’t visited the island of Samos (75.2%), and don’t know the Samos’ wineries, even though they have a broad knowledge of the agricultural products the island is producing, including the variety of wines. The results of the chi-square test, presented in Table 8 indicate significant differences with weak association for the sociodemographic variables except with moderate associations for “age” regarding the consumption of Samos’ wine, and the visit to Samos (V = 0.343/0.350), and “civil state” regarding tasting any of the Samos’ wines (V = 0.420). Our findings regarding local (Samos) wines are in accordance with recent published data. Italian consumers interviewed recently expressed their willingness to buy and consume local Italian wines [56], and in another study the majority of consumers expressed their willingness to pay for local muscadine wine [75].

Overall, our generic findings indicate major changes in consumers preference for quality wine in the post COVID era, as compared with the pre-COVID times in the following sections:

• In the consumption of less wine overall today
• In the consumption at home with friends and family (rather than outside, in bars restaurants and elsewhere)
• In the easy access for purchasing including on line (rather than the conventional purchase from the supermarket)

Contrary, our findings indicate that the consumers’ selection criteria for quality wine such as organoleptic characteristics, association with meals, appearance, quality labels remain the same today as before. The same is true for their strong preference for local quality wines of their own territory or their own country such as the Greek or the Italian labels.

These findings for wine consumption agree with the bigger picture in terms of the changes recorded in food consumption after the pandemic. For example an increased food consumption at home, cooked, is considered popular these days, especially natural/organic quality food [76]. At the same time the essential aspects of food choice, health, quality and safety are increasingly being taken into account [77].

5. Conclusions

This research work explores the consumers’ motives to buy and consume quality Greek wines in the new post COVID-19 era. The study applied the two main determinants on wine motives namely the purchase and consumption and the quality of wine in the Greek consumers’ mind in order to identify the variables that predicted their preference for information regarding the quality wines in this global new economic era. To this purpose an online survey was used to a sample of 1493 participants with gender, age, education, civil state, employment, and permanent residency across Greece balanced at the time of the survey conducted in January and February 2021. The pandemic, currently at the sunset phase, has changed consumers’ mind and preferences, which is leading to changes of their selection of foods and drinks in an unexplored way so far. With a relevant degree of uncertainty, it is believed that people will be more selected on food and drinks, especially the new generation of anti-consumers. purchasing them in a personalized way, with focus on the environmental, health, safety effects, personal interest etc.

In order to evaluate the possible regional originalities and characteristics of the consumers’ evaluation on the quality wines a regional quality wine, namely the Samos’ wine (from the corresponding Greek island) was used at the end of the same survey with the same participants. The results showed that customers perceived this quality wine as such, even though they don’t know it well, have tasted, but are not consuming it, preferring to buy the white wine mostly. The participants have a fair knowledge of the Samos Island and its products including the wines

In the study more women, educated, and employed participants, together with a significant number of young students took place in the survey, even though the number of responses obtained is considered adequate. This can be considered a limitation of the study, even though the number of young students can be considered an advantage for the study since it gives a long in the future prospective of the obtained results. Another limitation of the study is the use of the Greek quality wine and Greek participants, without the use of wines and participants from other countries as well.

This is the first study to understand the impact of the COVID-19 period to the consumers’ motives for quality wine, highlighting which aspects are more relevant for the selections, the purchase, and the consumption of the wine from the consumers’ point of view. The important, generic results of our finding described above can be used as an important road map for the sustainable growth of the business sector in the new economy. For example, the consumers’ preference for home wine consumption, especially in view of the new tendency for “home office” should direct the wine industry to develop a new, re-generated market for “home wine” ordered on line, and delivered instantly like the fast food section. At the same time the industry, based on our findings, should stick to the same quality parameters developed so far for good wine. Thus the papers’ contribution to the regional sustainability becomes vital from the local wineries’, and cultivation of grapes point of view.

Despite the importance of our findings, additional studies are needed in order to investigate further the parameters of consumers’ motives for quality wine in the post COVID-19 period, and the long-lasting effects and adaptations behavior to the “new normality”. The findings will contribute further to the main objective which is the integration of quality local wine into the daily food consumption in the countries where there is the potential for increased local production such as Greece. Further studies should expand in two different directions: studying wines and consumers’ motives for them of other countries EU primarily, either themselves or in comparison, and studying the concept of motives for quality Greek wine in depth investigating other pieces of information for these products perceived positively by the consumers.