Cheers, proost, saúde: Cultural, contextual and psychological factors of wine and beer consumption in Portugal and in the Netherlands

Abstract

Wine and beer consumption are an integral part of European culture: Southern Europe is associated with wine and Northern Europe is associated with beer. When consumed in moderation, these alcoholic beverages can be part of a balanced and healthy diet. In the 1990s, non-alcoholic beer (NAB), which has no cultural roots, became available in the market. This review identifies determinants for consumption of wine, beer, and NAB, using data on consumption patterns from Portugal and the Netherlands. Since the 1960s the image of Portugal as a wine country declined, whereas the image of the Netherlands as a beer country remained stable. In each country beer is now the most consumed alcoholic beverage and is mainly a men's beverage, whereas wine is the second most consumed and is consumed by both genders. Cultural differences define Portuguese as "outdoors, everyday drinkers", within a meal context, and Dutch as "at home, weekend drinkers." Wine is perceived as the healthiest beverage, followed by NAB, and regular beer. Motivation for consumption is related to context: wine for special occasions, beer for informal occasions, and NAB for occasions when alcohol is not convenient. Moderate wine and beer consumption seems to be surrounded by positive emotions. This review is relevant for public health, for industry market strategies, and identifies opportunities of future research on drinking behaviour.

Alcohol-Related Knowledge and Alcohol-Related Norms in 4- to 6-Year-Olds-Evidence from the Dutch Electronic Appropriate Beverage Task

“…As expected (hypothesis 3), alcohol‐related knowledge increased with age, as children's cognitive and language abilities develop rapidly between age 4 and 6 (Berk, ; Dalton et al., ; Flavell, ; Ross et al., ). Consistent with prior research and our expectations, 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds assigned alcoholic beverages more often to male adults compared to female adults and children (Lang and Stritzke, ; Silva et al., ; Zucker et al., ) (hypothesis 4) and more often to adults depicted in the presumably more appropriate situations (e.g., “when having an indoor party”) rather than to adults depicted in the presumably more inappropriate situations (e.g., “when driving a car”) (Kuntsche et al., ) (hypothesis 5). The results also revealed that children as young as 4 years old acquire alcohol‐related knowledge by identifying alcoholic beverages from the photographs, and this is age graded.…”

“…However, girls compared to boys will more often correctly identify the name and the nonalcoholic content of nonalcoholic beverages (Kuntsche et al., ) because girls are biologically and socioculturally more mature compared to boys, and they surpass the boys in early language development (Berk, ; Gaines et al., ); and (iii) older children will more often correctly identify the name and the alcoholic content of alcoholic beverages as well as the name and the nonalcoholic content of nonalcoholic beverages compared to younger children (Jahoda et al., ; Kuntsche et al., ; Zucker et al., ) due to increased cognitive and language abilities (Berk, ; Dalton et al., ). Concerning alcohol‐related norms, it was expected that (iv) 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds will assign male adults alcoholic beverages (Silva et al., ) more often compared to female adults (Lang and Stritzke, ; Zucker et al., ) and children (Kuntsche et al., ; Zucker et al., ); and (v) 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds will assign adults depicted in the presumably more appropriate situations (e.g., “when having an indoor party”) alcoholic beverages more often compared to adults in the presumably more inappropriate situations (e.g., “when driving a car”) (Kuntsche et al., ).…”

Temporal dominance of sensations, emotions, and temporal liking measured in a bar for two similar wines using a multi‐sip approach

“…Wine has a strong cultural and social connection with Portugal and therefore an emotional connotation (Mora & Moscarola, ; Silva et al, ). Wine producers and sensory researchers consider flavor to be one of the main criteria for wine choice by consumers (Lockshin, Jarvis, d'Hauteville, & Perrouty, ).…”

“…These factors had mostly been studied independently but in consumption experience they may not be independent and may interact in an integrative way, and therefore ecologically valid research should take into account products, consumers, and the environment (Jaeger & Porcherot, ; Köster, ). This present study took place in a wine bar, a natural and appropriate place and one of the social settings where wine is consumed (Silva et al, ).…”

Ochratoxin A in Beers Marketed in Portugal: Occurrence and Human Risk Assessment

“…While Southern Europe is usually associated with wine consumption, Northern Europe is associated with beer. Nonetheless, since the 1960s wine consumption in Portugal has declined and beer is now the most consumed alcoholic beverage [38]. The number of brewing companies and the number of microbreweries increased, reflecting growth in the craft beer and specialty beer segment [39].…”