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, which has no cultural roots, became available in the market. This review
identifies determinants for consumption of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beer, 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
non-alcoholic beer, and regular beer. Motivation for consumption is related to context: wine for
special occasions, beer for informal occasions, and non-alcoholic beer 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.
identifies determinants for consumption of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beer, 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
non-alcoholic beer, and regular beer. Motivation for consumption is related to context: wine for
special occasions, beer for informal occasions, and non-alcoholic beer 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.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1340-1349 |
Journal | Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- alcohol consumption
- beverages
- cross-cultural
- drinking behaviour
- Non-alcoholic beer