Estimate of willingness to pay for etna red wines: Evaluation of the existence of an experiential component in purchase phase

The Mount Etna foothills are a unique winegrowing area which boasts of some excellent wines especially in recent years. Winegrowing is not only agriculture but also culture oriented and the Etna foothills have a huge potential to increase the 'value' of its agricultural food products. In a special way, there is a connection between wine and an area like Etna which endows the product with intrinsically inimitable characteristics but also inevitably involves the experiences acquired in such a fascinating place. The investigation evaluated if and how much the experience of visiting an Etna wine cellar (experiential context) boosts the perceived value of the wine thereby causing wine consumers to be more willing to pay more for Etna DOC red wines. As a consequence, the investigation results show that the experiential component in the consumption of Etna DOC red wines boosts its value. Considering the significant tourist flow in the Etna area, the results of this research could be used as a marketing aid to promote Etna DOC red wines.