A Hedonic Analysis of Retail Italian Vinegars

The vinegar market characteristics have received modest attention by researchers and hedonic price analysis seems to be never applied to vinegar. Thus, a first attempt to investigate the most important features influencing the vinegar price has been undertaken by means of a survey on a sample of Italian large scale retail outlets. The paper employ the hedonic price function for investigating the vinegar price per litre. Independent variables relate to both intrinsic and extrinsic (bottle) features, brands, point of sale and shelf display. Bottle size and other packaging features, though widely influencing the vinegar price, appear to hide the effect of other (especially intrinsic) attributes. The Modena Balsamic Protected Geographic Indication implies a higher price in comparison with vinegars without indication, while the increase of the acidity degree reduces the vinegar price. Producer’s brands and the type of cap provide a significant price impact, but the most important features that affect vinegar price are those related to the shelf display.