Investigating the evocative link among wine consumption, Human Development Index and geographical region

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index composed of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators. Currently, wine consumption is increasingly becoming significant both for reducing several diseases and for improving well-being and quality of life. The aim of this paper is to investigate spatial and temporal characteristics of wine consumption in 45 countries belonging to the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region and its relationship with the HDI. We use a balanced panel data by WHO database (2005-2015). Random effects panel data model was selected over the fixed effects model based on the Hausman test in order to assess the effect of HDI, European Union (EU) membership and geographical areas on wine consumption. Results highlight that wine consumption decreases as HDI increases. We noted higher values of wine consumption in EU countries and a positive gradient from West to East in the area considered. These findings highlight the presence of a new consumer profile seeking quality and healthy consumption and whose awareness increases coinciding with a rise in the degree of country development. National and international policies can address issues of consumption style and persuade consumers to have a new eating cultural approach towards buying quality and healthy food.