From Knowledge to Epistemic Capital: A Typology of Becoming in Luxury Wine Consumption

Abstract

This study reconceptualizes luxury consumption as a knowledge-based and emotionally engaged process of distinction. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital and habitus, it adopts the concept of epistemic capital, the social and symbolic value derived from consumers’ ability to acquire, interpret, and authentically perform knowledge. Using an interpretive qualitative design, 28 in-depth interviews with luxury wine consumers in New Zealand and the United States were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings reveal a developmental continuum of epistemic distinction encompassing three consumer types, Mimic, Metamorphose, and Maestro, that trace the transformation from performed taste to symbolic mastery. This progression is driven by the interaction between objective (factual expertise) and subjective (self-perceived confidence) knowledge facilitated by emotional engagement and experiential learning. As consumers advance along this path, their habitus evolves from imitation toward reflexive authenticity, culminating in embodied fluency where luxury becomes a practice of self-cultivation rather than display. The study contributes to luxury consumption literature by positioning epistemic capital as a dynamic extension of cultural capital that shapes the relationship between knowledge, emotion, and authenticity. It reframes luxury as a process of learning, feeling, and becoming, rather than one of mere acquisition or display. Managerially, it highlights opportunities for brands to foster long-term value through knowledge co-creation and emotional resonance, enabling consumers to transform consumption into symbolic mastery and personal growth.