This is the kind of stuff I love; it fuels my inner-skeptic. There is empirical evidence indicating that wine snobs don’t know what they are talking about.* Hilarious.
Apparently, the only thing that helps people perceive one wine better than another is the price. In other words, if you tell people that the cheap wine is expensive and vice versa, they will actually enjoy the cheap wine more.
Even more surprising, the “experts” were also fooled when performing blind tastes. There is even an instance of giving different scores to the same wine.
Some practical applications we can take from this:
1) We should not put much value on the opinions of so-called wine experts.
2) If hosting a dinner party, casually imply that the vintage was very expensive. Your guests will enjoy it more.
3) Enjoy the wine that you enjoy. Don’t listen to friends who scoff at your $9.99 Kroger Merlot. Better still, try and trick yourself into thinking that the wine you bought actually cost $99.99.
It’s funny how something completely unrelated to the taste can affect one’s experience. I also read about a study where people who blind tasted coffee always preferred the one with the nice presentation over the one served in a Styrofoam cup. The coffee itself was identical, of course.
Human psychology is a curious thing indeed.
*Source: http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/12/16/do-more-expensive-wines-taste-better-full-transcript/
Apparently, the only thing that helps people perceive one wine better than another is the price. In other words, if you tell people that the cheap wine is expensive and vice versa, they will actually enjoy the cheap wine more.
Even more surprising, the “experts” were also fooled when performing blind tastes. There is even an instance of giving different scores to the same wine.
Some practical applications we can take from this:
1) We should not put much value on the opinions of so-called wine experts.
2) If hosting a dinner party, casually imply that the vintage was very expensive. Your guests will enjoy it more.
3) Enjoy the wine that you enjoy. Don’t listen to friends who scoff at your $9.99 Kroger Merlot. Better still, try and trick yourself into thinking that the wine you bought actually cost $99.99.
It’s funny how something completely unrelated to the taste can affect one’s experience. I also read about a study where people who blind tasted coffee always preferred the one with the nice presentation over the one served in a Styrofoam cup. The coffee itself was identical, of course.
Human psychology is a curious thing indeed.
*Source: http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/12/16/do-more-expensive-wines-taste-better-full-transcript/