What sounds expensive also tastes better

Correlation between supposedly high prices and good evaluation shown.

Correlation between supposedly high prices and good evaluation shown.
Correlation between supposedly high prices and good evaluation shown.

In a study by the University of Basel entitled "Price information influences the subjective experience of wine: A framed field experiment," the connection between supposedly high prices and good sensory evaluation was examined. According to the study, the cheapest wine was rated better if the test persons were told that it cost considerably more than it actually did.

In the sample, three different 2013 red wines from Italy in the entry-level, mid-price and premium segments were assessed by 140 testers. The price spectrum ranged from the equivalent of €8.50 to about €60. In the process, the psychologists found that if they presented the expensive wines as cheap ones, no better rating was achieved, but in the opposite scenario – when a cheaper wine was presented as expensive - it was rated more favourably. If no prices were given or the price question was left open, the tasters could not rate any wine as significantly better. The tasting was conducted as a blind tasting with laypersons.

The study was conducted in cooperation with psychologists from the Universities of Basel, Sydney and Plymouth and was published in the scientific journal Food Quality and Preference. sw

 

 

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