Apparently, Labels Do Matter

Filed in archive Wine News on August 10, 2007

We've all heard over and over that you can't judge a book by its cover, and the same holds true for wines. There are quite a few impressive wines that, unfortunately, have unimpressive labels. They certainly affects whether or not a consumer purchases the bottle. It can be a tough sell when the buyer just doesn't like the label... or if the wine is from a region the buyer is not familar with (or perhaps doesn't think highly of). The journal "Psychology & Behavior" reports on a U.S. study that showed simply changing the label on a wine bottle can change the entire dining experience, from enjoyment of the wine, to what food a diner chooses.

From Earthtimes.org:

Cornell University researchers presented 41 diners at the Spice Box restaurant in Urbana, Ill., with a free glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany a $24 fixed-price French meal. Half the bottles were labeled as being from Noah's Winery in California. The labels on the other bottles showed the wine to be from Noah's Winery in north dakota. In both cases, the wine was an inexpensive Charles Shaw wine.

Those drinking what they believed were California wines rated the wine and food as tasting better, and ate 11 percent more of their food. They were also more likely to make return reservations.

Sounds like a fun experiment to try on friends. I wonder if I'd get the same results?