Humans are emotional creatures. We tend to make decisions based on emotion. Generally speaking, if something makes us feel good, we go for it. If it feels good, it is good, right? Of course, the wine industry knows this. They’ve been playing up our emotions this entire time with the yarns they spin on their labels, describing the origins of the wine, its romantic history, personal anecdotes about the wine growers, and once in awhile, they even throw in a tidbit about a vineyard pet. So TFT asks, can a wine description make you spend more money?
-
Related Story: 4 Nifty Ways You’ll See Wine Packaged This Year
Science Daily confirms this theory after talking to researchers at the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine. They find that wine descriptions can alter not just consumer choice, but they can influence consumer emotions, increase their wine liking and encourage them to pay more for a bottle.
Associate Professor Sue Bastian led the study and has these sobering words:
Cleverly written wine and producer descriptions when coupled with unbranded wine tasting can evoke more positive emotions, increasing our positive perception of the wine, our estimation of its quality and the amount we would be willing to pay for it.
Researchers found that the more elaborate the description, the higher consumers rated the wine…and the higher the price they were willing to pay. But there is a breaking point. While elaborate wording is useful in prying open wallets, too much has the opposite effect.
-
Related Story:Â Here Are The Coolest Tech-Savvy Wine Gadgets Of 2017Â
Says Bastian, “If it was too far from the expectations then their liking and willingness to pay was not so good.”
Those involved in the study say it would probably be useful for wineries to get consumer input when writing their descriptions.
