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Blind taste tests

In a blind taste test conducted last year, 578 volunteers were asked to sample a selection of wines with no indication of their cost. Prices ranged from a $5.43 bottle of Claret to a $46.65 bottle of Champagne. Cheaper wine for sale was categorised as costing $7.70 or under, while expensive bottles were $15.50 or more.

The volunteers correctly distinguished between cheaper white wine and more expensive white wine only 53 per cent of the time. Red was even less, at just 47 per cent of the time. The overall result suggests a 50-50 chance of telling the difference between a pricey wine and a cheap wine – the same odds as flipping a coin.

The volunteers achieved the highest scores when deciding between two bottles of Pinot Grigio, with 59 per cent being able to tell the cheap bottle from the more expensive. The Claret, which cost either $5.43 or $24.87, proved the trickiest to distinguish, with only 39 per cent identifying the bottle correctly.[1]

On top of this, an American study involving a whopping 6000 blind tastings found that not only could people not tell the difference between expensive and cheap wine, but they often enjoyed the expensive wine slightly less.[2]

Wine aficionados, do not despair

Before you breathe a huge sigh of relief and rush out to buy the cheapest wine for sale you can get your hands on, stop. Can it really be the case that we can’t tell the difference between a $30 bottle of Pinot Gris and an $8 bottle? Well, the truth is that some of us can.

The American blind tasting study found that people with a greater knowledge of wine can tell the difference – and do prefer the taste of more expensive wine. On top of this, studies have shown that when we know a wine is expensive, we genuinely prefer the taste. Our brains actually register greater pleasure. This means it’s not just about the wine in your glass, it’s about the whole experience of drinking it. If you know it’s cheap, you won’t enjoy it as much.[3]

To buy or not to buy expensive wine

So where does this leave you with your dinner party? If your guests are wine connoisseurs, it’s probably best not to buy the cheapest brand you can find. However, good wine doesn’t have to be expensive – there are excellent bargains to be found and it’s worth looking for them. The best thing to do is think ahead and buy wine for sale online from auction houses like GraysOnline, where you’ll find delicious wine that will please your guests and won’t break the bank.

Before you breathe a huge sigh of relief and rush out to buy the cheapest wine for sale you can get your hands on, stop. Can it really be the case that we can’t tell the difference between a $30 bottle of Pinot Gris and an $8 bottle? Well, the truth is that some of us can.

[1] Source: The Guardian, Author: Ian Sample, Published: 14 April 2011

[2] Source: Journal of Wine Economics, Volume 3, Number 1, Pages 1-9, Authors: Robin Goldstein, Johan Almenberg, Anna Dreber, John W. Emerson, Alexis Herschkowitsch and Jacob Katz. , Published: Spring 2008

[3] Source: The New York Times, Author: M.P. Dunleavey, Published: 9 February 2008