Move over, Two Buck Chuck: Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have discovered that pricier wine is just more enjoyable.
In the study, people undergoing MRIs sampled wines at various price points, including some that were the same but marked with different prices.
When the testers sipped the stuff with the higher price tags, their brains actually showed more pleasure. But when they didn’t know the prices, tasters rated the $5 wine highest.
The study, however, was not without its flaws. Its main researcher calls the participants “not very experienced” in drinking wine and suggests that wine professionals would be more likely to identify the better bottles.
Still, chalk one up for mind over matter. At our next dinner party we’ll remember to serve the Riunite Lambrusco out of Château Latour bottles. Or at least tell our guests the wine’s from California.
Our brains like wine better when we think it is more expensive, but that doesn’t mean we like expensive wine. There’s an interesting story afoot about how the LCBO planned to raise the minimum price of wines that they would sell. When word got out, a storm of public protest broke against our dear old state monopoly. Find the story here:
http://www.lawandstyle.ca/shortcellar
Matthew