Scientists have proven that high price makes wine tastier

The price of wine directly affects the perception of the drink's taste. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the University of Basel in Switzerland.

According to the experts, a budget drink is perceived as more pleasant when the owner overstates its value, the Daily Mail reports.

The scientists conducted an experiment in which 140 volunteers tasted three brands of Italian red wine produced in 2013. The price of the wine was 10, 32, and 65 Swiss francs per bottle (300, 900, and 1900 UAH, respectively).

Each participant received six glasses. Three of them contained experimental wines without a price, and three contained the same drinks but with price tags. Some of them had the correct price, while others had the wrong price. Volunteers were asked to rate the "pleasantness and taste of the products" of each sample on a scale of one to six.

The result showed that all three wines were rated as "equally pleasant" when the glasses did not contain any information about the price: the tasters simply did not feel the difference. Moreover, the cheapest wine seemed to taste better when it had an overpriced label. When the price tag of 30 francs was put on a bottle for ten francs, its "pleasantness" increased by 20%.

At the same time, lowering the price of a drink for 65 francs did not lower its rating. It turns out that false information about the price of a bottle can improve the taste of cheap alcohol, but it cannot worsen the taste of expensive wine.

At the same time, the criterion of "flavor intensity" proved to be more stable: more expensive alcohol was rated higher regardless of whether participants were given true or false information. The participants of the experiment unanimously stated that the wine for 65 francs has the most vivid taste.