A study led by Washington State University researchers found that women were more inclined to purchase wine that had labels with feminine gender cues. — Photo: cyano66 / Getty Images, via ETX DailyUP
Whether it's the music, the place or even the person we're with, a whole host of factors can influence our view of a particular wine. Now, US research suggests that even the label on the bottle could influence our purchasing intentions and shape our perception of the wine within.
Perceptive clues like color or smell already help us form an idea of the wine we're about to drink, influencing our opinion even before we've tasted it. But the sensations experienced during tasting are also known to vary according to the context in which we sample a wine. Not only the time of day, but also the people we're with can influence our perceptions, just as the background music can also impact our sensitivity to certain flavors. Previous research has demonstrated this phenomenon, observing in particular that wine tasted in a "powerful and heavy" musical atmosphere seemed to have the same characteristics.
