Participants in the study rated three widely available white wines (Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc) in three separate taste tests. The first was a blind tasting with no information provided. In the second, people were given a basic sensory description of the wine. In the third, they were provided with an “elaborate/emotional” description of what they were drinking.

More elaborate wine descriptions, including information about the winery’s history and positive wine quality statements, were found to significantly increase how much the participants liked the wine.

People were also more likely to be positively emotional about a wine if they felt that their high expectations - elicited by the label description - had been closely matched by how much they actually liked it.

So while it’s easy to make fun of the overblown descriptions on the sides of wine bottles, the rule seems to be: don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Images: iStock

Wine makes us feel emotional before we’ve even opened the bottle, says new research