Assessing the impact of closure type on wine ratings and mood

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

We report on a preliminary study designed to assess the impact of the sound of the closure on the taste of wine. Given that people hold certain beliefs around the taste/quality of wines presented in bottles having different closure types, we expected that the sound of opening might influence people’s wine ratings. In particular, if participants hear a cork being pulled vs. the sound of a screw-cap bottle being opened then these two sounds will likely set different expectations that may then affect people’s judgment of the taste/quality of the wine that they are rating. In order to test this hypothesis, 140 people based in the UK (and of varying degrees of wine expertise) rated two wine samples along four scales, three relating to the wine and one relating to celebratory mood. The results demonstrated that the sound of a bottle being opened did indeed impact ratings. In particular, the quality of the wine was rated as higher, its appropriateness for a celebratory occasion, and the celebratory mood of the participant was also higher following the sound of the cork pop. These results add to the literature demonstrating that the sounds of opening/preparation of food and beverage products can exert a significant influence over the sensory and hedonic aspects of people’s subsequent tasting experience.

Original languageEnglish
Article number52
JournalBeverages
Volume3
Issue number4
Number of pages7
ISSN2306-5710
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: Funding for this study was provided by Bompas & Parr. No funds were received to cover the costs of publishing in open access.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

    Research areas

  • Closure type, Expectations, Opening sounds, Packaging, Wine perception

ID: 375019606