Quality assessment tests. The effects of
expectation on sensory perception and food acceptance
have been investigated in studies designed to measure
consumer attitudes or expectations of product quality prior
to consumer evaluations of the product (Tuorila et al.
1998, Lange et al. 2000, Deliza and MacFie 1996). In these
expectation studies, the objectives were to determine or
measure consumer anticipation or to hypothesize consumer
attitudes about the products before experiencing
them. Thus, the tests are designed to determine congruency
between sensory experience and consumer expectation.
In our study, the objective was not to measure consumer
expectation but rather their potential bias toward
alternative closures. Bias, or prejudice is defined as “a
judgment or an opinion formed before the facts are
known, a preconceived idea” (Webster’s Dictionary). Since
other market research surveys have indicated that consumers
have a negative bias toward alternative wine closures,
especially screwcaps (Cartiere 2004), our study was
designed to compare consumer perception of wine quality
from its sensory properties when tasted blind with quality
ratings for the tasted wine when the single variable of
closure type was added to the wine sensory experience.
Chardonnay. The information regarding sample closure
type did not significantly affect participant opinions of
how much they liked or disliked the natural cork samples.
However, when they learned that the wine sample had a
synthetic cork, the mean liking score tended to be lower.
For frequent wine consumers, the number of participants
who decreased their liking scores was higher than the
number who increased their scores. This tendency should
not be ignored and is good reason for test replication with
a different and perhaps larger set of consumers. Participant
liking scores were definitely lower for the Chardonnay
sample with the screwcap. Participant quality ratings
for the wine did not change for either type of cork
closure; however, quality ratings were significantly lower
when participants were informed that the wine had a
screwcap.