How a Wine Name Impacts Price: Dr. Antonia Mantonakis Video Chat

In this fascinating video chat, Dr. Antonia Mantonakis reveals the insights from her research on how the name of a wine affects both our perception of it and how much we’re willing to pay for it. Difficult to pronounce names score higher, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that wineries should use them… find out why in this video.

Why does the ease with which we can pronounce the name of a wine influence our perception of both its quality and price?

How much more were research subjects willing to pay for the difficult-to-pronounce wine name? Why is that significant?

Who is more apt to pay more: wine novices or experts?

What are the practical applications of your research both for the wine industry and for us as wine consumers?

Watch part two of our video chat when we discuss how the fit between a celebrity athlete’s particular sport affects our perception of a wine, including golf, wrestling and speed skating. (It’s not what you’d expect.)

Dr. Antonia Mantonakis is a Fellow of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Goodman School of Business, and Associate Faculty of Psychology, at Brock University in Niagara, Canada.

She is a psychologist by training and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Toronto; and has both a Masters in Experimental-Cognitive Psychology and a Doctorate in Experimental-Cognitive Psychology from Simon Fraser University.

Her research focuses on the psychological factors that affect consumer behaviour and consumer decision making.

Antonia and I tasted this wine together:

Pfaffenheim Cuvée Bacchus Le Cave Des Vignerons De Pfaffenheim Gewurztraminer 2010, A.C., Alsace, France

A soft and subtle gewurz with notes of rose petal, lychee. Medium-bodied. Pair with: spiced Thai or Indian food, fresh fruit and creamy cheeses. Drink: 2012-2014. 996017 13% M 750 mL $19.95 Score: 87/100.