Vinos de Mendoza: relación precio en góndola versus calidad en degustación a ciegas

when a potential customer decides to purchase wine, he does so under the influence of factors related not only to the product quality but also to his knowledge of the brand. this research began by mapping the wines offered in retail outlets of mendoza, followed by blind tasting by a panel with people from middle-income sectors of mendoza, on the sole condition of being a wine consumer. the wines chosen for tasting were those with significant presence in retail locations. a selection on a simulated supermarket shelf was also conducted, with wines displayed with their price and packaging. sensory assessment was supplemented with the price the consumer would pay for what he tasted. when selecting from the supermarket shelf, the panelist did not choose the packaging cartons, but then, in doing a blind tasting of the product, he showed willingness to pay a higher price for it than its market value. the explanation for such behavior could be that the packaging carton may be associated to a lower social class, whereas the bottle is related to higher-income classes. the sensory analysis (senses: visual, olfactory, gustatory and balance) allowed us to observe that panelists give above-average scores in the specified range to the lowest prices. the consumer is willing to pay lower prices as prices go higher on the supermarket shelf.