Country-of-Origin as bias inducer in experts' wine judgments - A sensory experiment in a world wine fair

The main objective of the present study was to evaluate whether wine origin induces implicit biases in wine experts' judgments. Twenty-two wine traders from 10 different countries were asked to rate liking and to provide a sensory description of eight Pinot Noir wines from four different countries (Argentina, Brazil, France, and Switzerland) in both blind and informed conditions at the ProWein International Wine and Spirits Fair" 2018 edition in Dusseldorf, Germany. In the informed condition, the country of origin (COO) of the wine was provided to the participants. Our research reveals that COO bias affects wine traders. Once the COO was disclosed, the likeability ratings of wines from Argentina and Brazil dropped. The COO also inferred bias in the way assessors described/judged the wines in the three evaluation conditions: visual, orthonasal, and mouthfeel. Brazilian and Argentinean wines are often described using negative hedonic descriptors under informed conditions. The opposite trend was also observed. When assessors were aware of the origin of wines, they often described French and Swiss wines by adding positive sensory descriptors. These findings are helpful for wine consumers, producers, the gastronomy industry and for policymakers who make decisions about COO-labeling laws and export promotions.