Bias

Many bias can affect the perception, and the assessment of a wine. All bias are psychology-based, some are universal and some other are more localized due to traditions or rooted believes. Some of them are listed here:

Colour: the more intense and deep, the higher quality is perceived.

Price: it’s widely assumed that higher prices equal higher quality (this is often use as marketing leverage)

Certifications: certifications shown on labels, or anyway advertised, gain attention and lead consumer to believe in higher quality (and therefore willing to pay higher prices).

Critic scores: respected sources of assessment have great influence on consumers, but also on production, as producers are typically welcoming high scores and therefore willing to achieve awards, often triggering a loop of production-scoring-consumption that can last for several years.

Online scores: due to their nature, online scores can come from any sources, mostly non-professional, and therefore possibly less objective; this can spin a loop of similar reviews and evaluations.

Location: the location where the wine is presented can influence the consumer judgment about its quality and value (situation also has some influence).

Speaker: respected and/or well reputed presenter can massively alter the consumer personal appreciation of the wine, either positively or negatively depending on how the presenter chose to describe the wine itself.

Service sequence: when a flight of wines is served, the choice of the sequence can modify the perception of some wines (regardless the typical sequence of serving).

Bottle: the packaging can massively influence the perception of a wine; beside the aesthetic, bigger sized bottles can appear of higher value and quality, whereas the closure can shift a wine significantly below its real value and quality perception (can also shift above it, but less dramatically than the opposite effect).

Origin: well known wine producing regions command higher expectations and perceived quality against less known region (this can also be used as marketing leverage).