The Effect of Subjective and Objective Tasting Sheet Descriptors on Tasting Room Sales in New York State

Abstract

A larger share of U.S. wineries is increasingly relying on direct-to-consumer sales mediated by tasting room experiences to make wine a more accessible and less intimidating product for consumers. Previous literature has shown that more favorably descriptive and evocative notes on menus and labels are associated with higher sales and product appeal in restaurant or retail settings. This study estimates the impacts of different types of tasting sheet descriptors on wine sales in winery tasting rooms, where the consumer decision-making process differs from the restaurant and retail settings. We find that using tasting sheets with only objective descriptors is associated with higher wine sales, in comparison with sheets that (a) use subjective descriptors only or (b) combine subjective and objective descriptors. This study supplements the current literature on the effects of product descriptions on sales performance. The findings suggest that wine tasting rooms should employ only objective tasting descriptors in their tasting sheets.