Britons actually prefer cheaper wine

Those too ashamed to admit that Jacobs Creek is their favourite tipple are not alone, experts have found, as they have proved that Britons actually prefer cheaper wines.

            In blind taste tests eight in ten Britons preferred cheaper wine and six out of ten even thought the £4.99 bottle was more expensive than the £19.99 version, according to research from the London Wine Academy.

            The results are likely to prompt questions in the wine world and the academy told the Daily Mail that, despite the results, the £19.99 bottle is still superior - it just takes experience to realise it.

            The results of the tests were gathered from around 20,000 wine enthusiasts who have attended courses at the academy over the last 20 years. Before they were taught how to taste or what to look for in a wine, each group blind tasted two wines from the same grape variety which are sold at different prices and asked to rate the tipple and guess the price.

            The academy says that amateurs base their judgment of a good wine on its smoothness and cheaper wines tend to have lower acidity, higher alcohol content and a simpler flavour. However, the experts look for complex flavours, the way that they are balanced, and how long they linger.

            The better, and normally pricier, the wine the longer the flavours will linger – a matter of seconds for a cheap wine compared to nearly a minute for the more expensive varieties, said academy founder Leta Bester

            She added: “Initially our students prefer the simplicity of less expensive wines. But as their understanding and sense of taste grow they tend to gravitate to pricier wines that display more complexity.”   No one is born with a good or bad palate and, as in any discipline, tasting is about teaching your body, she said, in this case about developing the “lines of communication” between your nose, tongue and brain.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. More than half believed the cheap wine cost more.

b. The experiment was carried in places where wine is sold.

c. The cheaper the wine is, the more alcohol it has.

d. People trained in wine tasting not always prefer expensive wine.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. What was the experiment about?

b. What do experts look for when they taste wine?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. probable par.3                b. to collect par. 4                                              c. to be present at par. 4

d. almost par. 6                   e. to show off par. 7

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a.  People thought the £4.99 bottle was more expensive than the £19.99 version.

            The £4.99 bottle was...

b.  The results of the tests were gathered from around 20,000 wine enthusiasts.

            They...

c.  She added: “Initially our students prefer the simplicity of less expensive wines

                She added...

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Price is a synomym of high quality. Do you agree?