This post reports the results of a study carried out to investigate (i) attributes driving wine professionals’ judgments of quality and complexity in Pinot noir wines; (ii) the relation between these two abstract concepts; and (iii) association of each concept with varietal typicality. The key drivers of perceived quality were descriptors varietal typicality, expressiveness, overall structure, and attractive fruit aromatics, along with complexity questionnaire attributes of harmony, balance, and number of identifiable flavours. Results show that quality and complexity were positively associated concepts and that both were linked positively with varietal typicality. Visual influence was not a major driver of wine professionals’ judgments but being able to see a wine’s colour influenced tasters’ judgments to wines at each end of the price/quality spectrum.
