With Thanksgiving nearly upon us, many of us are out buying wine. A lot of us probably think we can taste the difference between fancy wine and inexpensive, but can we really? And would your guests know an expensive bottle of wine just by tasting it... or can you save big bucks on wine in a box?
TODAY national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen and the Rossen Reports team invited a group of TODAY show viewers to a wine tasting that featured fancy-looking pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. What the guests didn't know was: It was really inexpensive wine out of a box.
Hours before the party, the Rossen Reports team had poured box wine into empty wine bottles, complete with fancy-looking labels they had printed up reading "Boîte du vin" (French for "box of wine"). The results were revealing.
It was an example of "the power of persuasion," according to branding and marketing expert Linda Passante, CEO of The Halo Group. "You put wine in a fine bottle, so they believe they're drinking a fine bottle of wine."
Another reason to save on boxed wine: It actually lasts longer than wine in a bottle... anywhere from six to eight weeks after opening.
To suggest a topic for an upcoming investigation, visit the Rossen Reports Facebook page.