Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2021
This paper analyzes buying decisions when consumers consider the risk that a bottle of wine may be cork-tainted. Drawing on a sample of 804 subjects, we examine the role of gender, price level, and subjects’ country of origin and their personal cork-taint risk assessments. We find that women assess the cork-taint risk higher than men but are still more likely to buy bottles with cork closures. Young consumers from Asia are more risk-averse than people from Western countries. Gender and regional differences vanish for wines in higher price brackets. (JEL Classifications: C90, D12, L66)
The authors acknowledge comments from and suggestions made by Nikos Georgantzis, Karl Storchmann, and an anonymous referee.