Have you ever splashed out on a bottle of wine because you presumed it was a better vintage than the cheaper bottles? Most people believe that a higher price will equal a better tasting wine, however studies into the subconscious minds of wine tasters reveal that this could actually be a trick to be capitalised on by wine merchants.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology gave a group of wine tasters two glasses of wine from the exact same bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, but told them that one cost more than the other. By studying the orbito-frontal cortex of the tasters' brains, an area which indicates pleasure, the scientists noted that this area was more activated when drinking the "higher priced" wine.

Thus the pleasure was real even though there was no discernible difference in quality. "These results shed light on the neural effects of marketing," said Antonio Rangel, associate professor of economics at California Institute of Technology.

However, it is argued that true wine connoisseurs would be able to see past the mark-up and recognise a good wine when they tasted one. Hugh Johnson, wine writer for The Times, UK, states: "Most people who drink wine regularly know the real retail price and resent the big mark-up in restaurants. I think it spoils it."

Research programs such as this delve into the area of neuroeconomics, which is the study of the subconscious appeal of products. It is hard not to agree that consumers are lured by famous names and big prices, assuming that they are indulging in a quality product. The same seems to go for designer labels who make big business out of over-priced goods.