polls

Does Expensive Wine Really Taste Better?

Filed under: Wine

Does expensive wine really taste better? Yes, no, and sometimes.

Yes.
Many of the most expensive wines command a high market price because they belong to a popular or rare vintage, come from a winery with an outstanding reputation, and/or are genuinely very good and enjoyed by the majority of people. But expensive wines are also often preferred for another reason: a study by the California Institute of Technology found that people appreciate the same wine more when they think it's expensive. Brain scans found that drinking wine with a high price sends extra blood and oxygen to the pleasure centers of the brain, meaning that price can influence flavor in a very real way.

No.
Things are different when the price of the wine isn't factored in. Another set of research found that in blind tastings where the prices weren't known to test subjects the difference between wine price and overall rating was "small and negative," meaning that most people didn't get more enjoyment from expensive wines unless they knew they were expensive. When all things were equal the cheap wine tasted just as good as the pricey stuff. One exception was trained wine experts, who tended to prefer expensive wines even when they didn't know the cost.

Sometimes.
Expensive, cheap, when it comes to wine there are no rules and both have the potential to be very good. Whether you opt for expensive or not is more about personal preference, the individual wine, and having an open mind when it comes to stereotypes in the industry.

What do you think?

Does expensive wine taste better?
Yes, price reflects quality in the wine market.	44 (10.0%)
No, pricing is a business strategy and does not necessarily reflect a wine's quality.	141 (31.9%)
It depends, each wine is different.	257 (58.1%)

Tags: main-pedia, pedia-main, polls, wine, wine-pedia

Juicy Couture Leather Lock-It Worth-It Crossbody Hobo Bag, Ugly or Awesome?

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

The Juicy Couture Leather Lock-It Worth-It Crossbody Hobo Bag is an unusual bag for Juicy. Not only do their items typically come in candy colors, but this bag has a utilitarian, grungy, urban look we're not used to seeing from the young (13-year-old), typically girly brand.

We're not sure we love it, but we're highlighting it today because well, it's interesting. The pieced-together leather, the rough-looking logo plate, the long, braided leather toggle ... what does it all mean? Is Juicy trying to be less cute?

The Bloomingdale's description says, "Juicy Couture's studded, distressed leather crossbody hobo adds a casual influence to your fall look." Hmm. Perhaps this is intended for the college freshman who want to serious-up (seriousize?) their style for that Women's Lib class ... but really, it's perhaps not all that well-executed. It's large enough for books and all (13"W x 15"H x 5"D), but is it kind of ugly?

Also, the name -- "The Juicy Couture Leather Lock-It Worth-It Crossbody Hobo Bag" is unconscionably long. It's like they couldn't quite decide what it was themselves. The whole thing kind of reeks of "trying too hard."

Vote, and tell us what you think in the comments.

What do you think of the Juicy Couture Leather Lock-It Worth-It Crossbody Hobo Bag?
It's great!	114 (42.7%)
It's hideous.	65 (24.3%)
I detest Juicy, why are we talking about this?	88 (33.0%)

The Juicy Couture Leather Lock-It Worth-It Crossbody Hobo Bag is available from Bloomingdale's for $398.00.

Tags: crossbody, handbags, juicy couture, JuicyCouture, polls, purse

The New Nokia Carbon Arte Attempts to Prove the Cell Phone is Not Dead

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

It's not a Blackberry. It's not an iPhone. It's just a phone. The new Nokia Carbon Arte attempts to prove that the cell phone is not dead.

It has panels crafted with leather from Eastern India. Its sister phone, the Sapphire Arte has a sapphire "select" key. Both phones include a "groovy" soundtrack by Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister. Each has a 3.2 megapixel camera, 1 GB of built-in memory, and 3G capabilities. We like the weight, the way it slides open to reveal the keypad (shown), and the really cool silencing mechanism -- if you turn over the phone to screen-side-down when it's ringing, it stops.

Is the heyday of the cell phone over? At 1000 - 1500 euros, this is definitely a luxury item, but who among the elite wants a phone that doesn't surf the web?

Are Cell Phones Over?
Yes. Blackberries and iPhones, and whatever is next.	84 (53.2%)
No, cell phones are still a great luxury item	74 (46.8%)

Tags: cell phone, CellPhone, nokia, nokia carbon arte, phone, polls

How Do You Feel About Hearts?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

I have a friend who mentioned the other day in passing (I think she might be secretly hoping that her boyfriend hits me up for hints about what she likes) that she loves hearts in jewelry, especially heart-shaped gems. When she said that I couldn't help but remember a situation years ago when another friend actually cried when her boyfriend got her a heart-shaped amethyst pendant for her birthday, saying "how could he not know that I hate hearts in jewelry?"

Some women see hearts as corny and immature, while others see them as a universal and age-old symbol of romance and love. What's your take?