Welcome to winepsych.com, the first website dedicated to the psychology of wine. People often ask me ‘what is the psychology of wine?’ and the most helpful answer seems to be ‘how we think about the wine we drink’.

Psychology has much to offer in terms of insights into our relationship with wine. It can help us understand how our sensory processes (including taste and smell) work and why we have such varied responses to different wines. It can also tell us why being told a wine is more expensive can increase our enjoyment and why experts are much more prone to mistakes when tasting wine than they might like to admit.

Psychology also helps us understand ‘problem drinking’ and offers solutions to some of the problems associated with wine. It can shed light on the economics of wine and how we, the consumers, select wines. For me though, the most fascinating area is how we talk about, appreciate and enjoy wine. This social dimension can add to our quality of life and the, often rarefied and exclusive, wine world could be more more intelligible and accessible.

This site aims to provide an entertaining and informative overview of psychological insight into the world of wine.  Please look at my blog to see, and comment on, the latest news.  All blog posts are also collated under the category headings on the left, so if you want to look at wine tastings or research reviews just click on link in the categories list.

The wine research section outlines studies that you are unlikely to find collected together anywhere else and also contains articles and information about psychological theory and the world of wine.  There are also book reviews, and  I have included sections on wine courses / education.

My wine tasting observations are collected together in the wine tastings section.   I have also included bar/restaurant reviews as I know these are popular.

I can be contacted here for inquiries and welcome constructive feedback. The site is a labour of love (I am primarily a Psychologist not a wine expert) but I am increasingly enjoying learning and writing about this wonderful topic.

Dr Miles Thomas (Registered Educational Psychologist)

BA(Hons), PGCE, Dip Psych, MSc., C Psychol, D App Ed Ch Psych, AFBPsS, FHEA