NEW YORK – It’s your first date, you’ve dressed up, thought of nonchalantly witty things to say, and, according to a new report from the Center for Mating and Hospitality, you’re about to order the second-cheapest wine.
“Nobody wants to look cheap on the first date. You want to convince your prospective partner that your job sorting court filings allows you to live life to its fullest,” explained Dr. Emily Hofstatter, who led the three-year research project. “So the cheapest bottle is, literally and figuratively, off the table.”
At the same time, Hofstatter found that people on first dates are unwilling to buy more expensive wines.
“‘What if he cries during One Tree Hill? What if she has chronic halitosis?’ These are things people want to know before buying the fancy bottle.”
So, with scientific certainty, the second-cheapest bottle is the bottle of choice.
“We conducted rigorous experiments, listing Dom Perignon at the bottom of the wine list, just below Cuvé Lethbridge and recording the choice of couples on their first date,” Hofstatter said. “Every time, Lethbridge won out.”
“If I were more cynical, I’d worry that restaurants would list their worst wine as the second-cheapest,” she concluded.
