Using a new database on Italian wines rated by the <italic>Guida dei Vini di Veronelli</italic> from 2004 to 2009, we show that the tasters' quality evaluations are affected by two sources of personal bias, namely generosity and personal preferences towards certain types of wine characteristics.

This article revisits the so-called 'Collapse in Quality' hypothesis, according to which, during the 2008--2009 crisis, higher quality goods experienced a stronger export reduction compared to low-quality ones. Using disaggregated trade data from three European countries that traditionally...