Wine Quality as a Source of Information Asymmetry: Signals, Screens, and the Role of Emerging Technologies

Wine quality is a multidimensional and contested concept that generates persistent information asymmetries among producers, consumers, experts, and regulators. This review synthesizes multidisciplinary evidence from economics, marketing, sensory science, and digital innovation to examine how wine quality’s intrinsic, extrinsic, institutional, and cultural dimensions interact with mechanisms of signalling and screening. Using a structured conceptual review and systematic evidence mapping of 76 peer-reviewed studies, the paper identifies where traditional mechanisms - such as price, reputation, expert ratings, geographical indications, and certification schemes - mitigate uncertainty and where they merely relocate it along the value chain. The analysis introduces the notion of layered systems of trust, showing that each corrective instrument reduces one type of asymmetry while generating dependencies elsewhere. Emerging digital tools, particularly blockchain and related traceability technologies, offer complementary ways to enhance transparency and governance but also create new informational challenges around data input and interoperability. The paper concludes that wine markets will continue to rely on hybrid constellations of traditional and technological signals, underscoring the need for governance frameworks that integrate digital innovation with the preservation of wine’s sensory, cultural, and institutional complexity.