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• Tasting sound

The palate has ears

Red wine tastes better with the Rolling Stones, while Kylie Minogue provides the perfect accompaniment to white wine. Why music is proving to be the most noble of flavor enhancers.

A vintner in distant Chile monasticizes his grapes with Gregorian chants. And in not so austere Austria, a winegrower plays Muzak to soothe the fermentation process. The relationship between wine and music is bearing ever-stranger fruit. It used to be so simple: a good meal and the right wine. And, of course, the perfect music. If a sommelier wasn't around to instruct us in what vine's noble juice was suitable to which meal, in a pinch, we always had the bottle's label to fall back on. Music was simply a matter of taste. Tempi passati. However, ever since Scottish researchers discovered that music has a measurable impact on how we perceive wine, the time of wildly selecting background music has become a thing of the past. A hint of Kylie Minogue makes a Riesling spritzy; the Rolling Stones spices up a red wine. After making an extensive study of wine and song, a team led by psychologist Dr. Adrian North and consumer researchers have discovered that the palate has ears.

We taste what we hear

Research isn't always dry. At least not when academics at Heriot-Watt University divided 250 volunteers into five different groups for an exclusive wine tasting. As the fortunate test subjects sipped various types of wine, four groups were serenaded by different kinds of music. The control group drank their wine in silence. Taste-testers selected to partake in the lively wine tasting were then asked to describe the different wines. Results were startling: wine tasted significantly different depending on whether or not music was being played in the background. And that's not all. The music created a mood that directly impacted the test subjects' sense of taste.

Proving that we taste what we hear, Cabernet Sauvignon tasted 60 percent richer and more robust when listening to a powerful piece of classical music, while white wine tasted particularly lively and fresh when enjoyed to light pop music. Katy Perry gets our tongues jamming to Chardonnay. Strong red wines with tobacco, cocoa or wood notes have our tongues grooving to jazz and the earthy soul music of Seal and Söhne Mannheims. Dr. North's research was based on a theory that suggests that music stimulates specific areas of the brain. By the time the wine is usually served, any music being played has already stimulated the areas that prime the palate. In psychology, this is called cognitive priming. As North explains his results, "It is widely acknowledged within the scientific community that music affects behavior; however, this is the first time it has been scientifically proven that music can affect perception by other senses, thereby influencing the way a wine tastes." In another study, North was able to measure how much of an influence music has. Even before we've taken our first sip, sound has affected our purchasing behavior. When French accordion music is piped in at a wine shop, customers are more likely to buy French wines. Even German oompah music is able to cast a magical spell. In North's experiment, it increased the sales of German dessert wines. To some, this may sound like brainwashing, but North is convinced that music serves to accentuate our internal feelings and general behavior. The psychologist envisions a coming trend when wine labels will include music recommendations. And what will they suggest? Rock for Chianti and pop for Riesling. The new flavor enhancers. But how can the musical bouquet be enhanced? Just as the temperature of the wine and the glass selected must pay homage to an exquisite wine, so should the quality of sound equipment. As another study proves – this one in France – enjoyment and a boom box just don't mix. French psychologist Nicolas Guéguen found that the more he ratcheted up the music, the faster his test subjects got drunk. Better to fine-tune the balance of the music yourself and put on a good set of headphones. A votre santé!

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