I’ll drink to that

The research, involving 250 university students, was conducted in collaboration with Chilean wine-maker Aurelio Montes. The participants each enjoyed a glass of wine while four different types of music were played, including Carmina Burana by Orff and Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker.

The results suggest that different types of music stimulate different areas of the brain, influencing the way our taste buds respond. For instance, when a powerful piece like Carmina Burana is played, a glass of red was perceived to be 60 per cent richer and more robust than when no music was played at all, while white wine's flavour was found to be enhanced by energetic music.

Dr Adrian North, professor of psychology at the university, said: 'It is widely acknowledged within the scientific community that music affects behaviour. However this is the first time it has been scientifically proven that music can affect perception in other senses and change the way wine tastes.'

The study concluded that 'sensory priming theory' would explain these results, whereby the specific areas of the brain responsible for processing sensory information (in this case taste) are primed to respond in a certain way.

www.hw.ac.uk

• Print
• Email to friend
• Discuss