London - It has long been known that to get the best out of your wine you should pair it with particular foods.
But it seems what¹s playing on the stereo can also have a bearing on taste.
A study reveals those who drink wine while listening to music perceive their tipple to have the same characteristics as a particular artist or tune.
For instance, for an earthy and full-bodied Merlot experience, drinkers should listen to Tom Jones, the research published in the British Journal of Psychology found.
Professor Adrian North of Herriot-Watt University in Edinburgh gave taste tests to 250 students while playing music.
They were given either Alpha 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon a red or Chilean Chardonnay and played one of four pieces with contrasting characteristics. These were described as “powerful and heavy”, “subtle and refined”, “zingy and refreshing” and “yellow and soft”.
Volunteers were then asked to describe how the wine tasted. The results showed the tune they listened to consistently affected how they perceived it to taste.
For example, both wines were given the highest ratings for being heavy by those who drank them to Carmina Burana by Orff. - Daily Mail