Wine and music (II): can you taste the music? Modulating the experience of wine through music and sound

Abstract

A growing body of scientific evidence now shows that what people taste when evaluating a wine, and how much they enjoy the experience, can be influenced by the music that happens to be playing at the same time. It has long been known that what we hear can influence the hedonic aspects of tasting. However, what the latest research now shows is that by playing the "right" music one can also impact specific sensory-discriminative aspects of tasting as well. Music has been shown to influence the perceived acidity, sweetness, fruitiness, astringency, and length of wine. We argue against an account of such results in terms of synaesthesia, or "oenesthesia," as some have chosen to call it. Instead, we suggest that attention, directed via the crossmodal correspondences that exist between sound and taste (in the popular meaning of the term, i.e., flavor), can modify (perhaps enhance, or certainly highlight when attended, or suppress when unattended) certain elements in the complex tasting experience that is drinking wine. We also highlight the likely role played by any change in the mood or emotional state of the person listening to the music on taste/aroma perception as well. Finally, we highlight how the crossmodal masking of sweetness perception may come into effect if the music happens to be too loud (a form of crossmodal sensory masking). Taken together, the evidence reviewed here supports the claim that, strange though it may seem, what we hear (specifically in terms of music) really can change our perception of the taste of wine, not to mention how much we enjoy the experience. Several plausible mechanisms that may underlie such crossmodal effects are outlined.

Assessing the Impact of Closure Type on Wine Ratings and Mood

“…By contrast, there was no significant effect of closure type on ratings of wine intensity. These results are consistent with the view that the effect on mood-rather than any changes in the perception of the wine itself-might be driving part of the change in the ratings elicited by the sound of the cork, as opposed to the screw-cap closure [15,17]. The results of the present study further suggest that it is knowledge about the closure type, rather than how that knowledge was acquired (i.e., just from sound versus from sound plus touch-sight and action of opening and pouring the wine) that led to the ratings differences reported here.…”

Assessing the influence of music on wine perception among wine professionals

“…Over the last decade, a growing number of studies have started to address the question of whether what we hear can influence what we taste (see Knöferle & Spence, ; and Spence, ; for reviews). One of the major points of interest that has emerged from this body of research is the relationship between music and wine (North, ; Spence, ; Spence et al., ; ; Wang & Spence, ; see Spence & Wang, , , ; for reviews). Indeed, away from the rigors of the science laboratory, wine writers have long been tempted to compare specific wines to particular pieces of music.…”

“…Moreover, music also alters other aspects of participants’ taste experiences beyond liking (see Spence & Wang, ; for a review). For instance, at a live classical music performance where both a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and an Argentine Malbec were served, both wines were reported as tasting more acidic when Debussy's Jardin sous la Pluie, a fast, high‐pitched piano piece, was played.…”

“…At first, it might seem as though wine experts would be “immune” to such perceptual biases because they are more experienced in the objective sensory evaluation of wine. However, that said, there is anecdotal evidence of winemakers and writers endorsing the effect of music on wine (Gray, ; Smith, ; see Spence & Wang, , for a review). On the other hand, if wine experts are more attuned to subtle differences in smell or taste (whether inborn or through training), then it is conceivable that they would be better able to pick out any subtle changes in the tasting experience, resulting from the way in which music changes the focus of their attention.…”

Conducting Wine Symphonics with the Aid of Yeast Genomics

“…What we do know, however, is that both the sound of music and the taste of wine provides us pleasure in a crossmodal sensory fashion. Scientific evidence is now emerging that shows that regular wine drinkers are able to reliably match certain wines with particular pieces of music [1][2][3]. A metaphoric parallel between music and wine as expressions of human creativity and imagination.…”