Music: A simple, yet incredibly complex pleasure with the power to alter our emotions and even change the way we perceive things. It has been at the forefront of human expression for thousands of years and over time has become even more powerful as new forms continue to emerge.
In the past decade, plenty of research has been carried out to suggest music can even affect the ways in which we interact with wine. So, let’s delve in to this and find out just what power music has when it comes to wine, and whether it can really change the way we perceive, purchase and even taste our vino?
Can Music Influence What Wine We Purchase?
According to a theory known as the 'Priming Effect', the answer to this is yes. There have been various studies over time monitoring this phenomenon, but one of the most significant took place in 1999 when scientists decided to look into the influence of music on wine purchases in wine stores.
When German music was played, a much higher concentration of German wines was purchased and the same was the case for both Spanish and Italian music and wine. It seems this 'Priming Effect' increases a particular area of our memory, influencing other decisions we make, which in this case means the wine that we purchase.
Can Music Influence How We Taste Wine?
A chap named Adrian North partnered up with Montes Winery to explore how listening to different types of music could affect the tasting notes we give the wines we drink. In order to do this he first found 4 songs and associated 'characteristics' with them, without any wine being involved. He then formed 5 different groups based on those songs:
· Group 1: Powerful and heavy characteristics (Carmina Burana by Orff)
· Group 2: Subtle and refined characteristics (Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker')
· Group 3: Zingy and refreshing characteristics (Just Can't Get Enough by Nouvelle Vague)
· Group 4: Mellow and soft characteristics (Slow Breakdown by Michael Brook)
· Group 5: Control group characteristics (No Music)
Participants in each group were given a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and Chilean Chardonnay, and after 5 minutes of tasting, they were asked to describe the wines. The researchers found that the participants tended to describe the wines in similar ways to the characteristics of the music that was playing, regardless of whether they were drinking a red or white whereas the control group had a totally different set of results.
This explains why the ambience of a venue is so important and therefore why the majority of high-end restaurants will always have elaborate music playing in the background. It would also explain why people spend a lot more money in restaurants that play classical music as opposed to other forms.
Can Music Directly Affect the Quality of Wine?
Now, this question still leads to a very mixed answer although there is some evidence to suggest that music may improve the quality of wines. In fact, big names such as Cloudy Bay and De Morgenzon have already taken to the art of music in attempt to improve their wines by using outdoor speakers to play music to their vines 24 hours a day.
According to Hylan Applebaum (owner of De Morgenzon winery), music has strengthened his vines and enhanced their health. His reasoning is that as the vines increase in size due to the effect of the music, they gain a larger surface area, which in turn increases the rate of photosynthesis, sugar, and therefore concentration of flavor within the grapes.
While some laugh at his views, scientific research in South Korea has actually shown that when classical music was played to rice plants, it triggered two genes within the plant (rbcS and Ald), resulting in a better quality crop. The same was found when a similar experiment was carried out with onions!
So, there you have it. We've discovered that music can influence the types of wine we buy, allowing us to perceive we've made a better purchasing decision. We've also come to understand that music can alter the tasting profiles we give wines, deeming them as better quality. Finally, we've explored the possibility that music can trigger genes in plants, possibly resulting in better quality crops.
While more and more evidence is producing compelling results to suggest that music can in fact make our wine taste better, a lot of skepticism still remains. You've read the story. Where do you stand?