Researchers have found a new way to enhance the taste of wine - drink it in a room bathed in red light and 'sweet' music.
A new study shows a simple change in color and sound can influence the taste of wine by 10 percent. For instance, listening to 'sweet' and 'sour' songs with red or green lighting can considerably change how a glass of wine tastes.
According to researchers, the study suggests red light and 'sweet' music, which is flowing and legato as well as soft and highly consonant, is the best combination to enhance enjoyment. It also found that green light and a 'sour' song, which is choppy and staccato with sharp and moderately consonant sounds, enhanced the wine's freshness but reduced its intensity by 14 percent.
"It's the same as someone moving from being ambivalent about the taste of something to really liking it," said Professor of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University Charles Spence, according to the Daily Mail. "And, with this experiment, that shift happened in seconds. We were astonished to see that color and sound has such a profound effect on the taste of wine."
Spence said that the team was hopeful about the effects but the results were far beyond their expectations.
"Conducting the world's largest multisensory experiment, over the four days, meant that we were able to unequivocally show, for the first time, that color and sound together have a far greater effect on people's taste perceptions than light by itself," he added.
