Scientists have proven, with science, that wine tastes better with powerful, heavy music.

So, if you like your techno with some fava beans and a nice chianti, there may be a reason.

“It is widely acknowledged within the scientific community that music affects behaviour,” according to Prof Adrian North of Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. “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 research showed that when a powerful, heavy piece of music is heard, a wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon is perceived as being 60 per cent more powerful, rich and robust than when no music is heard,” he adds.

Some would argue that everything is more intense with some powerful, heavy music!

The research in the department of applied psychology was based on cognitive priming theory, which suggests that music stimulates specific areas of the brain. When wine is tasted, these areas of the brain are already active and prime the listener to taste the wine in a corresponding way.

“I love the idea that music has such an enormous effect on the way we taste wine,” said David Williams, editor of Wine and Spirit magazine. “Maybe one day there will even be music lists in Michelin starred restaurants.”

Image: thefuturistics