This post is a collaboration between Julia Burke at Skepchick and Ashley Hamer at Mad Art Lab.
When Anne Sauer alerted us to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Lettie Teague asking whether music can influence the actual taste of wine, the prospect of enjoying our two favorite things (Ashley’s a musician; Julia is a wine geek) was enough incentive to check it out. What is the relationship between music and wine? Can music make a wine taste better? And can a song influence a customer’s wine-buying decisions?
Julia first encountered the concept of music influencing wine a few years ago at DeMorgenzon, a highly acclaimed South African winery. Based on research indicating that music could influence the way vines grow, DeMorgenzon has been playing baroque music in its vineyards for years.
With such few good controls for the multitude of experiments devoted to the study of music and plants, skepticism is definitely warranted here—and references to crystals and “energy” seal the deal—but what about music and the finished product?
To continue reading and to comment (and to check out our wine playlist), head over to Mad Art Lab!
Featured image: Ratatouille (Disney/Pixar)
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