A survey carried out by researchers from the Institute of Psychology in Johannes Gutenberg University at Mainz, Germany indicates that the light setting of a room can influence how wine tastes. A number of sub-surveys were performed involving around 500 volunteers who were asked about their opinions regarding the taste of certain wines and the amount they would willingly pay for them.
It was determined that a certain wine tasted better under blue or red ambient light instead of white or green light. The participants were even prepared to pay an extra Euro for a certain Riesling bottle when offered under red light instead of green.
“It is already known that the colour of a drink can influence the way we taste it,” states Dr Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel of the General Experimental Psychology division. “We wanted to know whether background lighting, for example in a restaurant, makes a difference as well”. The survey revealed that, among other matters, the test wine was found to be almost 1.5 times sweeter under red light than under green or white light. The fruitiness of the wine also has the highest rating when under red light.
With these results, the researchers concluded that the colour of the lighting of a room can influence wine’s taste, even when no direct effect was made on the drink’s colour. “The extreme lighting conditions found in some bars can undoubtedly influence the way a wine tastes,” assumes Oberfeld-Twistel. He additionally proposes that wine tasting must be conducted in a neutral-light coloured surrounding.
The researchers intend to conduct further studies to provide more insights regarding this interesting phenomenon.
It was determined that a certain wine tasted better under blue or red ambient light instead of white or green light. The participants were even prepared to pay an extra Euro for a certain Riesling bottle when offered under red light instead of green.
“It is already known that the colour of a drink can influence the way we taste it,” states Dr Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel of the General Experimental Psychology division. “We wanted to know whether background lighting, for example in a restaurant, makes a difference as well”. The survey revealed that, among other matters, the test wine was found to be almost 1.5 times sweeter under red light than under green or white light. The fruitiness of the wine also has the highest rating when under red light.
With these results, the researchers concluded that the colour of the lighting of a room can influence wine’s taste, even when no direct effect was made on the drink’s colour. “The extreme lighting conditions found in some bars can undoubtedly influence the way a wine tastes,” assumes Oberfeld-Twistel. He additionally proposes that wine tasting must be conducted in a neutral-light coloured surrounding.
The researchers intend to conduct further studies to provide more insights regarding this interesting phenomenon.
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