The Magical Science of Taste

Did you know that just changing the light and music can alter how you perceive a wine by up to 20%? Ever wondered why that bottle of holiday rosé was such a crushing disappointment when you got it home? 

High-tempo music can make a dish taste more spicy - lower-pitch sounds bring out bitterness in wine. (Though, 'we can't turn water into wine musically...yet.') Rubbing velvet versus sandpaper can change how you perceive a wine's body. Even the microbiome in our gut and mouth can affect our perception of a wine.

Welcome to the curious world of Professor Charles Spence - experimental psychologist and one of the world's foremost experts in multisensory perception. He follows on from what the Italian Futurists pioneered in the 1930s (and they, according to Spence, 'recommended turning up to dinner parties in pyjamas made from satin, silk, velvet and sandpaper, and eating the food without cutlery by burying your face in the plate while rubbing your neighbour's jim-jams...')

This is the first in a series of programmes we'll be doing on wine and food. Before we launch into the delicious nitty-gritty, we wanted to understand the world of taste and flavour in more depth.

So here we dive into the world of smell, sound, touch, sight, taste, atmosphere, glassware, bottles, genetics - and the future.

In the mix are hyper-directional speakers and sound showers, 'spit-in-bag' dinners, parosmia, artificial reality and drinking liquid gold.

What Spence finds 'intriguing' are, 'those potentially transformative or magical experiences that you might get by combining wine with food or music.'

This is our kind of science - and this fascinating episode serves as the perfect launch-pad to leap into the delicious world of food and wine. Bon appetit!

More details, photos and links are on our website: The Magic of Taste Science with Charles Spence show notes

Here are the links to Charles' books: 

• Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating
• Sense-hacking: How to Use the Power of Your Senses for Happier, Healthier Living

PS: this episode also features the brilliant winners of our Bordeaux wine giveaway, thanks to everyone for entering, and thanks to the Bordeaux Wine Council for DOUBLING our prizes in recognition of the quality and quantity of entries. Thanks also to Kristin for writing on social media that: 'Susie and Peter are just the right amount of geek.'  🤣