The next time you have a goblet of white wine, do drink it in a room back-lit with red or blue ambient lights - it will taste better, says a new study.
Researchers in Germany have found drinkers' brains are tricked into thinking a glass of white wine is better and more expensive tasting when exposed to the red or blue background lighting than those in rooms with green or white lighting.
"It is already known that the colour of a drink can influence the way we taste it. We wanted to know whether background lighting, for example in a restaurant, makes a difference as well. The extreme lighting conditions found in some bars can undoubtedly influence the way a wine tastes," lead author Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz was quoted by The Daily Telegraph as saying.
For the study, the researchers gave a group of drinkers the same bottle of Riesling in the differently lit environments and asked for their feedback.
They found the same wine was perceived as being nearly one-and-a-half times sweeter in red light than in white or green light. Its fruitiness was also most highly rated in red light. Drinkers in a red or blue set room were prepared to fork out more per bottle for the same tipple.
{{/usCountry}}They found the same wine was perceived as being nearly one-and-a-half times sweeter in red light than in white or green light. Its fruitiness was also most highly rated in red light. Drinkers in a red or blue set room were prepared to fork out more per bottle for the same tipple.
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