Mozart or pop music? Effects of background music on wine consumers

Purpose: A considerable body of literature has shown how the perception of flavor is the result of a multi-sensory combination. Starting with this premise, this paper aims to verify how music impacts on wine flavor. Design/methodology/approach: An experiment was organized as follows: it focuses on the influence of music on the taste of red and white wine, in particular, two kinds of music were transmitted, namely, classical and pop. Participants had to listen to music through headphones tasting, in the meanwhile, 40 mL of wine (an merlot and a chardonnay). After this experience, they had to give an evaluation about some attributes of the wine. The attributes to be evaluated were: sparkling, refreshing, delicate, refined, sweet, sour, alcoholic and pleasant. Data were finally analyzed by using the ANOVA model. Findings: They highlight that a chardonnay is perceived to be more delicate and sweeter if accompanied by a classical music background; in the case of Merlot, on the other hand, it is perceived as less alcohol when high-volume pop music is transmitted. Implications are finally discussed. Originality/value: The influence of hearing on taste is underestimated in the literature. The originality of this manuscript consists of comparing two different music genders and their impact on wine consumers in an Italian context. Moreover, the analysis of marketing implications represents a novelty for these kind of studies.