Oenosthesia: why music changes how you perceive wine
This isn't a metaphor or marketing ploy. Science has been demonstrating for decades that sound directly affects the perception of taste. In a winery or wine shop, ignoring this leaves the experience incomplete.
SOUNDWORK
5/30/20262 min read
There is a moment in a tasting when everything seems to be in its place. The glass has the right wine, the temperature is right, the light comes in well. And yet, something does not quite close. Sometimes it's the music. Sometimes it is the absence of it. Sometimes it's just that what's playing has nothing to do with what you're drinking.
That's not a vague feeling. It is a studied, measurable phenomenon with its own name: oenosthesia. The crossed sensory experience between wine and the other senses — including, crucially, sound.
The research behind the concept
Experimental psychologist Charles Spence of the University of Oxford has been studying how the senses affect each other for more than two decades. His experiments with wine and music are some of the most cited in the field of sensory gastronomy.
In one of his best-known studies, Spence asked participants to evaluate the same wine while listening to different types of music. The results were consistent: the music directly affected the adjectives they used to describe the wine. With powerful, low-frequency music, the wine was perceived as more robust, tannic, and heavier. With light, high-pitched music, the same wine seemed fresher, acidic, lighter.
The wine was the same. The sound changed him.
What does this mean for a winery or wine shop?
It means that music isn't decoration. It's not background noise. It's an active part of the sensory experience your customer is having while drinking.
A winery serving a high-altitude Malbec with aggressive electronic music isn't making a taste mistake—it's literally changing how that wine is perceived. And probably not for the better.
Conversely, a carefully curated soundscape designed to accompany a tasting—with the right energy, the appropriate tempo, and genres that reinforce the wine's characteristics—can make that same Malbec feel more complex, more rounded, more memorable.
How to apply it in practice
Oenosthesia doesn't require a complex technical setup. It requires discernment. Some basic guidelines:
For structured red wines—Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah—the best sound to accompany them tends to be organic, weighty, and without harshness. Piano, strings, a smooth groove. Nils Frahm, Bonobo, GoGo Penguin.
For white and sparkling wines—Torrontés, Chardonnay, Blanc de Blancs—the sound should be lighter, more airy. Minimalist jazz, high-pitched ambient, instrumental folk. Ólafur Arnalds, Max Richter, instrumental Sufjan Stevens.
For sophisticated tastings—where the customer is actively engaged—the music cannot compete with the conversation. It must remain in the background without disappearing. Volume matters as much as the selection.
For the end of an experience—when the wine has finished and the after-dinner conversation lingers—the sound can lower its intensity along with the moment. Invite guests to stay, not rush.
Why this matters beyond wine
Oenosthesia is the most studied case, but the principle is universal. Sound affects how we perceive food, space, time, and conversation. A restaurant with the right music makes the dishes taste better—not because the ingredients change, but because the brain processes the experience in an integrated way.
Ignoring sound is not a neutral position. It's a default decision that leaves the experience incomplete.