Pairing Wine With Food? Consider the Soundtrack, Too

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Don Farrall

In the mood for some Pinot Grigio? Why not pair it with some Lady Gaga?

For the ultimate wine connoisseur, perhaps an accompaniment of filet mignon may not be the best answer. A recent study from the British Journal of Psychology shows that wine drinkers should also consider what’s playing on the stereo for the best tipple.

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The results showed that music the volunteers listened to in the study affected how they perceived the wine. The study says, “The results reported here indicate that independent groups’ ratings of the taste of the wine reflected the emotional connotations of the background music played while they drank it.”

That said, if you want to taste a full-bodied Merlot, maybe its best to put on Tom Jones. But researchers have no idea whether if it’s the musical “cultural connotations” of the music influencing the drinker, or if there is another reason.

What about the reverse? Well, if you’ve got some terrible music going on, you probably won’t notice it after a few glasses of wine either. Drink up.

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Erica Ho is a reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @ericamho and Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.