28th August, 2014 by Simon Howland
There’s more to romance than just getting them drunk according to a new study looking for the perfect drop for a date.
The study could provide a leg up for first dates.
By mapping emotional responses to particular wine traits researchers from the University of Adelaide believe they can provide an advantage to those embarking on their first starry-eyed rendezvous as well as offer deeper insight to the wine industry
According to the SBS the Australian researchers are investigating how people respond when they drink wine in particular settings, with responses ranked on an emotional scale.
Participants blind-tasted four wines at home, at a restaurant and in a sensory laboratory and were then asked to rate the extent to which each wine prompted 19 different emotions ranging from warm-hearted or nostalgic to tense or irritated.
Senior oenology lecturer Sue Bastian believes the study will deliver insight into how people respond to particular wine characteristics and the impact of different settings on those responses: “They might like a citrus-flavoured wine because it makes them feel energetic and invigorated and they might like another type because it makes them feel romantic.”
“We can actually then tell (the) industry (that) if your wine has this particular flavour and aroma, it’s going to cause these sorts of emotions in your consumers and they probably prefer it on this kind of occasion,” said Bastian
Furthermore, the study may help to determine why individual wine traits such as “green” herbaceous aromas can be off putting for some drinkers.
“Green aromas make people irritated and a little bit angry,” said Dr Bastian.
“They have been rejected by some markets. Before we would say they just don’t like it but now we can actually define why they’re not liked.”
By looking at responses to wines in different settings the study could be applied by the wine industry.
“The study could have important findings for Australian winemakers as well as sommeliers and other hospitality workers,” Dr Bastian said.
Preliminary findings from the trial are expected to be available later this year.
The study is being funded by the federal government through the Australian Grape and Wine Authority.