Top of the pops – sound of a cork makes wine taste better

Screwtops rated less enjoyable but hearing, not taste, is the reason why

WINE traditionalists have long looked down on screwtop bottles, and now an Oxford University study appears to have proved them right – wine really does taste better if it is sealed with a cork.

However, the reason for the improvement is perhaps surprising. The scientists’ findings suggest that rather than affecting the flavour or the smell of the wine, it is the sound of the cork that makes the drink taste better.

The study, by a team at the Crossmodal Research Laboratory headed by psychologist Prof Charles Spence, involved 140 participants.

They were asked to sample two Argentinian Malbecs – a Terrazas de los Andes, and a Catena – after listening to the sound of a cork being opened, and then after listening to a screw-top bottle being opened.

They were then asked to resample the wines after opening bottles sealed with both corks and screw-tops themselves, unaware that they were trying the same wines, but sealed differently.

Asked to rate the ambience, sound, aroma and sight of the two wines, participants rated the bottles sealed with a cork as 15 per cent better in quality. Overall, 113 participants said that they preferred a wine with a cork, while just 13 plumped for the screw top.

The study also found the perception of the wine was further enhanced in festive settings, with participants claiming that bottles with corks were more likely to induce a “celebratory mood”.

The study concluded that “the majority of those ques- tioned preferred the taste and flavour of the wine from a cork stoppered bottle.

“These results are consistent with the view that the effect on mood might be driving part of the change in ratings elicited by the sound of the cork,” it said.

Prof Spence added that the research had demonstrated that senses such as taste were amplified by how we “hear, see and feel” about certain products.

“Our senses are intrinsically linked – what we hear, see and feel has a huge effect on what we taste,” he said. “The sound and sight of a cork being popped sets our expectations before the wine has even touched our lips, and these expectations then anchor our subsequent tasting experience.”

The findings are unlikely to end the debate over whether a cork or screw-top is superior. While cork stoppers have been used in winemaking since the 18th century, the issue of “cork taint” has led some sommeliers and wine drinkers to opt for screw-tops.