Putting an age-old argument to rest

London, 2017: Wine lovers were given reason to celebrate as Bompas & Parr created an experimental wine-tasting experience in collaboration with the Portuguese Cork Association.

Visitors were invited to take part in Neuroenological Tasting - The Grand Cork Experiment, a ground breaking trial to test how the sounds, aromas and sensations associated with opening a wine bottle trigger our brains and influence our taste buds.

The experiment was influenced by research from experimental psychologist Professor Charles Spence, of Oxford University’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory, which proves that the sensorially stimulating attributes of what we drink from influences our enjoyment of the drink inside. Bompas & Parr took this research a step further, by using state-of-the-art brain activity monitors to test how visitors’ senses were triggered by the rituals associated with wine drinking.