Scientists create the world’s first guide to matching wine with FLOWERS – and say you should drink Sauvignon Blanc with pale pink carnations and Pinot Noir with red roses
Arranging a table for a dinner party is already stressful – but don’t forget to match the flowers with the wine being served.
A new study suggests that the flower arrangement in the center of the table may change people’s perception of the wine in their glass.
Researchers recruited 32 people and asked them to taste two red wines in rooms with two different types of flower arrangements, or none at all.
One of the wines, a rich and intense Tannat from Uruguay, is a ‘robust’ wine, meaning it feels hard on the palate, with a strong aroma and flavour.
But when sipping this wine while looking at delicate flowers, people rated the Tannat as less robust than a milder Australian Pinot Noir.
Arranging a table for a dinner party is already stressful – but don’t forget to match the flowers with the wine being served. A new study suggests that the flower arrangement in the center of the table may change people’s perception of the wine in their glass. Some of the recommendations are listed above
Researchers recruited 32 people and asked them to taste two red wines in rooms with two different types of floral arrangements, or none at all (stock image)
The floral arrangement that had this effect included champagne roses and pale blue delphiniums.
Experts believe that the delicacy of the flowers also made the wine more delicate.
Dr. Heber Rodrigues, who led the study from the UK Center for Excellence on Wine Education, Training and Research, at Plumpton College in East Sussex, said: ‘Wine is one of the greatest sensory experiences in the world, but this new research suggests that it may be influenced by factors outside the glass, such as the flower arrangement on the table.
“It means that if you’re planning on serving a very hard, challenging wine at your dinner party, arranging some delicate florals can make the flavor less robust and more fruity, more elegant and floral.”
The study, published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, recruited British people aged 24 to 82 to rate the Tannat and Pinot Noir on a scale from delicate to robust, adding their own descriptions.
Blooming Haus, a luxury florist in London, supplied the flower arrangements used in the study.
The wine tasters tried both wines in a room with a delicate flower arrangement, a more ‘robust’ flower vase or no flowers at all.
They didn’t know which wines they were getting, or realized they were getting the same reds every time.
In every room, people often rated the Pinot Noir as delicate – meaning it was soft on the palate, with a more subtle flavor and aroma.
But the much more complex Tannat was wrongly judged more delicate than a Pinot Noir when it comes to a delicate floral arrangement, with pale, light and less colorful blooms.
Experts say a Pinot Noir goes best with red roses, while a Reisling goes well with blue hydrangeas (stock image)
That didn’t happen when the flowers on the table were ‘robust’: brightly colored and intense flowers, including red ranunculus and black lilies.
The Tannat was described as complex, sour and with a dark fruit flavor when drunk alongside these bright, intense flowers, but the tasters used lighter words like ‘fruity’ and ‘floral’ and thought it had a perfume-like smell when drunk . sipped next to a delicate, lighter colored bouquet.
The Pinot Noir was also rated more delicate when there were delicate flowers in the same room.
The results may help wedding planners and event organizers rethink their “table-scaping,” the researchers conclude.
Dr. Rodrigues, head of research at wine research firm The Secret Vine, said: ‘This research will revolutionize the way wine and flowers are combined.
“While there is more work to be done, it shows that event organizers can improve their guests’ experience by correctly pairing external elements with carefully chosen wines – and who wouldn’t want to drink that?”