The ambience of the setting when you are enjoying a glass of wine on holiday can enhance your enjoyment.BrasilNut1/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
In my years of writing about wine, I have received countless emails from readers complain that the extraordinary wine they enjoyed while away doesn’t taste the same when they’re back home. That delicious local wine discovered in an idyllic corner of Greece or Italy isn’t anything like they remember it.
Was it damaged in transit, they wonder?
The wine is likely the same, I suggest. They are different. They’re no longer enjoying time away from the stress of work and home. They are in a different mental space and environment.
Wine tastes better when you’re on vacation.
You’re relaxed. Having fun. Enjoying a glass of wine with a meal in a charming bistro or on a terrace overlooking a picture-perfect vista of rolling hills or a sandy beach and stunning blue water. All those sights, colours and sounds amplify your mood, which can make an ordinary white taste like the best wine ever – at least, better than average.
Sensory science studies suggest that light and music profoundly influence how we interpret taste. Red light, for instance, can make a wine taste sweeter. So you don’t need to be following in the footsteps of Frances Mayes in Tuscany or Peter Mayle in Provence to be seduced.
The same thing can happen with wines you enjoy when dining out.
You can jot down the name of a wine and its vintage that you enjoyed in a restaurant only to find it’s not as enjoyable when you serve it at home. The ambience of the setting – the music, lighting, and décor – influence your enjoyment. There’s also the quality of the meal you’re eating, how it’s seasoned as well as the care and attention the sommelier brings to the meal, possibly decanting the bottle, monitoring its serving temperature, selecting the right wine glass. Everything contributes to elevating the experience, heightening your senses.
(At home, I suggest paying close attention to serving temperature, especially during summer months. Serving temperature is important to how we appreciate the flavours of the wine in our glass. Too cold and the flavours are muted, too warm and they lose their freshness. Pour a glass and leave it on the counter to compare with a fresh pour of a bottle that’s been in the fridge for 15 or 20 minutes to see how the wine tastes and which you prefer.)
Be sure to embrace the opportunity to try different things when you’re away from home, try to soak up the range of flavours on offer and enjoy what might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you decide to make room in your suitcase to bring a favourite bottle of wine home with you, be sure to manage your expectations.