Listening to live music while tasting wine makes the experience more delightful, even if the music is sad or nostalgic. This is according to a study published in the journal Foods by the University of Pisa and the National Research Council's Institute of Clinical Physiology (CNR). The study, undertaken as part of the "Cantina 5.0" project, examined the behavior of dozens of participants during public tasting events featuring live music. "We anticipated that the pleasantness of the wine would be reduced by melancholic pieces, while it would be increased by energetic and lively pieces. However, we observed an increase in both cases, albeit not to the same extent", emphasizes Professor Roberto Marangoni of the Department of Biology at the University of Pisa. Overall, roughly 70% of participants assessed the wine as better with any musical accompaniment, a finding that was consistent across age, gender, and level of expertise about wine and music. On a quantitative scale, the effect was only marginally more pronounced with energetic music (approximately 0.97) than with melancholic music (approximately 0.72), a difference of approximately 0.25. The study is part of a larger multinational research effort, but it adds a new dimension: emotion analysis in real-world circumstances, such as public tastings with live music. This technique provides a greater knowledge of how the wine drinking experience is built, going beyond a mere examination of its chemical properties. According to the experts, the findings "open up application perspectives for the wine and hospitality sectors; the conscious use of music can enhance the consumer experience. More generally, the study reinforces the notion that taste is not an isolated phenomenon, but the result of a complex experience in which emotions and environment play a decisive role". The study was conducted under real-world conditions during five public tasting events, which were attended by approximately 45–50 individuals recruited on a voluntary basis. During the evenings, participants drank the wines in three stages: initially without music, then with two live pieces performed by a jazz trio, one with sad overtones and one more dynamic and motivating. Following each sampling, participants filled out a standardized questionnaire, rating their enjoyment and expressing the feelings they felt.