Do not be surprised if restaurants start playing Wagner to disguise the taste of the house red. Scientists have discovered that music influences taste - and that listening to powerful, heavy music makes wine seem richer and heavier.

The research, conducted by Adrian North, head of Applied Psychology at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, is based on the cognitive priming theory. When a particular style of music is heard, it stimulates or “primes” specific areas in the brain.

Subsequently, when wine is tasted, these areas of the brain prime the drinker to taste the wine in a corresponding way.

The work was commissioned by Aurelio Montes, the Chilean wine producer. Mr Montes has long believed in the benefits of music and famously serenades his maturing wines with music, convinced that it improves the quality of the wine.

Mr Montes said: “I've always believed that playing music helps to improve the quality of our wines, and so I was keen to see if there was any scientific proof about the impact music has on how the wine tastes. We are delighted that drinkers will be able to experiment with our wines while listening to different styles of music.”

Professor North said that he was intrigued by Mr Montes's use of music in wine-making, “and was keen to explore whether music could actually influence the taste of his wines”.

“It is widely acknowledged within the scientific community that music affects behaviour. However, this is the first time it has been scientifically proven that music can affect perception in other senses and change the way wine tastes.”

Professor North's research showed that when a powerful, heavy piece of music such as Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns 'N' Roses was played, people drinking a cabernet sauvignon thought it was 60 per cent more robust than when no music was played. The research could have implications, such as spelling the end of piped music in bars. It also raises interesting questions about music and food matching.

David Williams, editor of Wine & Spirit magazine, said: “I love the idea that music has such an enormous effect on the way we taste wine, and I love the idea that people in the wine trade might make use of this information. Maybe we'll start seeing buy-one-get-one-free offers replaced by free Mozart with every bottle of Mosel Riesling, or a Nick Cave CD with a case of Barossa shiraz. And maybe one day there will even be music lists in Michelin-starred restaurants.”

Mr Montes is now investigating the possibility of adding music recommendations to its wine labels, suggesting the perfect soundtrack to complement each wine.

“Ive always believed that playing Gregorian chants aids the angelic maturation of our wines and is an important step in our wine-making process. It was therefore a natural extension to link with Heriot Watt, to scientifically determine the impact that music has on how wine tastes.”