Psychology of Wine Part II: Wine Tasting Theme

In the part I, I discussed a psychological aspect of ambience - in particular I discussed the importance of keeping good company when you are having a wine tasting party or any other special gathering.  

Now looking at environment in particular: today I would like to expand on the topic of your environment and what psychologically this can tell us.  In particular I want to focus on the physical environment which psychologically has profound positive effects.  

While the last installment really focused on social psychology; today's focus will be on the aesthetics of physical environment and what this can teach us about how an effective marriage of the various aspects of aesthetic can make for a perfectly enjoyable experience.

Proper aesthetics in my opinion depend on setting and working with a theme.

Creating a theme is important for having a nice and pleasurable physical environment.  In addition to the overall aesthetic pleasure, framing an environment with a theme can have a profound influence on the overall effect, psychologically.

A theme can be based on the time of year but it really can be anything you want.  Many people enjoy the creative process of coming up with a variety of themes. (I have even heard of a Sherlock Holmes theme for a wine tasting party!)  There is no limit - other than your imagination.
Let’s look at some specific components of working with a theme by going through some examples.

One important aspect is matching the type of wine to the theme.  (Of course my focus in this newsletter is always on red wines so the examples will be reds) In other words you might try a pinot noir wine in the summer, and a nice bubbly red in the spring, and in winter a more robust wine such as a shiraz, cabernet savignon, etc. 

I think you get the idea.  

I'm not suggesting that the only wines/drinks that match the theme need to be served but I'm saying it's important to have a theme with the wine.

Now the theme does not just relate to the wines but also relates to other aspects of the decore such as the flowers.   For example in fall, rich orange, golden yellow and harvest red are fall flower colours. Some examples of fall flowers are daisies, slipper orchids, hydrangeas, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums.

In the spring flowers are beautiful and fragrant. Spring is the time of renewal of plant life.  Nature awakens in spring, and spring flowers bloom.  Some examples of spring flowers anemone, birds of paradise, cherry blossom, dahlia, freesia, heather, hyacinth, orchids, peony, rose.

I hope that the next time you have a gathering that you will put some thought into setting and working with a theme.