Hello wine-lovers,
Did you know the human body is made up of around 70% liquid? Interesting huh? So I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that when it comes to the moon, we find ourselves reacting in the same way as any other large body of water. We all know that the moon affects the tides right? Well, apparently it also affects us and our ability to taste wines as well.
Sounds like madness? Yes, well – a week ago, I would have agreed with you wholeheartedly but now, I am no longer sure at all. I’ve been taking part in an experiment to taste the same wines in the same place with the same people but with fresh bottles opened on four different days – days designated by the Biodynamic calendar as either ‘Fruit’ ‘Root’ Leaf’ or ‘Flower’. And much as I would like to say they all tasted the same, the fact remains that something has changed because they simply don’t.
Is it the moon? So Johnathan Grieve of Avondale believes it is and that, when combined with his organic and biodynamic farming, the difference can be accurately predicted to the benefit of his business – for example he always tries to ensure that journalists taste his wine on ‘Fruit’ or ‘Flower’ days, a practice now being copied by some of the UK’s top supermarkets and wine merchants.
Having been convinced about these amazing effects, I started wondering if perhaps it could account for other changes as well. We’ve all had that occasion when our favourite restaurant has left us feeling a bit unsatisfied – I tend to regard it as an ‘off-day’ in the kitchen or that I’ve ordered badly – but what if it isn’t the kitchen’s fault or mine, but rather the fact that the moon is influencing my taste buds? Once you start accepting this as a possibility, all sorts of thing start making sense – vastly differing opinions of food and wine can be reconciled not just by blaming personal tastes, but also factoring in the waxing and waning of greater forces.
I must say that I don’t really want to believe this – but I honestly, truly can find no other logical explanation for the differences I’ve tasted this week. I would love to hear from anyone else who thinks this can be true – either for food or wine – and email me on editor@food24.com. In the meantime, I am anxiously planning my next night out to make sure it’s an auspicious day for steak and a good red wine!
Cheers