Why Wine Tastes Better in a Restaurant and More "Why?" Answers

Perhaps you thought it was all in your imagination.  But there are actually rational, even scientific, reasons why wine sometimes tastes better in restaurants than at home and why leftovers might taste better than the same food tasted on the day it was prepared.  Other "why?" answers below: why we like the foods we like and why a warm drink may be the perfect choice on a hot afternoon.

Why Might Wine Taste Better Out Than at Home?

Perhaps you've had this experience: You try a specific wine in a restaurant and find it outstanding.  Then you buy the exact same wine and try it at home.  You're disappointed; it doesn't taste quite as delicious.  You think perhaps there's a psychological factor at work: you're more relaxed and happier dining out, so everything tastes better.  That's one possible explanation, but there are other, more objective possibilities, according to wine experts quoted in a recent Chicago Tribune article.:

• ŸThere's no such thing as the "exact" same wine.  Each bottle is unique, so the discerning taster may notice subtle differences.  Furthermore, different vintages (wines from different harvests) may taste slightly different.

• ŸThe taste of a wine is affected by the food that's eaten with it.  Sometimes the combo enhances the taste of the wine; sometimes it spoils it.

• ŸThe wine glass or the detergent it was washed in can affect the taste. The solution to this problem: swirl a bit of wine around in the glass to "coat" the interior before filling the glass.

• ŸTemperature affects the taste of wine--both the temperature it was kept at in transit and the temperature it's served at.  We all agree that white wine should be chilled and served at about 40°F.  However, although most folks think red wines should be served at room temperature (about 72°F), the wine expert quoted in this article says reds should be cooler than that, about 60-65°F.  How do you get wine to that temperature?  Refrigerate it awhile, and then put it on the counter for about an hour before serving.  That might get you to the recommended temperature.  If it doesn't, your guests probably won't know the difference anyway.

Why Does Dinner Sometimes Taste Better the Next Day?

Let's begin with my opinion and see how it matches a Chicago Tribune "Good Eating" article, which quotes Kantha Shelke (an Institute of Food Technologists spokesperson and food chemist) and other experts with impressive credentials.

In my opinion (written prior to writing beyond the first paragraph of the article), foods in liquids such as sauces tend to improve the next day because they're marinated longer and pick up more flavor from the ingredients.  On the other hand, leftover poultry and beef taste less good when they're a day old--unless the chef doctors them a bit.  Feel free to write a comment below indicating that I'm right.  If you don't think so, well--I guess you can still speak your piece.

Onward to the experts:

• ŸThey agree with me that soups and sauces usually "taste just as good or even better with storage."

• ŸFoods flavored with strong spices (onion, garlic ginger, lemon grass, etc.) may taste better the next day.  On the first day, the strong flavors may stand out too much, but by day 2 they may blend in better. Another part of the article says that the taste of the seasoning may, in some foods, get stronger with time.

• ŸThe article also says that the ways a dish is cooked, cooled and reheated also affect its taste.  The advice: Foods should be covered and cooled rapidly to keep flavors from evaporating.  [Shelf Life Advice note: Putting a large amount of food into 2 or 3 smaller containers and/or cooling the dish in an ice bath will speed up the cooling process once the food is refrigerated. Read about using an ice bath here.]

• ŸWhen reheating, don't use prolonged high heat.  That will cause the dish to lose flavor. Instead, reheat to a boil, then simmer.  Remember, all leftovers should be cooked to 165°F to kill pathogens. 

• ŸThe article also suggests (as I did) that leftovers can sometimes benefit from the addition of fresh ingredients.  Since fresh herbs lose some of their flavor when reheated, adding more is a good trick. 

• ŸThe experts also recommend garnishing to add color and serving leftovers in a different way to achieve variety despite recycling. 

• ŸBeef doesn't work as well as a leftover as poultry or fish, say the experts.  

A final Shelf Life Advice suggestion:  If your family balks at eating the same stuff just a day or two apart, freeze leftovers (of items that freeze well), and use them in a few weeks.  (Don't tell your family they're reheated leftovers!)

Why Do We Like the Foods We Like?

The answer is in the June, 2013 food issue of Smithsonian, in a piece entitled "Accounting for Taste."  It's a nice long article (written by Tom Vanderbilt) with information from research, psychologists, the U.S. army, and other sources. A short version is online entitled "Why You Like What You Like."

Here are the salient points in the hard copy:

• ŸExperiences from one's life as a fetus or an infant may influence taste preferences.  One well-known study revealed that babies were more likely to favor cereal made with carrots if Mom drank carrot juice while pregnant or nursing. 

• ŸFood preferences are, in part, a learning experience and are also sometimes related to the body's physical response to a food.  Example: if a food gives us energy (coffee!) and doesn't make us sick, we tend to keep choosing it.

• ŸMost people find the taste of sugar--in proportions about the same as in ripe fruit-- pleasant, whether they're from Japan, Taiwan, Australia, or (we presume) anywhere else.

• ŸAroma affects our taste preferences, influencing what we love and hate. 

• ŸRepeated exposure to a flavor makes us like it more (For example, we're getting very accepting of chipotle now that it's so ubiquitous.)  This generalization is especially true for foods that contain a complex melding of flavors.  However, when a food is dominated by a single flavor, we can get tired of it, even while we're eating it.  The first few bites may be great, but then we may push the dish away in disgust.

• ŸNovelty may arouse our desire to taste a food or make us unwilling to try it if our senses tell us, for instance,  that it doesn't look or smell like the food it's supposed to be.

• ŸExpectations are a major driving force of liking a food, says one expert quoted in the article.  If we see that the brand is a food company we know and trust or if we're told the recipe came from a famous chef, we're more likely to like it.  On the other hand, if we're told that we're taste-testing ready-to-eat military food, we're probably not going to think it's yummy.

• ŸDoes the name sound good?  Do the adjectives used to describe it make the dining experience sound pleasant?  There is "an anticipatory leap forward" in response to a delicious description.  We expect to like it, so we probably will. 

Your Shelf Life Advice editor has one further thought about food preferences: perhaps they're also related to the personality type of the individual.  Some people are risk-takers; others are not.  Wouldn't you expect sky-divers and extreme sports enthusiasts to take more chances with new and exotic foods? 

Why Might a Warm Drink Cool You Down?

Thanks to the University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter, we have this timely summer tip to pass on: then the weather is sweltering, a WARM drink might help to cool you down better than a cool drink. (This surprising conclusion is based upon a 2012 Canadian study of male cyclists).  Why?  "Nerve receptors in the mouth are activated by heat, and that can trigger the brain's thermo-regulatory center to induce sweating." As you already know, perspiration cools the skin and helps to lower body temperature.  Evidently, more heat is lost from evaporative cooling than is gained by drinking the warm beverage. 

(There is a caveat to the above recommendation:  In a very humid environment, sweat doesn't evaporate from the skin as well, so a cold beverage would be a more effective cooling agent.) 

Now, what should you eat with your warm drink?  Something spicy because, again, many spicy foods can make you sweat.  This may explain, the article says, why spicy foods (chili pepper, black pepper, etc.) are the common cuisine in hot regions of the world.  However, the article goes on to say, spices also help to mask the taste of spoiled food. A Shelf Life Advice Advisory Board scientist also pointed out that some spices inhibit the growth of pathogens, so they may keep food safe to consume longer in tropical climes.

Source(s):

Chicago Tribune "Good Eating" section "Second time's the charm" and "Why do some wines not taste the same at home?"  April 17, 2013.

University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter July 2013.

Smithsonian June 2013.