How TV can transform your sense of TASTE: Downton Abbey makes drinks taste 'elegant' while Only Fools and Horses gives them a 'fun' flavour When watching Strictly Come Dancing, drinks were more often rated as fun During Only Fools and Horses, people were more likely to rate drinks as light Cognac should be paired with Downton and Chardonnay with Eastenders Earlier research found the room you're in can also change flavour of drinks Forget pairing the right wine with the right meal - what you should be doing is pairing your tipple to the TV show youâ€™re watching. This is according to latest research that suggests tuning into a certain programme this Christmas can change the way a festive drink tastes. According to the study, Cabernet Sauvignon should be paired with Downton Abbey while Chardonnay tastes better with the Eastenders Christmas special. Latest research suggests tuning into certain TV programmes this Christmas can change and enhance the way a festive drink tastes The study, carried out by Mindlab on behalf of Aldi, asked 50 people to rate wines, beer and brandy while watching four classic Christmas TV shows. Unbeknown to the participants, the drinks served remained constant however the flavours and characteristics detected by the group changed considerably depending on which programme they were watching. Downton Abbey seemed to produce the strongest response, with people rating the drinks as more elegant and refined when watching the popular period drama. They were also significantly more likely to pick out traditional English flavours which would have been popular in Edwardian times when the series is set. Of all of the programmes shown, Downton Abbey elicited the strongest response, with respondents rating the drinks as more elegant and refined when watching the popular period drama These included vanilla, mint and cherry in the red wine; grassy, floral flavours in the beer; and rose, wood and oak in the brandy. Researchers suggest that based on these flavour preferences, an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of dark fruit, vanilla and mint would be the perfect red wine pairing when catching up on the latest escapades of the Crawley family. When watching Only Fools and Horses, 16 per cent of respondents were more likely to rate drinks as fun, 22 per cent as more refreshing and 11 per cent as more enjoyable. They were also more likely to pick out sweet and fruity flavours, some similar to those found in DelBoyâ€™s beloved Pina Coladas. When watching Only Fools and Horses, 16 per cent of respondents were more likely to rate drinks as fun, 22 per cent as more refreshing and 11 per cent as more enjoyable Downton Abbey Only Fools & Horses Eastenders Brandy Rose, Vanilla Wood, Oak Oak, Nutty Vanilla, Buttery Beer Floral, Roasted Bitter, Fruity Grainy, Earthy Grainy, Roasted Red wine Vanilla, Mint Cherry, Plum Vanilla, Cherry Plum, Spice White Wine Grassy, Apple Apricot, Apple Apricot, Buttery Buttery, Grassy Drinks summary Elegant Light Fun Refreshing Flavours included cherry in the red wine, fruit in the beer, and apricot, apple and citrus in the white wine. When tuning into Strictly Come Dancing the drinks were more likely to be rated as fun, refreshing and elegant reflecting the nature of the show and costumes. Meanwhile people watching EastEnders rated the drinks as more refreshing and lively but overall less refined. They were also more likely to pick out sharp notes, such as bitter in the beer and cherry in the red wine perhaps reflecting the showâ€™s tumultuous story lines. With EastEnders, respondents rated the drinks as more refreshing and lively but overall less refined. They were also more likely to pick out sharp notes, such as bitter in the beer and cherry in the red wine perhaps reflecting the show's tumultuous story lines â€˜We all know that tasting is a multisensory experience, with sight and smell almost as important as taste but this study shows that the effects of sight and sound expand way beyond the glass,â€™ said Duncan Smith, of Mindlab. â€˜What we are seeing here is cognitive priming theory where the stimulus, in this case the TV programme, sets up our brains and in turn our taste buds to respond in a certain way.â€™ Traditionally, scientists have thought the tongue, nose, and brain changehow people experience the flavours of food and drink. When watching Only Fools and Horses, respondents were more likely to pick out sweet and fruity flavours, some similar to those found in DelBoy's beloved Pina Coladas More recently, studies have found that what you see can be just as important. And it's not just the programmes you watch that can affect the taste of your drink. According to Professor Charles Spence, the room youâ€™re in has a much larger impact on your taste buds than you might think. His latest study undertaken in October found that different environments can affect the sensory experience of whisky by as much as 20 per cent. The room you're in has a much larger impact on your taste buds than you might think. The grassy room featured a green light, real grass, plants, the sounds of lawnmowers and sheep and the smell of the countryside In what Professor Spence described as the worldâ€™s first science experiment to look at how the surroundings can impact flavour perceptions, three hundred whisky drinkers were let loose in a bar. The specially designed Singleton Sensorium in Londonâ€™s Soho saw people tasting exactly the same single malt whisky in three rooms that had very different environments. They then had to rate the different flavours they were able to taste in each room. The first was a grassy room which featured a green light, real grass, plants, the sounds of lawnmowers and sheep and the smell of the countryside. The second was a fruity room with red, round fruits and chiming bells hung on the ceiling. A final aftertaste room had wood panels and sounds of crackling wood fires. â€˜The ratings of the grassiness in the grassy room were about 15 to 20 per cent higher than in the sweet or aftertaste room,â€™ said Professor Spence â€˜Similarly the sweetness of the whisky in the red room was about 10 per cent higher than in either of the other rooms. â€˜You can almost think about using the rooms to season, and bring out the flavours, in the drinks.â€™