There’s a lot of scientific research on how music affects our brains.

Music operates on us in the same way language does. Its rhythms unite us with powerful community feelings. It gets stuck in our heads. At every level, it shapes our decisions and our notion of reality. But one of the greatest testaments to music’s power to alter our perception comes from a totally random place: How we lie about appreciating good wine.

It is time for us to admit collectively that we know nothing about wine. People who want to say they know something about wine seek the Court of Master Sommeliers where students have to go through four levels of examinations and reviews, each level weeding out the weak-palleted. On average, only about 25%-30% of their students are eventually eligible to take the Master Sommelier Examination itself, which has a passing grade of approximately 10%. Combine that with the fact that the tongue has long been deemed the dullest of our senses, relying heavily on eye sight (presentation) and sense of smell when determining if something tastes good, and the truth is evident: We have no idea what makes good wine. And it turns out music is helping us all pass as wine aficionados.