Water, Wine and the Sacred, An Anthropological View of Substances Altered by Intentioned Awareness, Including Objective and Aesthetic Effects
📄 Original study ↗📌 Appears in:
Plain English Summary
Can focused meditation actually change how wine tastes? This study put that bold claim to the test across twelve tasting sessions. Researchers took single bottles of wine, split each into two identical carafes, then had groups of 6-10 meditators direct their intention toward one carafe for 20-30 minutes while the other sat untouched as a control. Then seven blinded tasters (people who did not know which was which) picked their favorite. The results were striking: in 11 out of 12 sessions, tasters preferred the 'treated' wine. Statistically, the odds of that happening by chance are about 1 in 2,000. The effect held up no matter who the meditators were or who was hosting the party. This builds on earlier research showing intention can influence water's physical properties and even crystal formation, pushing the question from laboratory curiosity into something as relatable as choosing a glass of wine.
Actual Paper Abstract
This paper discusses the ancient anthropological linkage of water and wine with sacred rituals after these substances have been the focus of nonlocal perturbation. The paper reports the changes produced can be both physical, as well as a subjective aesthetic reaction arising when individuals have a sensorial interaction with such treated substances. In making this argument the paper presents and discusses research done by others, as well as the author including reporting the results of a 12 part series of experiments in which groups of seven people tasted wine from one 750 ml bottle that had been decanted into two identical 375 ml carafes. The histories of the carafes were the same except that one, before the tasting, had been the focus of intentioned awareness by meditators, while the other was a control. Twelve sessions were conducted, 11 resulted in a majority preferring the treated wine, and one resulted in a tie. Using an exact binomial test, the p-value is ð0:5Þ11 ¼ 1 2048 ¼ 0:00049. Therefore, with 95% confidence we can say that the probability that a majority would prefer the treated wine is at least 0.76. The paper in its conclusion discusses the implications of the totality of this research.
Research Notes
Addresses anthropological question of whether sacramental wine/water alteration is measurable beyond belief. Wine already bottled — intention directed at finished product, not production water. Single-blind design (researcher unblinded) is limitation. Connects to biofield healing literature and Radin's chocolate/tea intention studies. Part of Schwartz's broader research program on nonlocal consciousness and cultural/substance interactions.
Twelve blind wine-tasting experiments tested whether group meditation intention could alter aesthetic preference for wine. Each session used a single 750ml bottle decanted into two 375ml carafes; one received 20-30 min intention from 6-10 meditators (93 total intenders), the other served as control. Seven blinded tasters per session (84 total) voted preference. Eleven of 12 sessions showed majority preference for treated wine (binomial p=0.00049); 95% CI [0.76, 1.0]. Effect consistent across different intender groups, party hosts, and session compositions. Extends water spectroscopy (Schwartz 2015) and crystal formation (Radin 2006) findings to consumer-relevant aesthetic judgment. Statistical analysis by Prof. Jessica Utts.
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📋 Cite this paper
Schwartz, Stephan A (2019). Water, Wine and the Sacred, An Anthropological View of Substances Altered by Intentioned Awareness, Including Objective and Aesthetic Effects. Explore. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.03.010
@article{schwartz_2019_water,
title = {Water, Wine and the Sacred, An Anthropological View of Substances Altered by Intentioned Awareness, Including Objective and Aesthetic Effects},
author = {Schwartz, Stephan A},
year = {2019},
journal = {Explore},
doi = {10.1016/j.explore.2018.03.010},
}