Have you ever tried to pair your wine to music? Recently I cracked open a fresh bottle of Banfi Centine while cooking in my kitchen. “Play Rob Zombie Dragula!” I yelled at my Google Home as soon as I poured myself a chilled glass, swirled it, and took the first refreshing sip of a crisp citrus-forward chardonnay blend.
Being the family’s resident metalhead, my husband said, “What are you doing, this isn’t your music.”
Tom and I are both huge music fans. He enjoys playing the piano, and I, a former singer, who enjoys giving my own one-person kitchen concerts these days. We spent a large portion of our lives studying music, and that’s one of the reasons we fell in love. We would search out the most intriguing musical compositions to share with one another. Constantly looking for the most intricate or unusual sounds to amaze the other.
Something about the way that vintage touched me -made me want to do something audacious and surprising. I was fired up and ready to hit those beats. We jammed the night away while pairing our chilled white wines to our favorite music.
After a day or so, Tom and I decided to crack open a bottle of Chianti and enjoy it while watching a performance of “The Magic Flute” by Mozart on Prime. (It was a classy night in my sweats with a bowl of pasta in my living room). Throughout the performance, I was moved as I listened to the Queen of the Night aria. In my opinion, one of the best and most difficult pieces of music ever composed. The rich orchestration, intricate high notes, elaborate costumes, and scope of the performance amazed me, and I began to compare the complexity of wine to that of music.
The complexity of wine is like music
The Wine Bible by Karen McNeil states that excellent wine should be complex. Yet simple wines can still be exquisite- so I guess it’s all complicated? But, if one treats wine like music, then it becomes much simpler.
Some wines have a very pleasant, simple melody, perhaps a nice arrangement, but they are generally approachable to many people. Occasionally they are incredibly complicated, like operas, with so much going on and so many variants that it can take years to fully understand them. Others still are entertaining and memorable until the next big thing comes along, like pop music.
We may even go one step further with the comparison by comparing the wine experience to a song. The beginning of a song is like opening a bottle. There is a sense of anticipation, and those first notes prepare you to hear the melody, just like when you uncork a bottle.
After you pour the first glass, you can see the wine’s color . Perhaps even smell it for the first time (this is your first line of lyrics). You’ve discovered your groove if you pick up the glass and swirl it. When you take that first, deep sniff of wine, you start to identify the various notes. (That means two things like music notes and aroma notes—that make up the music.)
Taking a sip will allow you to experience all the layers of flavors in the glass. Including the high melody, a fully rounded harmony, the deep bass notes, and perhaps even something unexpected like a tambourine.
Exploring the concept of pairing wine and music is .a fun way to explore complexity. Complexity can be problematic when people in the wine world talk about wine. Often many people just don’t understand what that means. Sometimes people just want to enjoy a glass of wine.
According to level one sommelier Maddie Wadman, there are lots of methods to make a wine complex. “Complexity can be accomplished in so many ways, whether it’s manipulating a wine making process, adding oak to the process, maybe tinkering with the blend can all add to complexity.”
Summing it up
When you consume a glass of wine, you should experience various layers and flavors throughout. Each sip should bring a new development of flavor to your palate. On occasion, a flavor that starts out tasting like chocolate and cherries changes entirely as it matures on your palette.
There are so many different things to consider when drinking a glass of wine. It’s hard to put it all into words. I like to say that it’s complicated. Next time you grab a glass of wine try pairing your wine to music? See what music your wine inspires in you? Comment below some of your favorite wine and music combinations.
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I really enjoyed this! I’ve never given thought to wine and music combo but it makes sense!