Liquid Love Letter: Pairing Music & Wine

Cathy

How do you choose what music to listen to, as you drink your wine?

Matthew may have a different opinion about this (keep reading, below!), but when I think of music in relation to wine, it’s most often something that I notice in the background rather than front-and-center. It’s about the atmosphere and the context moreso than pairing one specific artist or song with one specific wine.

For me, pairing wine with music happens, most often, in the kitchen. Specifically, when I’m choosing songs or a playlist to help set the scene, either as I’m preparing for guests or simply preparing a meal for myself or my family. I’m typically holding a wine glass in one hand, and I’m leaning back against the kitchen counter or the sink, scrolling through my Spotify.

When pairing wine with music, it helps to have a theme. That was true a few weeks ago in the article about choosing which wines to pour [ read it here ], and it’s true for choosing music and wine also.

Here are three examples of where I’ve tended to land recently, in terms of themes for both wine and music.

For the group of girlfriends on a Wednesday evening who sat around my kitchen island and helped me taste and discuss a lineup of orange wines, I chose a playlist of “kitchen music” songs that were featured in films that were directed by Nancy Meyers. Those films, such as “It’s Complicated,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and “The Intern,” are well-known for their distinctive kitchen design, anchored by an island large enough to gather around.

On a late Sunday afternoon, I’m often preparing my family’s Sunday supper with a bottle of wine within reach that I’ve used both for the recipe and to pour into my glass. It’s a Mom Moment, with two hungry teenage boys who will be descending shortly upon the table. I’ll choose the “Mom” playlist on Spotify where I’ve dropped the most recent tracks that have caught my attention, including Brian Eno for ambience, Françoise Hardy (in remembrance of the artist and her career), and P!nk for motivation.

An article about music and wine, in my experience, wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Krug x Music program innovated by the Champagne House of Krug. [ linked here ] Whether or not Champagne Krug is in your glass, it’s worth exploring their premise that taste perception is impacted by sound. Every year, Krug commissions composers, musicians and immersive sound artists to select pieces of music or create original compositions. As an experiment, maybe play some of those tracks (search “Krug Echo” in Spotify) and see which of your guests notice.

Matthew

As I sit here atop a hill in the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico—overlooking the vineyards of Vena Cava Winery and on the terrace of La Villa del Valle—hearing music blast from a neighboring farm and the sound drowned out by roosters singing, it makes me hone in on just how important soundtrack is to every experience.

Some of you know this, but many of you might not...I originally moved to Los Angeles to try my hand at being a singer/songwriter. A dude with a guitar. You can listen to my last album I recorded here . Music has always been a massive part of my life and there are many parallels between music and wine.

So many musicians and music business executives make a segue into the wine industry.

So many winemakers are also piano players, guitar players, bass players, singers, or just simple music heads.

Music makes us nostalgic. Music guides our moods. It can usher in joy during a moment of pain or sadness. That transformation sends signals to our brain that things are going to be alright.

Tasting wine when you've got your mind right is and will always will be the proper environment to taste versus a moment when your judgement is clouded or your emotions are running high. Being one with the moment, seeking joy and positive energy, will always yield a situation where wines show better and rise to the occasion. Play your favorite Stevie Wonder song and take a sip. Sit with it. Then play the most negative Death Metal song you can find and take a next sip. Are those experiences different? I'm not against Death Metal, there's a time and place. But when setting the table for wine & music alignment, bring the happy vibes and the euphoria will follow.

Drop the needle, let the record spin, pop a cork and pour the juice. See what you taste and feel, don't run from it. Let it wash over you like a wall of sound.