How does music affect wine?

Can music influence the taste of wine?
N.H., Point Lonsdale, Vic

A: It’s not so much a matter of music affecting the taste of wine as influencing our perception of it. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that playing the music you enjoy improves the experience of drinking the wine in your glass, but proof is elusive. What does seem certain is that if you’re in a good mood when you’re tasting wine (or eating a meal), the entire experience is enhanced.

As a critic, I avoid doing a formal wine-tasting if I’m not in the mood. If I’m feeling a bit cranky, the wine doesn’t deserve to be given a bad hearing. I wait until the cloud lifts.

When I was a young student, a friend who was fond of various mind-altering substances used to insist that a passage of good music be paused until he’d lit up a chillum, or at least a cigarette. He wanted to maximise his enjoyment of the music. The same idea should work with wine.

In a recent article in Wine Enthusiast magazine, noted Californian winemaker Chris Carpenter spoke about his habit of playing classical music while blending wines. He believes music can change the energy in a room and affect the mood of those doing the tasting and blending. And changing the mood can affect the tenor of whatever experience we are having at that moment.

Supermarkets do something similar to get us in the mood to buy more stuff.

Other winemakers admit to programming the music in their winery tasting room to influence the disposition of visitors. Supermarkets do something similar to get us in the mood to buy more stuff.

Something that really bugs me is noisy restaurants. Some restaurateurs deliberately make their establishment noisier in the belief that it ups the energy level and makes the place more exciting. But noise hampers our ability to perceive tastes and smells – the wine in the glass, the food on the plate. It seems pointless to open a fine bottle, or visit a great restaurant, if you aren’t able to give the experience your full attention.

Pairing wine with music is fun; Krug has been doing just that with its various champagnes for years. Its latest idea is to enlist composers to record an original piece of music to go with each cuvée. Check the company’s website to see if your tastes line up.

Got a drinks question for Huon Hooke? thefullbottle@goodweekend.com.au

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