Wine and Music

Summertime in our mountain community, usually means music. We have Jazz festivals, Art Association shows, and a Summer Concert Series in the lake side village. When we attend, we always bring wine and appetizers. As the evening moves along, and the wine bottles empty, it occurred to me that wine and music must have been made for each other.

I was reading the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine, and there was a short interview with Mike D, of the Beastie Boys, and he is quoted as saying, “There’s something that fires when your taste buds are dazzled in a certain way with wine that is almost beyond words. It’s the same thing that happens when you listen to Mile Davis’s On the Corner in the right setting, at the right time”. I think he is right…music is art to the ears, and wine is art to the nose and mouth. Liquid art in a glass. 

Drinking wine with Exene Cervenka

There is variety in music styles, just as there is variety in wine. I imagine listening to Beethoven, and sipping a fine Bordeaux, or jammy Zinfandel with modern Jazz.  What goes with punk, or classic rock? Most rockers probably drink beer or hard alcohol, heck, Sammy Hagar (a local in my community) has been successful with his own line of Tequila: Cabo Wabo.

What surprised me is the number of musicians that have gotten into the wine business. A quick search gave me a number of familiar names:

• Mick Fleetwood has the aptly named Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar.  Founded in 2001, it is a collaboration with Langtry Estate and Vineyards.
• Olivia Newton-John owns Koala Blue Wines. 
• Dave Matthews owns Blenheim Vineyards.
• Boz Scaggs owns Scaggs Vineyards in Napa Valley.
• Maynard James Keenan owns Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards in Arizona, and has been getting rave reviews for his wines. I have had the opportunity to try a number of them, and I am impressed on what can be done with Arizona grapes.
• Some other musicians that have labels include, Barbra Streisand (Streisand Wine), KISS, Madonna (Ciccone Vineyard and Winery), The Rolling Stones, Smothers Brothers (Remick Ridge Vineyards), Les Claypool (Claypool Cellars), Lil Jon (Little Jonathan Winery), Fergie (Ferguson Crest), Vince Neil  (Vince Neil Vineyards), and Sting  (Tenuta il Palagio).

So what is it with wine and music? There has been some experimentation with the effects of different music on wine. A study by Adrian North, at Heriot-Watt University, shows that our perception of the wine is influenced by the music we listen to.

Here is a summary of the results, as published in the BPS Research Digest:

In a new study, Adrian North has shown that when people drink wine to the accompaniment of music, they perceive the wine to have taste characteristics that reflect the nature of that concurrent music…North tested out the taste perceptions of 250 university students as they drank either Montes Alpha 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine) or Chardonnay (white wine) — both are Chilean. Crucially, some of the participants sampled their glass to the tune of music previously identified by a separate group of people as powerful and heavy (Carmina Burana by Orff); others drank their wine to music rated earlier as subtle and refined (Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’); others to the tune of zingy and refreshing music (Just Can’t Get Enough by Nouvelle Vague); and lastly, the remaining participants drank their wine with mellow and soft music in the background (Slow Breakdown by Michael Brook). There was also a control group who drank the wine with no music.

After they’d savored their wine for five minutes, the participants were asked to rate how much they felt the wine was powerful and heavy; subtle and refined; mellow and soft; and zingy and refreshing. The results showed that the music had a consistent effect on the participants’ perception of the wine. They tended to think their wine had the qualities of the music they were listening to. So, for example, both the red and white wines were given the highest ratings for being powerful and heavy by those participants who drank them to the tune of Carmina Burana.

So, next time you sit down for a glass of wine, consider the background music. Maybe that glass you thought was bad, in your last restaurant venture really wasn’t bad….they were just playing the wrong music!

Amarone

This week, I had the opportunity to be on Grape Encounters Radio program again. The host, David Wilson, is a longtime friend, and follower of this blog. He had read last weeks article about Barbera, and thought it might be an interesting subject to discuss on his radio program. The show will air on Saturday, August 3^rd. Here is the podcast.

As we discussed Barbera, the topic turned to one of David’s new favorite wines: Amarone. I haven’t done an article about this unique Italian wine, so this week, I share some of the basics you might want to know.

To understand Amarone, we need to first take a look at Valpolicella. This is probably the most recognized wine in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy. Valpolicella translates to “valley of many cellars”, and is made from a blend of grapes: Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara. I’ll talk briefly about each grape in a bit.

The best wines come from a series of ridges and mountain valleys (the 4 valleys—Garganago, Fumane, Marano, and Negrar constitute the “Classico” zone which is about half of the total area of Valpolicella). While the “Classico” zone would indicate that these are classic examples of the wine, there is no guarantee of quality. It still comes down to the terrior and the winemaker.

Corvina

As I said earlier, Valpolicella is a blended wine. Usually consisting mainly of the Corvina grape, plus Rondinella and Molinara in supporting roles. Corvina is the most important grape, due to the aromatics it contributes: floral and dark cherry notes. It is, however, low in phenolics (color and tannin), and also high in acidity. Rondinella has firmer tannins, is higher in sugar and in color than Corvina, which helps balance the wine. Rondinella is also important in the production of Amarone, as you will see. Molinara is the lost partner in the blend. It really doesn’t add much to the blend, except as a filler.

The classic style for Valpolicella is straight-forward: bright, occasionally sour cherry fruit, pleasant, refreshing acidity and light-medium body, and not really taken seriously. That’s where Amarone comes in….

…Amarone (classically known as Amarone Della Valpolicella) is an appellation for a stylistic technique, and the zone is identical to that of Valpolicella, including the classic zone. Because of the international success of Amarone, the best grapes in the region are reserved for this style of wine (it is difficult to make first-rate wine from second-best fruit, hence the reason for regular Valpolicella being second rate).

Appassimento

So what is that “stylistic technique” that makes Amarone so special? Amarone is a “passito” wine. It has gone through a process known as “appassimento”. The process involves drying grapes to concentrate their sugars and flavoring components. During the process, which may take anywhere from several weeks to several months (though 3 months is common) depending on environmental factors and the desired wine style, the grapes suffer the evaporation of water and lose 25-40% of their weight. It is a very rigorous technique, and wines produced by this method are typically expensive. The grape bunches are carefully selected (only perfect ones will do) and hand harvested, and transported in a single layer to the winery. They are then laid out on bamboo mats in special sheds or barns which are increasingly equipped with dehumidifiers. The first two weeks are critical, as rot can set in, and ruin the entire vintage. Fermentation traditionally starts up in the winter, and is always difficult to get going given the sugar level of the must and the cool winter temperatures. I had mentioned earlier about the importance of Rondinella in the production of Amarone. It is particularly important for dried grape wines because it has berries that are smaller than Corvina, and dry faster, reducing risk for the producer.

So, here we have semi-dried grapes, and we are making wine. Everything has been concentrated, and the cool weather has made it hard to even get a fermentation going. The yeast is challenged during the entire process. When you have high sugar levels, you can get a “stuck fermentation” (where the sugar wins, and the yeast dies off). In this case, you are left with a lower alcohol wine and residual sugar. These wines are known as “Recioto” (Italy’s answer to Port). But, when the yeast wins, the sugar is converted to alcohol, and we have “Amarone”. Because of the drying-process, Amarone is a high-alcohol, high-extract wine. The lowest alcohol versions will start at about 14% (the minimum, by Italian law) and 14.5-15% is common; some, however come in above 15% and even as high as 17% (similar to Zinfandel).

The best versions of Amarone have intense cherry/kirsch aromas and an earthy complexity. Roasted flavors, raisins, caramel, coffee, chocolate, tar, barrel-spice are common descriptors. Amarone ages well, but in the highest alcohol wines, they occasionally run the risk of drying out, and losing all fruit notes.

The Italians consider Amarone to be a “meditation wine”, the perfect complement to old cheeses like as Parmesan and Aged Gouda, and to rich blue cheeses like Gorgonzola. In America, we tend to drink wine with a meal, and it can be a great companion, especially to dishes whose preparation is similar to the production of the wine itself, such as long, slow braises of beef and game.

In my interview with Grape Encounters, David mentioned that he had found a wonderful bottle of Amarone at Trader Joe's (he didn't mention them by name, but it was pretty obvious) for around $20. Considering that most Amarone is $40 to $80, it might be worth checking out your local TJ's.

So, are you ready to explore and try something new? I hope you'll share your tasting experience.

Barbera

One of the best parts about being a Sommelier has to do with the events I am hired to work. Recently, I was hired for a corporate event, where they needed wine for three separate activities: a boat tour of Lake Arrowhead; a sit down dinner; and in between a wine tasting. While I stuck with more familiar wines for the boat tour, and the dinner pairing...the wine tasting gave me an opportunity to have the group try something a little different.

I was a bit constrained in what I could do for the tasting, as the event organizer asked me to keep to domestic wines, and ideally keep to California. One of the wines in my five wine progression was St. Amant Barbera, from Lodi. At less than $20/bottle, this was the one wine that generated the most discussion. While I had many people who knew their wine, I had a similar number of people that weren't experimental, and stuck to their usual. But, not this night!

As I usually do during tastings, I spend time talking about the grapes, the wine, and region,etc. I would guess that 90% of the tasters had never had a Barbera before. I can't tell you how many times I had to explain that Barbera was the name of the grape, just like Cabernet Sauvignon is the name of the grape. So, I thought a quick recap of what Barbera is, might be something to "push" those of you unfamiliar with the grape, to give it a try.

First, Barbera is a red grape, typically seen in the Piemonte region of Italy. This region is most noted for Barolo and Barbaresco (both made from the Nebbiolo grape). But, Barbera makes a very reliable, easy drinking red wine, with a high amount of acidity, deep red color, and cherry flavors.

Barbera d'Asti

Barbera is the third most planted grape in Italy (behind Sangiovese and Montepulciano). In its' home in Piemonte, the grape gives it's name to the Barbera d'Asti DOCG (the highest level in Italy), as well as Barbera d'Alba DOC and Barbera di Monferrato DOC. In these regions, Barbera is known as a productive grape, which ripens fairly late, while maintaining its' acidity.

As we've seen with another grape (Zinfandel) in California, the Italian influence is evident. Italian immigrants brought their vine cuttings with them, and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains proved to be a perfect location to grow the grape. Now these old vines are producing some wonderful wines (of course a lot depends on the winemaker too).

As mentioned earlier, Barbera can be a fairly acidic wine, making crisp, medium body, fruity wines. New techniques, including oak barrel aging have helped soften the wine, and make it more complex, if not a bit more conforming to today's tastes. These wines can be appreciated in their youth, and don't require the long aging needed for their Nebbiolo counterparts. The acidity, and low tannin structure of the wine makes for a nice warm weather wine, that can be slightly chilled (yes, you can chill red wines...just not too much).

As I have discussed in my wine pairing articles, acidity works great with food. For that reason, Barbera might just become one of your "go-to" grapes. Try it with barbecue (pork, chicken, hamburgers, really any grilled meat will work). That acidity works great with tomato based sauces and pizza (who woulda thunk?). About the only thing it might not work with would be light, delicate fish.

Oh, and about that St. Amant Barbera...it had a nice amount of cherry, blackberries, a touch of spice (maybe licorice) and tannin from some oak aging, while retaining that all important acidity. A nice finish with medium length. Not a wine that you'll want to store too long. Very approachable now.

Some other Barbera producers in California that are worth searching for are Cooper Vineyards, Palmina, and August Ridge. There are plenty more, but these are wines that I have tried, and enjoyed.