It’s a belief held by many that music can have a major impact on wine; from winemakers who play classical music to their barrels as the wine ages, to different types of music impacting our perception of how a wine tastes. Music is a powerful, emotive and fun ingredient to add into the mix.
First up is the Schloss Vollrads Riesling Sekt Brut 2015, Rheingau and it is paired with memories of attending the Bingen Jazz Festival in Germany, nestled in a deep valley by the Rhine river and surrounded by steeply terraced Riesling vineyards. This is a beautifully complex and rich traditional method Sekt (German Sparkling wine) showing baked apple and a lovely hint of kerosene typical in aged Riesling, the pallet is laden with apples, lime blossom and lime sherbet, sweet spice and savoury notes of hay and wool. Long and complex it is definitely a memorable wine. Bought cellar door.
The next pairing is an album called Archangel by 2 Steps from Hell, a very edgy sounding choice (an image I am not adverse to encouraging) which is actually a classical album but the music is powerful, adrenaline fuelled and inspiring (think Hans Zimmer’s headline piece to an epic movie) so the wine needed to be equally invigorating and exciting. I opted for the Eduardo Torres Acosta ‘Versante Nord’ 2018 Etna Bianco from Sicily, a natural volcanic white wine with savoury notes of lanolin, beeswax and nut alongside subtle alpine flowers, a creamy mid palate and a vibrant lime scented finish. A great food wine, as well as music wine! The Sorting Table £28
Next was another trip down memory lane, thinking back to the best gigs she had attended; Prince (drank vodka) Pearl Jam (drank beer) Crowded House live in Australia – bingo! It was a concert fuelled by fresh, fruity Aussie Pinot Grigio. However as the Finn Bros are Kiwi she chose the Greystone Pinot Gris 2019, Canterbury, New Zealand. Sweet yet fresh with lots of pear fruit on the mid palate. Slightly sweeter than expected but delicious none the less and likely to go down a treat with the trout which is on the menu. Salusbury Wine Store £17
There was only one song in his head after the theme was chosen, ‘red red wine’ and so he has done what it says on the tin! The Blind Spot Touriga Nacional 2020, Langhorne Creek, Australia is made by Aussie legend Mac Forbes. Lots of damson fruit and tart red berries. Good, but possibly slightly difficult to get the max out of it following a butternut curry for dinner! The Wine Society £10.95
Sadly he struggled to find anything he felt would be the perfect pairing with his beloved bagpipes, he instead opted for a wine which is made by Xose Lois Sebio, a huge lover of music who believes each of his wine to be like a music album. The Coios Mencia 2015, Vino de Encostas, Beirzo, Spain is absolutely delicious with dark raspberries and bramble fruit while boasting incredible freshness and super soft tannins, it is still incredibly primary despite having 6 years under its belt. A real knockout wine worth looking out for. £24 Uncorked.
Here he started with the wine he wanted to drink; Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2019, Beaujolais and then tried to figure out if he could find any link to music, however tenuous. He was surprisingly successful in finding a bow maker for string instruments of the same name. He definitely earnt his drink after that! This is just an incredible wine from the father of the natural wine movement in Beaujolais, made in an incredibly Burgundian style with berries and spice, but above all a completely hypnotic perfume. It could easily continue to improve with age, but is going down an absolute storm slightly chilled right now. Farthinghoe Fine Wine £22 (coming soon)
Drinking out under the stars tonight, they wanted to try two examples of Txakoli by the same producer side by side, the Hiruzta Txakoli Hondarribia 2019, Spain and the Hiruzta ‘Berezia’ Txakoli Hondarribia 2018, Spain. This they paired with The San Sebastian Strings ‘My friend the sea’. The former is lighter, fresher and paler in colour with a slight effervescence, a lovely pure, fresh palate of apples, pears and citrus. Lip smacking! The latter is its big brother, a richer lees aged style with bold depths, a slightly nutty edge and real drive on the length. Two delicious but very different wines, one perhaps for lunch, and the other for dinner?! Slurp £14.95 and Corking Wine £20
