Experiencing the art of sound differently!
by Ertan Sener
Taste is something that is very individual. Everyone experiences things differently, especially when it comes to flavors and smells. One’s perception is the only perception that counts when trying to recreate an experience that was pleasing, perhaps a memory that was had in a nice restaurant while enjoying a bottle of wine, the food or a great wine pairing that was unforgettable! Well, what about a wine and music pairing? As a musician and lover of wine, I am very interested in how the art of sound can impact the way one perceives taste and flavor. I held a class at West Side Wines recently to examine this exact possibility.
I love to taste wine. I love to taste and write about the experience I had during the tasting. I love to listen to classical music. I love to write about the experience I had during the listening. So, here we go! I thought I would explore how these two activities are very similar to me, as a musician as well as an oenophile. Learning not only to see, smell, taste and feel the wine, but to listen to the wine. This is a very personal experience, and everyone will have their own unique way of interpreting these ideas, but with simple practices, one may find this to be a beautiful correlation, opening the door to enjoy wine in other ways. I have discussed this idea in a previous article I wrote, entitled, “Beethoven in a Bottle: How to taste like a Maestro”. If you recall, we had explored this topic I call, “Oeno-musicology”, the related qualities of wine and western classical music. We explored the art of listening as well as the art of tasting to see if one can start to “hear the wine” and “taste the music”.
The recent class tasting had some very interesting results.
I began the class by going over some wine descriptors to add to the class’s general vocabulary. I explained how some of these descriptors can be similarly applied to describing music one hears. Then came a little listen and tasting exercise. My musical examples were all excerpts from popular western classical pieces. First, we tried a white wine paired to a particular piece of music. I had the students write down the descriptors and adjectives that came to mind when tasting the wine. Then I played a different piece of music while tasting the same wine. There was a silence that fell over the students when their taste buds gave them different descriptors for the same wine. The only thing that changed was the music. Wow, could this reaction be so noticeable to these students? Well, what happened next really took me and the students by surprise, making us really rethink the perception of taste.
The next pairing was with two glasses of red wine and two pieces of music. I asked that no one start tasting until the music started. I would play each excerpt for three minutes, during that time they would write as many descriptors down as possible. The first red wine was paired with J.S. Bach’s, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, a soft, gentle, flowing piece. The students quickly started writing down adjectives. The second red wine was paired with Beethoven’s Symphony no. 3 Eroica, 1st movement, a powerful, demanding, majestic piece. Tasting wine was quickly followed with heads down coming up with the right words to describe these wines. Time was up and now we needed to hear and taste the results.
Each student still had a little wine from both reds in two separate glasses in front of them. I asked them which wine was their favorite? The second red was a unanimous vote. The entire class liked it over the first wine. I asked to hear some of the descriptors for the first red wine. Some of the adjectives were: soft, smooth, gentle. A style of wine that was not a favorite to the entire class. The descriptors of the second wine were words like: bold, powerful, rich. This wine was the style of wine the entire class seemed to be drawn to in taste profile. Well, it was time to let them know what the two wines were to better help the students hone in on their personal taste preferences.
Drum roll please! Wine number one was the Ramsay Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast California, 2010. Interesting? And wine number two, Ramsay Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast California, 2010! THE SAME WINE. I did not do this just to try to fool the class, but see what would happen if they each had two glasses in front of them containing the same wine. Would the wine taste different when different music was played. In this small class the answer was yes. The students could not believe that it was the same exact wine in each glass and really felt the music did effect or even alter the way they tasted.
So, the next time you are out and have a not so enjoyable meal or dining experience, think back to the music that was playing as a back drop to nice memory in a restaurant or a friend’s house. It may not be that you don’t understand your taste in food or wine, it may just be that you don’t understand the taste in another person’s music!
