“Now I’m waiting for Wednesday, waiting for Wednesday…”

WINE BLOGGING WEDNESDAY – JUNE 10, 2009

It’s obvious to most who know me that I’m as passionate about music as I am about wine. I can barely remember all my in-laws’ birthdays, but I have no problem recalling the various lead singers for Rainbow or which Beatles album Lady Madonna is on. But what most people don’t realize is that wine and music share a symbiotic relationship much more intertwined than ever imagined. I had written a post a while back about how music influences how a wine tastes to us. I was dubious when I first heard the theory, but after taking part in a tasting experiment, I had no doubt in my mind (and my palate) that Billie Holliday could simultaneously make a flabby, over-oaked, buttery California chardonnay actually potable, and a beautiful crisp Chablis appear a bit flaccid.

Since that day, I’ve been very careful when drinking wine to take notice of the music I’ve got on in the background (because I always do). If at first I don’t like a wine much, I try changing the genre of music just in case that’s the culprit. On the flip side, if I’m nuts about a wine, I’ll often stop the music altogether and taste again, to make sure I’m enjoying it because of its own merits, and not because the tunes are swaying me. What’s more likely to pair well with a spicy syrah—Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Barry Manilow or Shakira? You tell me.

The challenge I put forth to the wine bloggers out there for this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday (#58) will involve a little more than just finding a nice wine, a lesser-known varietal or an emerging region to write about—it will involve sitting with a wine or two, tasting them, playing different types of music, and taking note of how your experiences change. This is NOT about sipping and spitting. It is NOT about a few scribbled tasting notes. And it is most definitely NOT about objectivity. And please, for the love of all that is holy, if all you have in your music collection is Michael Buble, go borrow some CDs from your head-banging neighbor, your hip-hop-loving relative, and your stuck-in-80s-alternative college buddy.