MUSIC & WINE:  MUSIC CAN INFLUENCE TASTE

If food, glassware, perfumes can affect how a wine taste, why wouldn't music?   Some songs inspires, some songs make us want to dance, some songs make us sad, some songs carry us back in time.  Music, whether we realize or not, does affect our emotions and that will influence what wine we choose as well as how it tastes.

Professor Adrian North from Henriot Watt University has conducted a supermarket research playing French and German music in the background. Consumers were not told the nature of the music.  The study revealed that that consumers were five times more likely to buy French wine than German wine if accordion music (French) was played in the background.  When an oompah band (German) was played, consumers were twice as likely to buy German wines. (North, Hargreaves, & McKendrick 1997)

Another interesting study (Areni & Kim, 1993) explored the impact of classical music vs. top 40 music on consumers.  Classical music has often been stereotyped to wealth and sophistication.  The study revealed that playing classical music in the background induced consumers to buy more expensive wines than playing top 40 music.

Professor North carried the research further, experimenting if music could influence the taste of wine?  Experimenets were conducted on 250 adults against various controls.  The differences between with music and no music conditions were significant.  Music shifted the perception of wine to the moods primed by music by an average of 37.25%.  For example, if the background music was zingy and refreshing, then the wine was perceived as more zingy and refreshing than when no music was in the background. (North, Wine & Song)

Below are few tips that can give you a better wine and music pairing experience:

• Pairing is by songs.  In an album, a song can pair well with a white off-dry Riesling while the next would pair well with a bold, well-structured Cabernet Sauvignon  
• Think of melodies and moods -- a quick-beat, happy, and lively melody could pair well with a refreshing, crispy sauvignon blanc; an upbeat american pop with passionate and vibrant vocals may go well with a sexy, bold american pop red  
• Think of structure -- a layered songs with different musical instruments go well with a layered wine 
• Think of origin -- a Spanish salsa would go well with a Garnacha. 

The best part of wine and music pairing -- every song has a different appeal to a different person.  There is never a right and wrong in wine and music pairing, just individual preference.  Below are some of my favorite music and wine pairing:

A light, fast-tempo happy song with a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc.
Medium-paced jazz / bossa nova with merlot or rioja.
American pop with petite syrah or zinfandel.
Brazilian jazz with grand cru burgundies.
French oldies romance with a vosne romanee!

Next time you drink wine, think about what music is in the background.. change the music and explore the emotional changes in yourself and your tasting experience !

The Price of Bottling... How Much Are You Willing To Pay ? 

Penfolds recently released its rare Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 in a hand-blown glass ampoule.  Only 12 bottles produced.  750 ml volume contained in each ampoule.  And the price?   £100,000 a bottle.   The price includes a personal service -- Penfolds' chief winemaker will fly anywhere in the world to open and decant this rare bottle.  

From a wine investor's perspective, the same amount could be used to buy 2,400 bottles of Lafite Rothschild 2011 en primeur.   From a financier's perspective, a family size apartment could be purchased for a similar  amount in the cities of  New York, London, or Hong Kong.  

How many wine lovers will pay this much for a artsy bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon remains unknown.  In a regular bottle, the Kalimna Block 42 is commanding ~£400.    The making of the glass ampoule accounts for majority of the cost.   At such price tag, maybe the targets are glass collectors more so than wine collectors? 

Burgundy -- Will a change in name changes perspectives and increases sales? 

It seems like Burgundy has a new appellation.  In reality, it is a change in name.  With the 2011 vintage, the wines from "Bourgogne Grande Ordinaire" appellation will be renamed as "Coteaux Bourguignons".   


"Bourgogne Grande Ordinaire" is a generic region for red, white, and rose wines produced in a vast area in Burgundy, from Auxerre to Beaujolais.   Grapes allowed in wine-making include the quality varietals pinot noir and chardonnay; as well as the lesser known Gamay, Cesar and Sacy. 


BIVB (Bureau Interprofessional des Vins de Bourgogne) hopes the renaming will communicate a sense of change -- with a modern style and better perceived quality to wines produced in this vast region.   Coteaux Bourguignons wines are priced at EUR 5 to 10 a bottle.   


Historically, Bourgogne Grande Ordinaire is the fallback appellation, i.e. the last resort for regional producers.   Many thinks "Grande Ordinaire" means greatly ordinary, when in fact the "grande" refers to a big region and not the quality of the wine. 


The renaming is the first step in the rebranding.  What follows?   The success of the appellation depends on the quality of the wines produced.    
  

DRUNK WITHOUT DRINKING ALCOHOL?

  

Harvard professor and creator of "aerosol cuisine" has extended his creation from chocolate and coffee aerosol sprays into an alcohol spray!   Called the WAHH Quantum Sensations, this little spray (see picture above) can deliver 0.075 ml of alcohol to give an instantaneous sensation of light headedness and distraction. 

It canister is designed by Philippe Starck.  Its purpose and niche -- for those who wants a moment of drunkenness without getting drunk.  Accordingly 0.075 ml is the minimal alcohol required to get a "stimulate" the brain.   An average glass contains 40-60 ml of alcohol.   Its cost -- Euro 20, the equivalent of a good entry bottle of wine. 

Would I spend Euro 20 on this?  Sure just for the experience, probably no second purchase.  Repeated purchase is required for a long term and sustainable market.  The harmful alcohol market is for sure a long term and sustainable one.  There is a social component to alcohol, we get to share and enjoy with friends.  I don't imagine myself passing a canister of WAHH around the dining table.  Regardless of its sustainability, its creators have indeed given us a Wahh topic.  

ROBERT PARKER 2011 RATINGS ARE OUT !! 

While Parker's rating may not be the best indication to whether or not you will enjoy the wine.. but it surely has influence on the en primeur's release price.

Wine Advocate (Parker) just revealed its 2011 en primeur rating.  As expected by the wine industry, the rating is relatively low compared to that given to the grand vintages of 2009 and 2010.   Only 7 wines received higher than 95 points and Ausone is the only chateau with a "96-100" points rating. Lafite receives a rating of 90-93 pts, its lowest score since its 1997 vintage.

Highlights below on the 2011 en primeur:

Angelus 92-95
Ausone 96-100
Beychevelle 87-89
Calon Segur 92-94
Carruades de Lafite 87-89
Chapelle d'Ausone 91-94
Cheval Blanc 94-96
Clinet 91-94
Clos du Marquis 90-93
Cos d'Estournel 90-92
D'Armailhac 90-92
D'Issan 91-93
La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion 90-92
La Clarence du Haut Brion 89-91
La Mission Haut Brion 93-95
Lafite Rothschild 90-93
Le Pin 94-96
Leoville Barton 90-92+
Leoville Lascases 93-95+
Leoville Poyferre 91-94
Les Forts de Latour 90-92
Lynch Bages 90-93
Margaux 94-96+
Montrose 91-93

Mouton Rothschild 93-96

Pape Clement 92-94

Pavie-Macquin 92-94
Pichon Baron 90-92+
Pichon Lalande 92-94
Pontet Canet 93-95
Smith Haut Lafitte 91-93
Sociando Mallet 90-93
Talbot 87-89
Troplong Mondot 91-93+
Trotanoy 91-93.

Whether these are gracious rating or harsh rating, we will find out with time. Nonetheless, 2011 will be an affordable vintage when it comes to en primeur!

Carmenere:  an once obsolete Bordeaux grape that performs magic

Carmenere is a grape widely associated with Chile; yet its origin traced back to Bordeaux.  Few know that it was widely planted in Bordeaux back in the 19^th Century.  In fact, it is the sixth varietal allowed by the Bordeaux appellation to use in the Bordeaux blend.  Its prevalence, however, diminished rapidly as producers opted for Merlot, a grape which ripens earlier and is easier to grow.

Centuries later, Brane Cantenac re-introduced Carmenere into the vineyard.  Convinced by a Chilean intern that the Bordeaux blend will change in light of global warming, Brane Cantenac started experimenting with Carmenere in 2006.  Carmenere is a grape that thrives well in hot environment. 

This investment turned out well-suited for the 2011 growing seasons.  In the beginning, the climate got so hot that vines shut down and grapes got burned.  A cool and humid August delayed ripening and 2011 turned out to be one of the longest growing seasons (refer to yesterday’s blog for more details).  Carmenere is generally harvested 2-3 weeks later than Cabernet / Merlot.  These extra weeks allow the grapes to obtain the required ripeness. 

Brane Cantenac 2011 only contains 0.5% of Carmenere (56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc).  Despite the low percentage, Brane’s operating manager Christophe Capdeville credited Carmenere as the magic wand that gave Brane 2011 its “zing” and luring aromas of sweet, exotic fruits.

Considering global warming and Carmenere as a risk-balancing varietal, many Bordeaux producers may follow suit and experiment with Carmenere.  This once obsolete varietal may become the cutting-edge grape!

To buy or not to buy:  2011 En Primeur

Many have asked me if 2011 is a good Bordeaux vintage and if they should invest in en primeur.

2011 Growing Season:

2011 is a difficult vintage – challenging growing seasons with an intensely hot and dry spring.  Some vines shut down, many grapes got burned, and producers were expecting one of the earliest harvest in history.  Then nature took a turn with a cool July and a rainy August.  Botrytis was an issue to some. Despite the tannins not being ripe enough, some producers harvested early fearing the loss of the crops.  Top producers reduced crops (getting rid of the unripe grapes) and hang on, relying on their experience and hoping for sunny days.  Fortunately nature took a kind turn, saving the vintage with cool nights and sunny days.  What was expected to be an early harvest turned into a very late one for many producers.  

2011 Vintage Performance:

In general, the wines produced are fruity with good acidity.  Unlike the 2009/2010, they do not have a heavy mid-palate.  Alcohol in general is down, averaging 13-13.5%.  Vinification expertise is crucial to craft a balanced wine with good weight.  2011 is a winemaker's vintage.   

Bordeaux white and sweet wines may be a better performer this year, as they are more suited to the 2011 growing season.  Merlot based wines grown on clay and limestone soils performed well (better water retention during the intensely hot months); so did Cabernet Sauvignon grown on clay-gravel soil. Cabernet Franc also performed relatively well. 


Renowned wine critics Robert Parker described the vintage as closer to 2001 and 2008.  The Parker rating is expected to come out later this month. 

Master of Wine Tim Atkins has released his review few days ago.  He gave Haut Brion the highest rating of 98 points.  Fourteen wines were rated above 95 points, including Haut Brion, Mouton, Cheval Blanc, Leoville Las Cases, Mission Haut Brion, Montrose, Vieux Chateau Certain, Petrus, Le Pin, Pontet Canet, Palmer, and Pichon Lalande.   Latour was rated 95 points; many en-primeurs tasters voted Latour to be the wine of the vintage.

Tasting en primeur is like appreciating a masterpiece before it is 1/5 finished.  How this vintage will fare in the coming years… time will tell. 

To buy or not to buy:

Regardless of the viticulture climate and vintage performance, 2011 may be a special year for some – for example, the birth year of a child. 

The bottom line, if the pricing seems like a great deal, you have spare cash, and you would enjoy the brand no matter what Mr Parker says, then there is limited risk in buying early.  There are always “good buys” in a stagnant market and “bad buys” in a lucrative market.  Use your good judgment to discover the value gems.