Wine And Music: A Frequent Collaboration

Wine and music are often associated together in metaphor, in marketing, and as means for mutual pleasure.

With the Long Island wineries’ winter “Jazz on the Vine” series of concerts coming to an end on March 18, I asked the owners and winemakers to tell me other ways that music plays a role at their wineries. Their responses showed me how important music is to all, whether it’s whistled by the winemaker, played over a boom box during bottling, used for inspiration during blending, or to set a tone in the tasting room.

Wölffer Estate’s Winemaker Roman Roth (himself an accomplished singer) doesn’t usually play music in the Sagaponack-based winery, but he said, “There is no good day without a song. So from time to time I do start singing. This is the secret why wines are so harmonious!

He added, “There is also a lot of whistling going on. For some reason the theme song of the 2011 harvest was Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’ Other times it’s the tune of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.’ Phy phy phy wah wah wah!”

When asked if music influences the style of wine he makes, Mr. Roth replied, “Yes. A happy winemaker makes better wine!”

At Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue, Rich Olsen-Harbich (who has been making wine on Long Island since 1981) related, “During the long days and nights of harvest, music provides comforting entertainment, sets the mood of the crew and keeps everyone moving and focused ... We’ll start the day with something quiet—that could mean anything from Jack Johnson, Sarah Vaughan or even some quiet Chopin. Once the day gets started though we need a more up-tempo beat so we’ll listen to anything from the Clash, The Beatles and Rhianna to world music like Bachatas and Bollywood hits.”

Mr. Olsen-Harbich said he likes the metaphoric association of wine and music.

“I like to relate to music during the blending process in particular. Great examples of varietal wines are often like a great solo artist, commanding a single instrument and creating soulful sounds. Blended wines, on the other hand, are more like listening to a symphony. So for blending, I like to use music as a backdrop. You can have lots of instruments playing at different levels and pitches and chords,” he said. “When we are really working well together it’s a joyful moment. The great perfume makers do this all the time when they discuss base notes and treble notes. For wines I look at them the same way, often finding base notes first—usually dark, deep, powerful red wines—and blending over these with treble notes.”

While the vintage of 2010 was defined for Mr. Olsen-Harbich by Lady Gaga, he said, it is dramatically different for the latest vintage.

“The music that defines the 2011 vintage for me is Mozart’s ‘Concerto in C for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra K. 299 Andandino,’” he said.

At Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue, winemaker Greg Gove doesn’t often play music because it can be distracting, he said.

“I usually have more than one thing going on at a time. Hearing a change in the pitch of a pump or the sound of a leaky door gasket as the head pressure builds is pretty important to me. When we’re labeling however, music soothes the soul and reduces the repetitive motion sickness.”

Eric Fry at The Lenz Winery in Peconic said he loves music but, like Mr. Gove, he finds music to be a distraction in the winery.

“I want to hear what’s going on. Barrels are bubbling. I want to hear that. If there’s a leak somewhere, I need to run and fix it,” he said. “Wine and music are so different. I find no analogy.”

At Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue, Charles Massoud also likes it quiet, he said.

“A good wine is like music to my ears. Adding other music creates a cacophony. So I prefer the wine to show off, he said. “And music cannot help a bad wine,” he added.

However, many tasting rooms do play music to set a tone.

At Sparkling Pointe in Southold, it’s Brazilian music. At Macari Vineyards in Mattituck, whatever’s playing always “has a little “oomph” to it,” according to winery staff.

Paula Croteau of Croteaux Vineyards in Southold plays only French music—from Edith Piaf to Carla Bruni.

“We feel the music defines us and creates the French escape,” she said.

At McCall Vineyards in Cutchogue, Russ McCall remembers hearing “how Aubert de Villaine (of Romanée Conti) had a quiet evening with (cellist) Yo-Yo Ma at his home in Chagny,” he said. “Well, at McCall tasting room we sip ’07 PN Reserve listening to Cat Stevens’s ‘Morning has Broken’ and ‘Father and Son.’ Cutchogue wine trade is still like the Wild West compared to the historic French districts. Let’s have fun with it,” he added.