Wine barrels lie back and listen to monastic chants in this amphitheater-style aging room.
Wine
Wine Sounds Good
A study reveals that music makes a difference in the taste of wine.
BY
Marshall Rimann
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy of Rimann Liquors

It is a well-known and accurate perception that many of the world’s finest wineries and winegrowers give great importance to maintaining  a certain balance between their viticultural practices and the land. They do this primarily through utilizing various organic and sustainable farming methods. The end results of these efforts benefit not only the wine they make but also our environment. There are some wineries that take this concept a giant step further with their endeavors to maintain a balance with our earth and the universe.

One such winery is Viña Montes in the Apalta region of Chile’s Colchagua Valley. Like many other wine producers in Chile, California and other growing regions, Montes practices sustainable and organic   techniques in growing grapes and making wine, but it also does more. In 2004, it inaugurated a state-of-the-art winery that incorporates the latest technological advances and principles from the ancient Asian philosophy of Feng Shui.

The owners intended to incorporate the basic elements of water, metal, earth and wood into the design and position them in accordance to the tenets of Feng Shui to optimize harmony and positive energy in the winery. Douglas Murray, one of the founding partners of Montes, says, “After all, the superb grapes from our two vineyard properties…deserve a winery like this.” 

The harmonious design of the building is evident as soon as you approach it. The exterior blends in with the mountains that serve as a backdrop, and the wooden   walkway that leads to the front entrance is set over a pool of water, which represents energy, that flows into a fountain inside the winery. According to Samuel Claro, the project’s architect, “[The water] has to flow into the building in order to be concentrated in the winery.” The fountain is located at the exact geometric center of the winery, and above it is a skylight that was installed, Samuel says, “to connect to infinity, the universe. All of the energy is right there.”

In addition to the balance provided by the Feng Shui design of the facility, the owners have incorporated musical harmony into the operation. Aurelio Montes, also a founder, has long thought that music plays an integral part in both making wine and enjoying it.

Deep within the heart of the winery is the barrel room, where the red wines of Montes are allowed to age for various lengths of time in small (59 gallon) oak  barrels. (The Montes Alpha “M,” a Bordeaux-style blend, for example, spent 18 months in this room.) It is a large, dimly lit area with curved walls and several ascending levels. The barrels are arranged in such a way that the room resembles an amphitheatre or auditorium, appropriately enhanced by the sound of monastic chants emanating from hidden speakers.

Aurelio states, “I’ve always believed that playing Gregorian chants aids in the maturation of our wines,” further explaining that the gentle vibrations of the music seem to improve the quality and energy of the wine. Confident in his theory, he commissioned a study by the Department of Applied Psychology at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, which revealed that music can have a direct impact on taste. Moreover, the style of music people listen to while drinking wine can affect how the wine actually tastes. Apparently, different types of music stimulate specific areas of the brain, so when we taste wine, these areas of the brain are already active and prime us to taste the wine in a corresponding way.

According to the researchers, cabernet sauvignon was most affected by “powerful and heavy” music and chardonnay by “zingy and refreshing” sounds. Therefore, they recommend the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman” and The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” for cabernet sauvignon, Pachelbel’s “Canon” for syrah and  “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” by Tina Turner for chardonnay. If you are enjoying a bottle of merlot, put Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” on the stereo and enjoy.

There are a wide range of opinions on whether these various theories and practices actually make a difference: Does sustainable agriculture result in wine that more truly reflects the land it came from? Will flowing water and sunlight and the other natural forces of the universe translate into energy that suffuses the end product? Can music act to mellow resting wine in the barrel and alter our perception of it in the glass? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, that is good. If no, it really doesn’t matter, and we are still left with some very good wines to enjoy, and that is undeniable.