Wine and Music

I have often heard people say that wine is a quite esoteric concept and that they struggle to comprehend it. In this post I try to make it more accessible by explaining some popular wines through a different medium – composers. After all, as Robert Fripp said: "music is the wine that fills the cup of silence"...

Riesling / Beethoven:

Refined, elegant, beautiful. But more than that, an underlying complexity and intensity that isn’t immediately apparent. With age both develop into something truly wonderful.


Pinot Noir / J. S. Bach:

Ethereal, sublime, enticing, fantastical. This is the holy grail, a fleeting glimpse of perfection and true beauty.


Bordeaux / Mahler:

Power and a delicate beauty in a perfect combination. Plenty of finesse on show, but also raw energy and passion.


Syrah / Prokofiev:

Spicy, spiky, powerful, balanced.


Chardonnay / Rachmaninov:

Can be truly beautiful. Perhaps suffers from being a little too well-known. Both of them feature in Bridget Jones’ Diary.


Chianti / Puccini:

Fruity, voluptuous, sexy. Best enjoyed outside on a piazza in Tuscany.


Champagne / Wagner:

Famous, very famous, but to really understand it takes a tremendous amount of dedicated study. Changes greatly, and improves, with age. Takes on a more complex and profound character. Best enjoyed slowly.


Malbec / Liszt:

Dark, moody, brilliant, intense.


Pinot Grigio / Mozart:

Dull. Uninspiring. Popular – I have no idea why.