Mighty Vine Listening
Wine consultant Clark Smith claims that an imbiber's musical environment can drastically alter a wine's taste. "I think everybody recognizes that music has moods," Smith told NPR recently. "Quite simply, I think that wines carry mood also—and so the wine is acting like another musical instrument in the orchestra. If it's playing in the wrong thematic mode, it clashes with the rest of the musicians."
An NPR taste test suggests that the Doors' "dark, angry" song, "People Are Strange," enhanced the taste of a 2003 cabernet, yet clashed with a white zinfandel. And an oaky 2006 chardonnay that went well with Ella Fitzgerald's "St. Louis Blues" lost its allure when sipped to something cheery by Mozart.