Norton Says - Music

Ever notice how the words we use to describe wine are some of the same words we use to describe music?

Alright, maybe not oak-y, but there’s definitely some overlap in the terminology. And there may be a scientific reason why.

According to one theory, an area of the brain involved in judgment and music overlaps with an area that processes aromas, which greatly influence our tastebuds. This could explain how music can influence the taste of wine.

A good rule of thumb is that reds prefer a minor key while whites skew sexy or light. If you’re into polka music, opt for the pink catawba.

Now if you’re drinking dry red Missouri Norton wine, I would suggest pairing it with music that veers dark, such as Fiona Apple or Death Cab for Cutie.

But don't get too caught-up in the “rules” for pairing wines with music (although testing these theories with friends could be a fun exercise). Evaluating music—and wine—is personal and subjective. In other words, the best wine is the wine you like on a given night.

Music can actually enhance your enjoyment of a good wine. In fact, nothing makes an afternoon at a Missouri winery more memorable than live music. Check out artists performing live at upcoming events, then invite your friends and make a day of it with help from my trip planner.

Have you ever noticed how many songs pair well with Norton wine? I offer these examples for your consideration.

To test a different theory about music’s influence on the taste of wine, experts used tasting panels and paired dozens of wines with dozens of pieces of music that expressed varying degrees of harmony or dissonance (for those of you wishing to recreate this study, keep in mind that they conducted it over a period of months, not a weekend). Although the results were subjective, several pairings emerged over and over again as "winners" amongst the various experts.

For instance, they determined that a full-body red always tasted best when accompanied by "music of darkness"
(depending on your musical tastes, I suppose this could mean anything from The Doors, to Radiohead, to Mozart’s Requiem).

In the same study, a medium-body red tasted best when accompanied by Mozart’s more lighthearted Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music), also known as Serenade for Strings in G Major (although you might remember it best from Ace Venture: Pet Detective where Ace and Melissa arrive at the rich guy’s house and walk past the string quartet). Of course, a pinot noir will taste equally lovely if paired with lighthearted music that is less than 200 years old, such as Coldplay or John Mayer.

Until they conduct these tasting experiments while looking at people’s brains in an MRI, I think it’s easiest to just compare, contrast and draw your own conclusions.