2008: The Year of Wine and Music
This year might just go down as the year of wine and music.
The relationship between the two has been something of an obsession for me lately, and I don’t think I’m alone. I posted about it twice in ‘08, once in July, a second time in August; and just last month I co-hosted a Sunday Salon at Chanterelle called “Rising Stars,” for which I selected six wines to accompany performances by members of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and small dishes prepared by Chanterelle chef David Waltuck, an extraordinary experience that forced me to consider not just the flavor components of David’s food but also the tone, tempo, and libretto of each piece. Our 80-plus attendees loved it, and it was without doubt the most gratifying experience I’ve had to date as a wine educator.
In the Dining section of yesterday’s New York Times, Eric Asimov interviewed the concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, David Chan (click here to see article). David came to wine loving a little late, but with the kind of energy that you might expect from the kind of guy at the front of an orchestra by twenty seven. In the article, Asimov writes that, “almost any orchestra or group of musicians will include a significant minority who are involved in tasting groups or who gather regularly to have dinner and share wines.” David compares his appreciate for music directly to his love of wine-”talking about wine is like talking about music,” he says. “If I could tell you in words, then there wouldn’t be any point in playing it. A great piece of music, and a great wine, holds you attention and has more than you can say in words.” True enough, even if it is bad news for someone that makes their living trying to put their feelings about wine, and music, into words.
It’s an interesting notion, this subjectivity of wine drinking. Because I can write about the history of a region, the story of the vineyard. Or I can talk about the aromatic profile, about secondary notes-interesting too that we speak of notes in wine-but ultimately, you gotta be there. You have to experience it for yourself. That’s what Doug Frost was getting at in his diatribe against the notion of a universal palate, the experientiality of wine drinking.
I could go on many tangents here, a discussion of benchmarks used in advanced wine training, about Matt Kramer’s beautifully eloquent passage on connoisseurship in Making Sense of Wine (Running Press, 2003), about how much I like Lucinda Williams’ new album, “Little Honey,” but I think this is a bigger thing than a single post can tackle. All I can say is that this is not the last I have to say on the matter.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Definitely important to remember whenever you read a critic’s take on anything that it’s just one person’s opinion. Maybe a very educated and experienced person, but still just one. I like to use critics as a gateway–turn me on to new artists, new restaurants, whatever, point me in a direction. I might like it, or I might not. But even if I don’t that experience might lead in a new direction, too. Anyway, good article…
December 4th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Charles,
Music criticism is indeed a funny thing. I love reading in and admit that a well written piece about music that I might not like at first might lead me to more listens but as with any kind of passion, ultimately you have to have faith in your opinion. My parents and brothers teased me relentlessly for being very particular about, say, the temperature and flavor of a simple cup of coffee, how long it had been on the burner, etc., and now I think they appreciate it a bit more. Not that I need that validation but it’s nice anyway. I am glad I didn’t relent back then.