Wine + Music

THE SATURDAY SOMMELIER
May 30, 2026  |  ISSUE No. 28
Your weekly deep-dive into the world of wine & spirits


Wine + Music
What to pour for every mood

Wine and music have a lot in common. Both reward attention but forgive inattention. Both have a foreground and a background. Both can change the atmosphere of a room in under a minute. And both make each other better.

The question of what to drink while listening to music is not as frivolous as it sounds. There’s real research behind it, and there’s a logic to the matchmaking that any good sommelier will recognize: you’re looking for resonance. A wine that matches the mood, tempo, and texture of what’s playing, one that doesn’t fight the room for attention.

Here’s our guide.

THE SCIENCE

Research from the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University has consistently found that music influences how we perceive flavor. Crossmodal correspondences mean our brains use the acoustic environment to "fill in the blanks" of our sensory experience. It's a phenomenon often referred to as sonic seasoning, and we are here for it.

Slower tempos make wine taste more bitter and full-bodied. Higher-pitched music emphasizes sweetness and acidity. Louder environments generally dull taste perception. Your palate is genuinely affected by what’s playing.

THE PAIRINGS

We chose each of these pairings because the wine’s character mirrors or complements the emotional register of the music. Think of it the way a film composer thinks about scoring a scene: the wine is the soundtrack to the listening experience.

JAZZ + Brunello
The wine equivalent of a long solo.

🍷 2006 Valdicava Madonna del Piano Brunello di Montalcino
🎵 "Blue in Green" by Miles Davis

This is the bottle you open when you’ve decided the night isn’t over yet. The Valdicava is almost 20 years old and it still has more to say, Dried rose, iron, dark cherry, tobacco, all of it unfolding slowly over hours. Decant it and put the record on without paying attention to the time. Like the best jazz, there’s always another layer. Pour it well before you plan to drink it, let it breathe, and let the evening go wherever it goes.

CLASSICAL + White Burgundy
Put on something grand. Pour accordingly.

🍷 2023 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet VV
🎵 "Clair de Lune" by Debussy

This one is still a pre-arrival (it’s not in the shop just yet) but it’s worth knowing about. Colin-Morey is one of those Burgundy producers that commands a waiting list, and the Vieilles Vignes is his most approachable entry point into the range. Mineral, precise, slow to open. Clair de Lune is the same energy, technically immaculate, a little cool on the surface, and then suddenly it just opens up and you forget what you were doing.

⏰ PRE-ARRIVAL. ETA MID-JUNE. Reserve your bottle here.

SOUL & RnB + Rhone Valley Syrah
For when you want to feel something.

🍷 2023 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage

🎵 "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone

If you haven't had a Crozes-Hermitage Syrah before, this is a great place to start. Graillot is basically the reason people take this appellation seriously. His wines are dark fruit and smoked meat and violet all at once, earthy and generous without being heavy. Nina Simone has the same warm, unhurried vibe, that makes wherever you are feel like exactly where you should be. Dragonfly out in the sun knows what we mean :)

INDIE + Skin Contact
The music is a little complicated, and so is the wine. Feelings welcome.

🍷 2022 Sanctum Leptir Skin Contact

🎵 "anything" by adrianne lenker

Skin contact wine might not for everyone and neither is Adrianne Lenker, but if you’re in the right mood for one you’re probably in the right mood for both. The Sanctum Leptir is a hand-harvested Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris fermented on skins for up to 21 days, then aged in Slovenian oak and bottled unfiltered. The result is a bright coppery color with chamomile and peaches, fresh and elegant with fine tannins. It's a wine that feels like it was made by someone who paid close attention, which is exactly how Adrianne Lenker makes music. Just voice, acoustic guitar, and the kind of attention to small things that most people walk past. We don't want to talk about anythin' except pouring another apricot-y glass and feeling the sun on our face.

HIP-HOP + Red Burgundy
Nothing here is accidental.

🍷 2021 Benjamin Leroux “Les Santenots” 1er Cru, Volnay

🎵 "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" by Digable Planets

Leroux's reds are lithe, detailed, and wonderfully aromatic, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his Volnay. Perfumed strawberry and bright plum on the nose, leading to a silky textured palate. Never heavy, always precise. He manages oak with subtlety, never letting winemaking overpower terroir. This is Burgundy as it should be. Which is exactly why we're pairing it with Digable Planets. "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" is 1992 Brooklyn jazz-hip-hop at its most refined and Butterfly, Ladybug Mecca, and Doodlebug float over the beat like the wine moves across your palate. It's how we consume all the beats just like juice.

CLASSIC ROCK + Bold Reds
Open a bottle and turn it up. No overthinking required.

🍷 2022 The Vice “Cowboy Monkey” Malbec

🎵 "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett

Classic rock is about power and directness. It doesn’t ask you to be patient. The Vice Cowboy Monkey embodies that energy: a full-bodied Malbec with dark plum, blackberry, chocolate, and firm tannins that don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. There’s no point overthinking it. Joan Jett didn’t overthink Bad Reputation either and that worked out fine. This is a Tuesday night wine that tastes like a Friday night. Turn it up. Who gives a damn?

FOLK + Vinho Verde
Turn it down. For quiet evenings that deserve more than beer.

🍷 2024 Quinta da Raza Vicinus Vinho Verde Branco

🎵 "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman

Folk music is about honesty. Nothing hidden, nothing embellished, and Vinho Verde is the wine equivalent: low alcohol, high acid, lightly effervescent, bone dry, and completely transparent about what it is. The Quinta da Raza Vicinus is a classic expression of the Minho region with citrus, stone fruit, a saline finish that makes you want another sip. Tracy Chapman sounds effortless but sneaks up on you. Give me one reason to pour another glass...

ELECTRONIC + Grüner Veltliner
Let it wash over you.

🍷 2022 Kolfok Querschnitt Grüner Veltliner
🎵 "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap

Electronic music operates on texture rather than melody. It builds slowly, changes subtly, rewards passive listening as much as active attention. Grüner Veltliner is wine’s answer to that energy: clean and mineral, with a slight tonic quality and a white pepper finish that keeps things interesting without demanding your focus. Hide and Seek is similar in that it sounds simple... and then you realize there are about fifteen layers happening. Is it all for the best? Of course it is.

MAKE YOUR OWN PLAYLIST

The pairings above are starting points and we hope you enjoy our suggestions. But Your Brunello might want Coltrane. Your Vinho Verde might want Gillian Welch. And if you've found a song that pairs perfectly with a particular bottle, we'd love to hear about it. Stop by the shop and tell us what you've been listening to, or drop us a note. We're always looking to add to the playlist.