Music Makes Wine Taste Better

Markus Bachmann, a French horn player from Austria, has created a fermentation system that infuses the music of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Vivaldi and rare orchestra and jazz recordings into wine.

So, I've heard of coconut-infused vodka, and cherry-infused rum, but music-infused wine has got to be the most awesome beverage on the face of the planet.

Managing director of Sonor Wines, Bachman literally puts a speaker into the wine tank that plays music during the fermentation process.The yeast doesn't wear earphones, so the key is in the frequencies and volume. And, according to him, "the yeast starts doing totally different things to wine." Makes sense I guess. Music has been proven to affect plants, and yeast is a bacteria... which is kind of, sort of close to a plant... right?

Anyway, Bachman explains that the speakers he uses have the magnet, but no membrane, so the water directly receives the vibrations. The sound waves help to mix up the yeast, ensuring that they get the sugar they need to respire. Bachman says, "it's the pulse of the rhythm that mixes it. The mixing keeps the yeast much more alive. There is 30 percent more living yeast in the fermentation than in wines without music." The yeast work less and respire more, and the result is a higher alcohol content and richer aroma in the finished product. What does this mean for the wine's taste? It's drier, because more of the sugar is used up. It also tastes much more mature for this reason, meaning that you could make a year old wine taste like a three year old wine.

Now, I have to ask, does the wine have a different personality depending on the music you choose. Say a Led-Zepplin Chardonnay versus a Tchaikovsky Merlot?