Sommelier Mark Oldman is a fan favorite at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen. His wildly popular seminars combine big-ticket bottles of wine with an element of performance, and it isn’t hard to figure out why the New York Times calls him “one of the wine world’s great showmen.”
At this year’s Classic, Oldman added music to the mix, with a seminar on “Pitch Perfect” wines that explored the intersection of sound and flavor.
He served some wines made by musicians, like John Legend,
and some made by music-lovers, with bottles named after songs by Beethoven and Neil Young.
One of the selections was a crisp bubbly called “Harvest Moon,” which Oldman included for an experiment in the conference room at The Gant.
First, he played the original song, and the wine tasted light, with some gentle fruity and yeasty notes. Oldman switched to spa music, which had largely the same effect, then cued up a song that he considers more “rousing” — “Crazy in Love,” by Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Suddenly, the wine’s flavor popped, the previously-subtle fruity notes came center stage.
Oldman explained that wine is contextual, and everything from music to location to the people you’re with can affect the way something tastes.
“The great takeaway from this whole seminar is, don't judge the wine in a vacuum, but judge it with different stimuli,” Oldman told the crowd of about 80 seminar participants on Sunday.
Another takeaway, from attendee Suzanne Koznitzky: “Listen to the music you love, with the wine you love,” to maximize the positive experience.
During the hour-long crash course in musical wines, Oldman also spoke about a process called “sonic stimulation,” in which winemakers play music for the grapes in their fields and barrel rooms.
Oldman acknowledges that may sound a little “foufou” to some people, but he believes it says a lot about the vintner’s commitment to their craft.
“Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but this is someone who really cares about the end product, and that's what gets me going,” Oldman told Aspen Public Radio. “That's what gets me excited.”
