FROM CLASSICAL MUSIC IN THE VINEYARDS TO ROCK IN THE BARREL ROOMS, AND NOW IN CHILE THE WINEMAKER JUAN LEDESMA IS PUTTING MUSIC DIRECTLY INTO THE BARRIQUES TO AGE CABERNET AND MALBEC. IT’S CALLED “TERROIR SONORO”

It is not easy to invent something new in the pairing of wine & music. Almost everything has been invented from classical music in the vineyards to rock in the barrel rooms. In Chile, however, the winemaker Juan Ledesma has gone even farther. People have said they can hear jazz and folk music (to help the wine ageing process) coming from his cellar, Viñas Inéditas. The project, funded with 200.000 US Dollars from the Fund for Agricultural Innovation in Chile, is called "Terroir Sonoro" (read the whole story at www.vimeo.com/87900198), and brings music directly into the barrels, during the 6 months ageing process.

So, how does it work? Juan Ledesma explains "In the language of wine we are used to hearing descriptions like red fruit, mineral; in the language of music there are others, such as rhythmic, abrupt, or, in metric terms three quarters, or four quarters. With this in mind”, continues Ledesma, “professional musicians created different tunes for different varieties. It is not really jazz, but rather musical compositions capable of narrating the character of the wine and, through vibrations, adding something to the ageing process”. So, Cabernet Franc and Malbec translate into a musical idea that plays 24 /7, with small speakers placed inside the barrels, each with a different tone depending on the vibration frequency of the barrel. But what happens inside the barrel? “The wine is strictly unfiltered and thanks to the musical vibrations, enjoys a greater interaction with the lees, leading to specific aromas. It is actually a technical process, vaguely resembling batonnage”, says Ledesma.
The results, as shown by the first blind tastings, have proven us right and, according to the panelists, "sonoro" wines are rounder, softer and have a flavor profile indicating a more complex evolution, which contributes to the general aromatic expression. Even the most skeptical, like the winemaker François Massoc of Clos des Fous, Aristos and Calyptra, have had to change their minds. “I thought it was a crazy idea because even if there have been previous cases of wine with music, I never thought it could have any kind of technical support. This madness is not just a "whim of the artist", it is a serious scientific study, which has achieved great results in a very short time”.