The Holy Grape CD

I saw this music CD in a wine shop in Washington state, and decided I had to get it. It's subtitled "Baroque and renaissance wine drinking music". How could there be a special set of wine drinking music? The 16 tracks are primarily from known composers - Handel, Bach, Mozart. There are a few rare items on here, but by and large it's a collection of songs that will be familiar to classical music fans.

Still, whenever I held a wine tasting, I put the music on and was sure to pass the CD case around. The case has a fair amount of information on it about wine types and wine tasting, explaining why glassware matters, how to decant, and more. In general, the music does in fact live up to its name. It is pleasant and quiet, without intruding on the discussion. While other collections might have some loud, busy music in them, these tracks are all low key and subtle.

Many studies have shown that playing fast music at dinner makes diners eat more quickly, while playing slow music helps to slow the pace of eating. Since wine tasting is about savoring and appreciating the flavors in a wine, it makes sense to play slow, quiet music in the background, to complement this activity.

Wine Tasting Music

Master List of Wine Products