I’m always surprised when a wine brings to mind a specific scene or imagery even though it happens almost every time Brynna and I do these music and wine pairings. It happened with the Page Springs’ Viognier last time and most recently it happened with the Flying Leap 2011 Graciano. I got the sensation of being at a BBQ and chose great music to go along with that feeling. This pairing was tough ones but fun to discover.
Jeremiah’s Pick
The smokiness, pepper and BBQ smells I got from the nose of the Graciano immediately brought out the images of a Summer Blues Festival and Cookout. I particularly thought about the accordion and the way that its used in Zydeco music. When I tasted the wine, however, I didn’t get the energy that Zydeco music usually has. It was more laid back in it’s earthiness and dampness. It felt like that Blues Festival I was imagining was on a really humid day where all the participants don’t feel like doing much.
So I knew I wanted some blues music featuring some accordion, now it was time to find what was right. It took me a little bit longer than usual but I finally decided on Bob Dylan’s Together Through Life album. The sort of music Dylan makes on this album feels like it could be in a BBQ Festival and the accordion is featured on many songs.
The song, “This Dream Of You”, is the perfect example of a song from this album which pairs perfectly with the Flying Leap 2011 Graciano. It has some wondering accordion, it moves along slowly and feels a little lazy like how you would feel at a humid blues festival. The rest of the album follows suit because there aren’t too many really fast songs that pull away from the main laid back feel of the wine or the album.
Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself and let me know what you’d pick!
Notes:
Flying Leap 2011 Graciano music pairing
Nose – pepper, bbq, smoky, leather, blackberries, black olive
Taste- punchy, damp, like wet plants and humidity, earthy, swampy, laid back
Together Through Life – Bob dylan
Sounds like Dinosaur BBQ or music in a real bbq joint
The accordion in blues makes the swampy sort of zydeco flavor but the pepper and smoke in Dylan’s voice match the wine. And the moderate tempo of the album pair nicely with the laid back flavors in wine.