3 ways you can pair music with wine

As the co-owner and winemaker of D’Anbino Vineyards and Cellars in Paso Robles, Carmine Rubino knows a thing or two about the intersection of music and wine.

The longtime recording engineer books the bands that perform in the winery’s tasting room.

“We did a tasting here showing how music can affect your (sense of) taste when you’re drinking wine,” Rubino said, and found that red wines paired best with classic rock ‘n’ roll.

Sauvignon blanc, on the other hand, works well with the Beatles song “Norwegian Wood,” he said.

Rubino recommended musical pairings for three wines produced by D’Anbino.

Quadraphonic

For this blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and syrah, there are a variety of options.

“That could go with a Rolling Stones song. It could go with a funk song. It could go with anything that’s sort of heavy,” Rubino said.

Chardonnay

A buttery chardonnay aged in oak barrels deserves a smooth sound. Rubino suggests jazz.

Portamento

For this mellow dessert wine, Rubino recommends light listening from south of the border, such as Brazilian bossa nova. “I could see myself having a glass of port with a cigar and listening to some Latin (music),” Rubino said.

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 2:15 PM with the headline "3 ways you can pair music with wine."