WhINE to the MUSIC: Bob Marley and Malbec
“Whine to the music” is the art of pairing grooves, such as Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” with Malbec. We have been drinking wine with music since the dawn of wine. I don’t think music would have evolved without wine. Most people tend to turn up the music when they drink wine. Whine to the Music is not just sitting back, drinking wine and getting teary eyed. It is a concept like ART and Wine Pairing, where we dissect the structures of the wine and the work to its basic elements. The structural elements eventually create an emotion in us. Whine to the Music is the art of pairing wine with music based on the emotion they evoke in us.
What a classic song! No matter where in the world you are, someone, somewhere with a guitar will be playing this powerful song. This song’s power comes from the emotion that it evokes. This version of the song does not have a bass line to give it backbone, it is acoustic and song with the heart that only Bob Marley can sing. Bob breaks it up with a “Reggae Beat Box” before singing the last chorus. This only gives what is a simple song, more rhythmic complexity. Bob finishes what he normally sings acoustically with the beat of bongos giving it more emotion and heart.
How can we pair such a classic? Is there a wine really worthy of such greatness? Grand Cru Burgundy is beautiful, but does not posses heart. 1st growth Bordeaux is complex but too pretentious for a song that is simple and about the common man breaking away from slavery. So what then?
The other day, my good friend, Christopher Lavine of Broadbent Imports sent me a bottle of 1977 Weinert Malbec. It clicked! Yes this wine is Bordeaux in style and far away from the young ripe, oaky Malbecs Americans have come to love. This wine has finesse, soft structured tannins and smokey tricerary aromas that get tied in with a slight oaky coconut. A wine far away from home, Bordeaux. Made in the New World by the Weinert family whose heart was in Bordeaux when they assembled this delicious wine.
Like “Redemption Song”, this wine has lasted the test of time and has proven to be age-worthy. The wine is elegant and the fruit lush which pairs with Bob’s soothing voice. The acidity is well-balanced and the oak treatment gives it just the right amount of structure. Those leathery and toasty flavors in the finish match with the beat of the bongos as the song comes to an end. After drinking and listening we are left with a sense of hope, a return to our ideals and the greatest satisfaction. Many members of the Wine Spectator forum call this the Best Malbec Ever!
1 Comment
Phil Reedman
Pairing a wine to Bob Marley needs something deeply mellow; an old vintage Terrantez from Madeira should do the trick nicely; mellow yet deep