Austrian winemaker trials fermentation by music

Wine lovers may soon detect notes of Mozart or hints of Haydn in their glass if one Austrian’s eccentric idea catches on.

Winemaker Markus Bachmann, a former French horn player, has created a tiny speaker that can be inserted directly into liquid, exposing fermenting grape juice to a mixture of classical, jazz and electronic tunes.

He believes the soundwaves positively influence the maturing process, stimulating yeast cells to move around so they absorb more sugar, resulting in better-tasting wine with a lower sugar content.

“The wines get more fruity, and they mature earlier. All the flavours stand alone much better,” the 44-year-old said.

Bachmann has teamed up with six Austrian producers to make a 31,000-litre test batch of musically-influenced Sonor Wines, including a 2010 Pinot Blanc infused with Mozart’s 41st Symphony and a 2010 Zweigelt exposed to a selection of arias.

Working with Bachmann, winemaker Franz-Michael Mayer played waltzes and polkas performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to his Semillon for three weeks and said: “I get the sense that it tastes different, good.”

“I’m so convinced that I’m ready to continue next year,” Mayer added.

Scientists however, remain sceptical. Werner Gruber, a University of Vienna physicist, dismissed Bachmann’s method as “rubbish”.

“Yeast and fungi don’t have opinions. They really don’t care if AC/DC, Madonna or Mozart is played to them,” Gruber said.

Undeterred, Bachmann insists his idea is the next big thing in winemaking, but refuses to have the small, sound-infusing gadget photographed or filmed.

Lucy Shaw, 09.03.2011