Clark Smith believes that when wine and music have the same intrinsic mood, they complement each other. In particular, wines taste smoother, whereas when it’s a mismatch, they can taste harsh and astringent. This presentation is owned and copywritten by Clark Smith

2. Harmony &
Dissonance

3. • Why aren’t “peak experiences” consistent?
• Why can’t winemakers make wine by recipe?

4. Shared attributes of
wine and music
• Strong visceral appeal
– Revenues from music exceed pharmaceuticals
– There are no $1000 beers
• Non-linear preference patterns (sweet spots)

5. Alcohol Balance
X
Consumer
Preference
X
X
11
13.5
% Alcohol
16

6. Judge (n=22)
free choice
frequency
0
15.5
15.4
15.3
15.2
15.1
15.0
14.9
14.8
14.7
14.6
14.5
14.4
14.3
14.2
14.1
14.0
13.9
13.8
13.7
13.6
13.5
13.4
13.3
13.2
13.1
13.0
12.9
12.8
12.7
12.6
Figure 1
"Sweet Spot" Tasting of 1999 Syrah
reduced from 18.0% ethanol
10
5
Syrah % v/v ethanol

7. Shared attributes of
wine and music
• Strong visceral appeal
– Revenues from music exceed pharmaceuticals
– There are no $1000 beers
•
•
•
•
•
Non-linear preference patterns (sweet spots)
Strongly shared sense of harmony
Broad disparity of stylistic preference
Capacity to carry emotion
Contributing influences are all present
simultaneously

8. MUSICAL APPRECIATION
Performer
Composer
STYLE
Listener’s
background
expectation of
musical genres
Instrumental
Composition

9. WINE APPRECIATION
Winemaker
Origin
STYLE
Taster’s
background
expectation of
historical genres
Varietal
Composition

10. Clinical Tools for
Cognitive Musicology
•
•
•
•
Behavioral studies of brain injuries
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Electro Encephalography
Positron Emission Tomography

11. “Blues” processing PET scan
Males
Females

13. Emotion
• Melody
– anticipation leading to resolution
• Modality
– Underlying mood

14. N.M. Weinberger’s case subject “I.R.”:
Melody and intrinsic mood
function separately!
• Bilaterial damage to temporal lobes, auditory
cortex
• I.Q. and general memory normal
• No language difficulties
• No melody recognition or recollection
• Emotional reactions completely normal!

15. Different wines
carry different emotions!

16. Emotion
• Melody
– anticipation leading to resolution
• Modality
– Underlying mood
• Harmony cascade
– Parasympathetic (“relax”)
– Frontal lobe rewards
– Euphoria
• Dissonance cascade
– Sympathetic (alert!)
– Limbic system (fight or flight)

17. Blood and Zatorre, 2001:
• PET scan images while listening to musical
intervals
• C / G (perfect fifth)
– Reward System
– Parasympathetic relaxation
• C / C#
– Fight or flight system
– Sympathetic alert system

18. Thalamus
characterizes
stimulus

19. Frontal
Lobes
(Reward
System)
0.1% Alcohol Difference!
Thalamus
characterizes
stimulus
HARMONY
DISSONANCE
Limbic
System
(danger)

20. Fields of the Phenomenon
Individual
The experience
itself
Clinical observations,
explanations
& theories
Experiential
Analytical
Shared experience:
Social implications
-How are we alike?
-How are we
different?
-Advertising
-Use in promoting
our image
Group

21. www.PostmodernWinemaking.com/WineAndMusic