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Sure, music might be able to soothe the savage beast. But can it soothe the yeast particles in wine?
Austrian innovator Markus Bachmann thinks so. He's invented a special speaker system that plays classical, jazz or electronic music to wine during the fermentation process to improve the taste, the Associated Press reports.
As the theory goes, the sound vibrations cause the yeast particles to move around and use up more sugar, resulting in a lower sugar content, AP says.
While some dismiss the notion as hogwash (University of Vienna physicist Werner Gruber tells AP: "Yeast, fungi, don't have opinions; they really don't care if AC/DC, Madonna or Mozart is played to them"), Mr. Bachmann isn't alone in focusing on the mood in which food and beverages are created.
The report notes that Portugal's Jose Maria da Fonseca plays classical music in the hall where it ages its famous wines; France's Henri Maire loads its wines on ships that sail around the world so they can be rocked by waves, and Austria's Rainer Christ of the Weingut Christ winery claims that harvesting his grapes during a full moon makes the wine taste better and extends their shelf-life.
Such pampering is nothing new in Japan, where it's possible to find bananas ripened to the sweet melodies of Mozart, as well as sake, soy sauce, miso, mushrooms and "Beethoven Bread," all prepared to the tune of classical music to improve their taste, according to The Independent.
(If nothing else, perhaps the music's soothing affect on employees might just make them produce a better product.) But then, can you mess up a batch of wine or a bunch of bananas by playing them the wrong tunes? What would bananas ripened to Justin Bieber taste like? Or grape juice aged to Lady Gaga?
What do you think? Would you be able to taste a bit of Brahms or a hint of Handel?
Wency Leung