Friday, April 24, 2009

A Viticultural Mash-Up: Wines Paired With Led Zeppelin Songs



In this month's edition of Food Coma, Anthrax's hard rocking viticulture expert Scott Ian talks about the rather unlikely wine-pairing event he's been asked to participate in. Ian's pal, restaurateur Joe Bastianich, who is Mario Batali's partner in an eatery empire that includes the hip NYC gastronomic joints Babbo, Del Posto, among others, is organizing a wine tasting evening that pairs wine with the music of Led Zeppelin.

"Led Zeppelin lends itself to wine; Hearty, robust reds match Page's raw riffs and Bonham's thunderous double bass pedal, while the band's lighter, more playful work calls for tamer, yet complex whites," explains Bastianich, who goes on to give an example. "We're pairing 'The Song Remains the Same' with two crispy acidic, chalky, mouth-tingling whites. Think about the opening guitar riff, that jangling makes me think of the bubbles rising in a glass of Champagne. We really captured the spirit of these wines, the acidity, their raciness, the treble. It's all about the treble."

Bastianich wine & Led event will be held on Saturday May 2 at Manhattan's City Winery (a music & wine venue which was the brainchild of Knitting Factory founder Michael Dorf). Scott Ian will be taking to the stage with Led Zeppelin cover band Six Foot Nurse to provide live music for pairing with the appropriate liquid.

Tickets rage from $55 to $75 and include 6 different pours paired with light bites. Click HERE for more info.

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