Why Champagne is music for your mouth
Sometimes you just want a bit of whatever Lady Gaga is having. And now you can, by pairing her green crème Chromatica Oreos with Dom Perignon champagne.
The iconic Champagne house has teamed up with the pop superstar in “an artistic venture” which sees the launch of her limited edition champagne bottle, a Gaga sculpture accompanied by a short film marking “a celebration of how pushing boundaries of creation, constant reinvention and passionate dedication to one’s craft can elevate us, individually and collectively.”
The collaboration will benefit Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, which supports the mental health of young people. It comes hot on the heels of Gaga’s first foray into the commercial snack world, after she launched her Chromatica Oreos sandwich cookies in December.
Celebrities from David Beckham and The Rock to Jammie Foxx and Kendall Jenner have all invited us to join them in their boozy collaborations with makers of tequilas, bourbon or orange whisky.
Krug (est.1843), ever a marketing trailblazer, has decided that what goes best with Champagne is not oysters, truffle risotto or smoked salmon but Ozark Henry.
The Belgian singer-musician-artiste-composer’s work is part of the Krug Champagne playlist designed to help you enjoy your flutes more. Reportedly, what we hear helps us better appreciate the Champagne. If you can’t afford to book a philharmonic orchestra to play for you or hire a diva to sing a few arias, you can instead be guided by the taste of Olivier Krug, the sixth generation head of the Reims-based Maison Krug.
His great-grandfather had a salon de musique in the 1920s and 30s and he was brought up by his father Joseph to believe that the creation of a champagne is like the composition of a piece of music. Realising that music has the power to enhance the sensorial experience of Champagne, his selection of ” Krug Echoes” pairings comes via the Krug app, accessible by a six-digit ID code on a bottle’s back bale. Various musicians have recorded their Champagne drinking experience.
“The music reflects what the musicians felt while tasting the champagne,” says Olivier, who is a fan of works created by electronic duo, Grand Soleil.
Celebrated British chef Heston Blumenthal described sound as a “forgotten flavour sense,” convinced too that the two reinforce each other. Famed jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson has collaborated with Krug. As has Bryan Ferry.
There seems to be something in it: research has shown that people will rate the wine 15 per cent higher while listening to the matching music, something called “sonic seasoning”.
Krug considers each of its five champagne types to express a specific musical experience, from the “soloists” of Krug Clos to the “ensemble” of Krug Vintages and a “symphony performance” of Krug Grande Cuvée.
“Chardonnay is more the violins,” says Monsieur Krug. Pinot Noir more bass. Trombones give the structure and maturity. Pinot Meunier is from the funfair. We have consulted semiologists on how to translate words like citrus, finesse and ripe into music.”