For musician and former tasting room host Jeff Kloetzel, live music can change the experience of tasting wine.
Kloetzel spent 13 years working behind the bar in tasting rooms, where he saw how much the surroundings can shape a visitor’s experience.
“Atmosphere makes a huge difference in the experience in a tasting room or in a wine and music setting,” Kloetzel said.
Performing in a tasting room also requires a different approach than playing a concert. Kloetzel said reading — and responding — the room is part of what makes performing at wineries different from playing a traditional concert.
“In a tasting room, I never go in with a set list,” he said.
Sometimes that means providing quiet background music. Other times, he can engage more directly with listeners.
Kloetzel sees similarities between music and wine, particularly in the subtleties people notice and the way each person experiences them differently.
“There’s all these subtleties and complexities in both wine and music,” Kloetzel said.
For Kloetzel, the connection comes down in part to harmony — how different elements can work together to create something more.
“Harmony is just this interplay of two things that really elevate the whole for me musically,” he said.
Wine and music also share another quality: People experience both differently.
“Music and wine are both so subjective,” Kloetzel said.
Guests
- Jeff Kloetzel, musician
