Vinyl records are making a bit of a comeback these days and it’s easy to see why. In this age of digital music and electronic sound, vinyl music offers a refreshing contrast with its raw, unedited sound. While it’s definitely convenient to have all your music stored digitally in a small device these days, there’s a certain impeccable charm to having an actual music library filled with stacks of classic records, whether it’s a Beatles album or The Rat Pack.
What does this have to do with wine? For starters, vinyl music and a glass of wine are a great recipe for a relaxing evening. There’s just something soothing about the subtle crackling sound produced as the needle taps the wax. Wine and vinyl records are also similar in that they both take time and careful construction to produce. Much like wine, vinyl records contain notes (and we’re not talking about the notes in the music). Similar to how wine bottles contain tasting notes, vinyl records feature liner notes, which were printed on the thin paper sleeve protecting the record and revealed the essence of each recording.
Just as wine, with all its unique taste characteristics, reflects the place and time it comes from, vinyl music is also the physical manifestation of different time periods. And like the former, vinyl records also get better with age. The two are labors of love and bring the other to a higher level of appreciation. If you haven’t given it a go yet, try these records with their wine counterpart for some easy listening, smooth sipping and warm nostalgia.
Way Red & Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin III
2012 Lyman Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel & Jimi Hendrix- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
2012 Sierra Foothills Sangiovese & Frank Sinatra- This is Sinatra!
2011 Winery by the Creek Grand Reserve & The Beatles- Revolver
2012 Helwig Vineyard Reserve Tempranillo & Queen- A Day at the Races
2011 Reserve Signature Merlot & Bruce Springsteen- Born to Run