Science and Creativity Combine to Blend Wine and Music for Nedbank and the Cape Wine Makers Guild

In a world first, Five Cape Winemakers Guild protégés, composers, and neuroscientists have collaborated to create a piece of music that pairs with any glass of Cabernet Sauvignon – scientifically and creatively using music notes to interact with your brain to enhance the tasting notes of the wine. After the wine industry was severely affected by Covid-19 lockdowns, Levergy South Africa's Tasting Notes: A Story of Sound and Wine has been created to use a wine and music mash-up to change the experience of drinking wine – to make it more exciting and more accessible than ever.

"Over the past year the South African wine industry has gone through significant challenges due to Covid-19. So Nedbank, as a long-term supporter of wine, together with the Cape Winemakers Guild, set out to transform the way people see wine through music," says Khensani Nobanda, Nedbank group executive for marketing and corporate affairs.

"Music is a universal language and the right wine can make any experience more pleasurable.   We all know wine pairs with food, but could we tap into our collective love of music and create a literal wine-and-music pairing to achieve our goal of opening up wine to new audiences?" asks Nobanda.   

The scientific process entailed translating a Cabernet Sauvignon’s tasting map into an instrumentation map (Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most available and recognised grape varietals the world over). This was achieved by gathering data through wearable electroencephalogram (EEG) headset technology that measured emotional responses during various rounds of sensory wine-tasting experiences. The data was then combined with sound to taste mapping to plot the tasting experience into a piece of music. After an extensive testing period, the result is a composition that peels away the flavours of any Cabernet Sauvignon – backed by science and bolstered by imagination. 

“Tasting Notes represents the inclusivity and innovation of Nedbank, the Cape Winemakers Guild and the Protégé Programme. Together, we have reimagined a new way to connect people with wine -through music on both scientific and Oenological levels, whilst appealing to those who appreciate the passionate artistry behind wine,” said Andrea Mullineux, Cape Winemakers Guild member, co-owner and winemaker of Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines. 

Buy any bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from your local bottle store and go to http://nedbankcwg.co.za to experience Tasting Notes: A Story of Sound and Wine for yourself.