Over the last several year there were reports of kids doing better in school when exposed to the music of Mozart. I remember about 10 years ago a British hop grower played different types of music to different rows of plants and found that the vines exposed to heavy metal did not fare so well as the vines who "listened" to Mozart, Bach and Beethoven.
Now word comes from Tuscany that, in one experiment at least, the Sangiovese vines seem to like Vivaldi!
As reported on www.Wired.com on June 28, 2007, Italian grower Carlo Cignozzi had some of his vines listen to classical music composed by Mozart, Haydn, Vivaldi and Mahler. Of course, because he is a "with it" kind of guy, the tunes were recorded and played back on an iPod!
Researchers were able to determine that the music had a positive impact on shoot growth and measurements indicate a larger vine area in the rows serenaded by the music.
It also seems that the overall volume can be low, suggesting that it is sound frequencies that stimulate enzymatic activity and also, according to some Chinese researchers, increases cell membrane fluidity.
The Tuscan experiments are continuing with more tunes and more vines. And while the final results may take some time to authenticate and replicate, those dedicated Italians are doing lab and field work. And the best way to verify your results? Taste the wine, of course.
Such professional dedication brings a tear to the eye!
But something almost serious to consider, is that playing music, even softly, seems to act as a type of non-polluting pest control. The music can ward off certain vine pests without the use of chemical poisons. And with increasing attention paid to renewable agricultural practices, it seems there may well be a place for some good tunes in world of wines.
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