Pairing food with wine is as old as the craft of winemaking itself. Winemakers and chefs have long understood how a particular wine can accentuate or harmonise the flavours of different types of food. Sommeliers, too, dedicate their life and career to perfecting the delicate art of matching wines with food. 

But what about pairing wine with music?

It’s a concept that, in recent years, has pricked the ears of notable winemakers who know and understand that the experience of savouring a fine wine goes well beyond what’s in the bottle or on your plate. Leading the movement is the prestigious Champagne House of Krug. Since 2014 it has enlisted several prominent musicians, composers and sound artists – from American singer and songwriter Gregory Porter and Bridgerton composer Kris Bowers to French jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson – to create music designed to represent different expressions of its Grand Cuvée and vintage Champagnes. 

Believing that the creation of wine is similar to that of a composition, Krug sees each plot of vines as a musician and each grape variety from chardonnay and pinot noir to Meunier an instrument, brought together by the cellar master who acts as the conductor, bringing each element into harmony.

For its recent 2008 release, the house turned to renowned composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, best known for his work with the electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra and as a film score composer for titles including The Last Emperor (1987) and The Revenant (2015), the former of which saw the composer win an Academy Award.

Joining forces in late 2019, Krug and Sakamoto embarked on an 18-month-long creative process that saw the Japanese composer immerse himself and his team in the world of Krug alongside cellar master Julie Cavil, to translate the flavours and aromas of Krug’s Grande Cuvée 164th Édition, Clos du Mesnil 2008 and 2008 vintage expressions into a symphony composed of three movements, titled Suite for Krug in 2008.

To experience the symphony first-hand, we travelled to Sakamoto’s native Tokyo as part of Krug’s global ‘Seeing Sound, Hearing Krug’ immersive experience, also held in New York and London. 

“A single variety of grapes, several varieties, and a combination of an even wider range of varieties, [is how I] liken Champagne to an orchestra,” the composer said via a video greeting. “The features of each variety are different, and it was this that I tried to express musically.”

Experience Sakamoto’s Suite for Krug in 2008, here:

Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Suite for Krug in 2008

Assembling in the Shinagawa district’s Terrada Warehouse, an art, wine and media storage facility turned recital hall for one night only, we witnessed the beauty of Sakamoto’s composition with a live 36-piece orchestra, chosen by the composer himself, who was unfortunately unable to attend due to his ongoing battle with cancer.  

The first movement, The Soloist, revealed the purity of a single plot of grapes that came to form the Clos du Mesnil 2008.

Admitting via video link his long-standing love affair with the Reims-based house, the composer said he was inspired by the culture and people who create its Champagnes with “sincerity and integrity”.

“For this pure, single-plot Champagne, I minimised the arrangement to the core melodic theme,” Sakamoto explained. “This minimal form represents the discrete, fresh and inspiring sensations of Krug Clos du Mesnil 2008.”

For the second movement, titled The Small Ensemble and paired with Krug 2008, the composer sought to represent the story of the 2008 harvest in Champagne. 

“For this balanced and elegant Champagne, I chose an ensemble of primarily violins, cellos, and other stringed instruments but also added woodwinds for depth,” he said.

Building up to the Grande Cuvée 164th Édition – a blend of 127 wines from 11 different years, with the oldest dating to 1990 – the composer expressed a desire to translate the generosity of the house’s pinnacle bottling with a full symphony orchestra through the movement aptly titled The Orchestra.

“I was on a quest for harmony from multiple sounds, instrumental and electronic,” Sakamoto said. “The fullness of flavours and aromas of Krug Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition means that everyone finds something in it that strikes them in a personal way – each experience is unique.

“My third movement is the same; each listener will take away something different.”

Following the performance, an intimate dinner was held, with a three-course menu that included angel shrimp wrapped in flatfish served with caviar, and veal encased in buttery pastry served on a creamy bed of Comte cheese sauce – designed to complement each of the three expressions of the 2008 vintage. 

While Japan might not be the first country that springs to mind when thinking about or, more importantly, drinking Champagne, its love for it is well documented. Japan imports more bubbly nectar than almost any other country, behind the US and the UK. And for Krug, Japan holds a special place in the house’s heart – the country is its number-one market. 

How to try wine and music pairing at home

Each bottling of Krug is labelled with a unique ID number which can be entered into the house’s app to reveal not only the wine’s composition and ideal food matches but also music pairings, including Sakamoto’s Suite for Krug in 2008. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices. 

For more, see Krug x Ryuichi Sakamoto at krug.com

This writer was a guest of Krug Champagne.