How to Pair Wine with Music

Judge Bill Zacharkiw is famous within the Wine Access judging panel for being the guy who tastes wines, without shoes but with his headphones on. Yes, don't tell him, but behind the scenes, we call him Shoeless Bill Zacharkiw. 

"Depending on who your tasting partners are, some are little more verbose than others,” says Zacharkiw on why he listens to music while judging at wine competitions. "Music calms me down. Gives me more focus."

Zacharkiw is a sommelier by trade and says that since there is no food to pair the wines with at competitions, he has been experimenting with pairing wines with music during the International Value Wine Awards. 

"Wine is contextual; there are certain times that you’re in a certain mood and certain wines will taste better than others. It's the same thing with wine.”

So, with that in mind, I asked Zacharkiw to pair different styles of wine with music.

Oaked Chardonnay

“Oaked chardonnay is kind of retro. Oaked chardonnay is kind of sultry, rich and a little bit cheeseball in the same way. Really, the '70s porno funk is what you want to be listening to," says Zacharkiw. "I found a song for the oaked chardonnay final, Pep Love's 'The Birds and The Bees.' I listened to it on repeat.”

Judge Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson, on the other hand, figures "The Birds and the Bees" would go well with zinfandel. Volunteer Pat Galliver says she thinks of Eric Clapton when she thinks of oaked chardonnay.

Unoaked Chardonnay/Mineral Whites

"They’re bracing, high acid, gets right into your soul, your gut. They make you clench in certain places. For that, I have definitely found that hard rock works," says Zacharkiw.

His song pick: "A particular version of The White Stripes’ “Ball and Biscuit.”

Red European Blends

“A very soulful flight,” says Zacharkiw. “This 1971 Aretha Franklin recording…she’s actually singing with a choir, in a church with her dad; it’s really awesome.”

The song is called “What a friend we have in Jesus."

Big, Jammy Red Blends

“This is the most contentious musical choice. It is the ‘sweet junk,' shiraz and malbec in this price category. I’ve had problems with this, trying to find the right music for it," says Zacharkiw.

"Keep on loving you" by REO Speedwagon is Zacharkiw's pick for sweetish, jammy, fruity reds. “It is poppy; it kind of tricks you into thinking that it’s really good and soulful, but it’s like a candy cane. You get immediate satisfaction but no lingering benefit.”

Like Katy Perry, perhaps? That's what judge Jackie Cooke suggests here. But, in that case, does the wine need to have notes of Cherry ChapStick?

Or maybe it's just the fact that the rock star lifestyle and the wine critic lifestyle have a thing or two in common. Zacharkiw loves listening to music that works with wine because, "All the alcohol, the late nights, the food — it’s all starting to get into your body.

"You need something to drive you home. You need some inspiration.”