Happy Friday!

Before I get to this week's pairing, I wanted to let you know I'll be singing a few songs each set with Ted Nash's Big Band at Dizzy's Club on August 5th -- the band couldn't be better, and the theme is "Jazz Meets Pop." It's going to be a great time -- hope to see you there.

Onto your weekly pairing!

Juice

Gemischter Satz is the name Vienna has given its signature melange of white grapes — maybe more important that than what grapes it contains (riesling, grüner, etc.) is the idea that there shouldn’t be too much of just one.
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Jutta Ambrositsch is an adventurous and creative winemaker, bringing a fresh perspective and flexibility to how she produces her painstakingly made, hyper-boutique wines. One of the fascinating traditions of Gemischter Satz is that the grapes are traditionally harvested all at the same time. Given the differences in ripening times and diversity of varieties, the result could be either chaotic or cathartic — you can guess which this one is.:)

Her "Cosmopolit" 2022 bottling has a beautiful nectarine fragrance that lifts out of the glass, with a green, fresh quality and a touch of white flowers. Once sipped, the wine has length and persistence, with a dry mineral finish that almost defies the word by lingering and lingering. A wine this pristine with such a sense of terroir piqued my palate and my curiosity.

So I read and listened to more about Vienna and its wine tradition, and find that many of these winemakers have taverns that are all easily accessible from the main city. So you can just stroll, do some tasting in the verdant hills and be back in time for an urban evening…I can’t imagine a better blend.

Jazz

Esperanza Spaulding’s “Radio Music Society” (Heads Up International, 2012) features a riot of influence, artistry and especially talent: five guest vocalists, two guest guitarists, two amazing drummers, all at the highest level (and that’s just for starters, and doesn't even include the talents of the multi-hyphenate leader extraordinaire.) The whole album is a cornucopia of talent, and ideas while still being incredibly precise.

A combination of all these things could be scattershot, but in the hands, voice and vision of Esperanza Spaulding, it's a delightfully diverse feast for the ears.

I had to choose the irresistible “Radio Song” to feature from this album, but it’s really the full recording that illustrates how a blend of many voices and many styles, co-fermented, if you will, makes for an incredible experience.
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There are enough influences, references, and inventive performances on this one track to take up our whole newsletter — but I think the most important thing is that there isn’t too much of any one thing, so it’s really its own particular thing. I never want the song to end, and for six minutes and change, it keeps finding ways to surprise, persist and groove.

Radio Song Esperanza Spalding PREVIEW   ​

Cheers!

Till the next,

Kristen

P.S.: If you have a wine lover, or a jazz lover, or a wine/jazz curious person in your life, feel free to send 'em along to the main page where they can check out the archive, and maybe subscribe! Thanks for sharing.:)