In the Studio with Mark Beaman - Winemaker

Final decision- In the studio. To polish or not to polish?

The blend/band has been gathered together; everyone is getting along and working together. It is time to record the assemblage and bottle the sound for others to witness. In the mixing booth tons of equipment is available to smooth out imperfections. The level of how much studio manipulation to utilize is up to the band and managers and there is no lack of options on what can be done. For example, there is “auto-tune” which is a device that can adjust the singer’s pitch automatically just to name one. Some have gone so far that many albums have been created without a person playing a single instrument!


Mark Beaman at the Wines That Rock Launch Party, New York City

In that case the Grammy should be handed to the computer rather than the artist! When I can hear Lenny Kravitz fingers move over the strings while finding cord positions on “Fly Away” I like that organic sound. In the Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” vocalist Merry Clayton lets her voice rip and go over the edge on her final solo. If you listen closely in the background you can hear one of the band members yell out a “Yeah!” in encouragement.

The studio easily could have bleeped it but chose not to and I think the song is better for it. The confidence to leave something as it is and not tweak it is something that seems to be disappearing not just in music but also in many wines of today. Winemaking has plenty of tools to work with to adjust the wine if something seems out of place. While the technology can be a blessing it can also be over-used. Every time something is added to the wine then something is covered over. As access to these methods increase so to have technologically rendered soda-pop recipe wines in the market place.

Authenticity in wines is fading from sight of the consumer. There is a battle to preserve unique authentic wines and have them available for the wine drinker. Wines that have a soul, a story, retaining varietal attitude, acidity, age-ability, are something share with people you care about. It would be a terrible shame if that were lost or became no longer recognized as authentic. That is why I love Mendocino County and the fact this is where the Wines that Rock are coming from. Our county is still at a young and hungry point in the wine world despite having a long history in it. Our hunger for success is rooted in farming, a deep respect for the land and Mother Nature which follows through into the cellar in making authentic wines and not chasing the preferences of others.

We choose not to over do it in terms of manipulations or technologies available. With Wines that Rock we want to go further and actually bottle authentic wine representing a language formed via a synergy between wine and music. This is possible because of the approach of Mendocino grape-growers respectful methods of farming that result in intensely flavored grapes that are capable of sounding out loudly and in tune in the final wine. My job, which I love so much, is to assemble the best selection of “band-members” for the pleasure of the fans. We are having a blast, you should join us!
 

More about the wine and music connection!