Sit Back and Sip on the Sounds of Cloudy Bay on Spotify

With tastings and in-person interactions on hold for the moment the wine industry is turning to unique ways of engaging with its current and new consumers.

Cloudy Bay, the iconic Marlborough New Zealand winery has created a sensory, meditative journey through its vineyards and winery with its Spotify playlist called the Sounds of Cloudy Bay Playlist.

“The Sounds of Cloudy Bay’s nature-inspired soundscapes were created to pair with and heighten aspects of our Sauvignon Blanc. Listeners are transported to the natural, calming atmosphere of the vineyard and cellar, immersing themselves in a multi-sensory experience as they taste the pure, fresh citrus and tropical notes of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.”  John Santos, VP, Estates & Wines.

Curious as to the how this idea came to be, we reached out for a few more behind-the-sounds details.

Wine experiences have always been focused on sight and taste—what inspired the idea of a playlist?

The Sounds of Cloudy Bay was inspired by our belief that the best way to truly experience Cloudy Bay is to visit us. However, this is not always possible so we decided to create a sensorial experience that will allow wine lovers to virtually experience the Cloudy Bay winery in New Zealand through the sounds of our natural atmosphere. These tracks are inspired by our wines, the flavors, the aromatics and the vineyards from which they come. Listen while tasting for a multi-sensory Cloudy Bay experience.

What do you want the listener to take away from listening?

Through the Sounds of Cloudy Bay, we hope to evoke the feeling of relaxation that our breathtaking property inspires. We also hope to educate listeners about Marlborough as New Zealand’s leading wine region and one of the finest winemaking areas in the world. Cloudy Bay works alongside nature to obtain the purity of New Zealand—both for our wines and through this project.

How were the musical compilations chosen?  

Sound influences the way we taste wines, so we created tracks that complement each of our wines. For instance, our Cloudy Bay Te Koko has a complex taste, therefore, we created a sound that was melodic and connected with the Sauvignon Blanc track, but with more depth and complexity of tone. In Te Koko’s track you can hear cicadas and crickets, wine pouring, waves on the shore of Cloudy Bay (Te Koko o Kupe) and footsteps on shingle, among other sounds.

Was the music written specifically for Cloudy Bay or are they existing pieces that are associated with the winery?

With the help of music composer Louis Lacoste, all natural sounds—the chirping of birds, running river, wine pours, uncorking of bottles, ground crunching under feet—were recorded at our winery. He also created the chordophones underlaying our natural sounds and produced the tracks of our playlist.

Can we expect to hear any more in the future?

We are open to the possibility. We are continuing to capture sounds at the winery, so additional tracks to complement our future vintages may follow in the near future.

So next time COVID chaos has you down, pour yourself a glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and let your mind escape for some self-pampering and introspection with transportive sounds recorded at the Cloudy Bay winery as well as its Marlborough and Central Otago vineyards.

Listen to the Sounds of Cloudy Bay Playlist on Spotify.