Lyon (AFP)

Ample, heady, sparkling or easy to drink ... If this wine could be listened to, what melody would it tell?

A French company, specialized in the creation of sound atmospheres, gives to hear the song of great wines.

"One day, I caught myself raising my glass to my ear and wondering + what does this wine sound like? +", Recalls the president of ATS Studios Alain Coulas, recounting the genesis of its " sound cellar ".

His agency, specializing in the creation of music on hold, has created an algorithm for matching the color of a wine to the tones of certain instruments, based on the measurement of their frequencies.

"For example, the wave frequency of a red wine is around 493 terahertz, which corresponds to the frequency range of certain instruments, from the cello to the accordion", explains Alain Coulas to AFP .

The color of a wine differs depending on the grape variety used, the climate or the winemaking method.

"Each winemaker tints his wine differently depending on his way of working. This is what will change the tone of the instruments."

This "sound paste" will then be modeled by the composers of ATS Studios, so that the musical language reflects the wine language.

Because the rhythm, the harmony or the melody must reflect the other characteristics of the wine: its vintage, its aromas, its terroir.

"The algorithm gives the constraints of the composition, but its musicality is the reflection of the winegrower".

A Beaujolais, a Condrieu, a Côte-Rôtie, or even a Sauternes ... thus becomes a piece of jazz, a classical movement or a Celtic ballad.

"By the end of the year, we will have produced around fifty specific sound cuvées", assures Alain Coulas.

These soundscapes can be broadcast during a tasting or at points of sale, be shared on communication platforms or downloaded via a QR code affixed to the bottle.

These custom-created pieces cost between "a few thousand euros to a few tens of thousands of euros", depending on the instruments used, or the composers asked to produce them.

Confident in the success of their approach, ATS Studios is already developing a similar project for beer and tea.

But for Alain Coulas, the ultimate objective is above all to distribute this product abroad.

"There is wine everywhere! With cultures and winegrowers specific to each country: it is a project that can be exported".

© 2021 AFP