Playing music for vines might sound strange to many people, but that's exactly what winegrower Michael Roe has done to great effect at Vittsjö Vingård.
A native New Yorker, Michael Roe moved to the Swedish countryside after marrying his wife, whose parents had a summer residence in Malseröd. It was during one summer here that Roe and his father-in-law Jan Samuelsson, an experienced wine writer, enjoyed a wine-tasting with famous British wine connoisseur, Oz Clarke, who had suggested that Sweden would become ideal for wine production as climate change progressed.
This idea remained with Roe, and led him to start the construction of the Vittsjö vineyard seven years ago; just four years later, the wine could finally be harvested for the first time. But where did the idea to play music for grape vines come from? Roe recalled a report he saw on CNN about a vineyard in Italy that had played music to its vines for 15 years, resulting in significant growth. Roe thought it sounded remarkably interesting and installed speakers to see what effect it might have on his own plants. In amazement, his neighbour (who also grew grapes) asked what kind of fertilizer Roe was using. When they discovered they were using the same kind of product, Roe concluded that the reason his vine leaves were twice the size of his neighbour's must be a result of the music being played during the year.
An avid music and audio fan, Roe has had a long-standing relationship with Audio Pro – having already installed speakers at his private residence. When he next came to meet with Jens Henriksen, CCO at Audio Pro, to specify some new speakers for his Furuliden hotel – Roe told him the beneficial effects that playing music had on his vineyard, and Jens laughed. "Sounds crazy – we love crazy!" he said. To test Roe’s theory, Audio Pro has taken the opportunity to mount Audio Pro Business speakers in a new section of vines that Roe had planned.
Henriksen admits he has never heard of music having any effect on plants. "Of course, I know music has a very beneficial effect on people, but that you could see a corresponding effect on plants undeniably sounds more like science fiction. But the more Michael explains, the more logical it sounds. And the growers who have tried it have obviously seen tangible results,” he said. “We are excited to see the results in Vittsjö over the coming years. Our Audio Pro Business speakers, which are designed to withstand outdoor use, have in that case found yet another purpose if such favourable results can also be measured for plants.”
