Recap: Led Zeppelin Wine Tasting

Located a few blocks from the Holland Tunnel, City Winery couldn’t make for a more distinctive contrast in atmosphere to the traffic and congestion of Varick Street. A rich wood interior welcomes vinophiles of various kinds into an expansive loft-like space, which plays home to the unlikely coupling of fine wine and loud rock music. On Saturday, the characters behind City Winery (including Michael Dorf, who ran the Knitting Factory and founded City Winery in 2008) pushed that coupling with a combined wine tasting and Led Zeppelin concert by the best cover band you’ve probably never heard of: 6 Foot Nurse, a trio hailing from the not-so-mean streets of Beverly Hills.

There was indeed a whole lotta love at this decadently offbeat event, which paired metal-infused blues riffs with equally moody and complex wines. Joseph Bastianich (Mario Batali’s partner in all things culinary) put the evening together along with wine expert David Lynch and Mike Edison, a writer whose Hunter S. Thompson-esque escapades while working at High Times and Screw were detailed in a memoir published last year.

In an introduction to the music, Edison described Led Zeppelin as like “the moment before penetration.” This before the relentlessly riotous bass of “Immigrant Song” made itself heard and fused with the acidic potency of a champagne known as Henriot’s Blanc de Blancs. The drink had more bite than the typical bubbly, and lingered on the tongue well into the rollicking groove of “Misty Mountain Hop,” which was paired with a wine by William Fèvre from the cool hills of Chablis. (Those hills are so cool, in fact, that winemakers sometimes use space-heaters to keep frost off the grapes.) Echoing the acidity of the champagne, this brisk white had sharper, more distinct notes said to match the more deliberate phrasing of “Hop.” This particular pairing also aroused expert-of-the-finer-senses Lynch to announce his attraction to drummer Scot Coogan, who bore a slight resemblance to a more mascara-strewn Jack White.

“What Is And What Should Never Be” appropriately followed and was paired with a deceptively mild pinot noir from Truchard that opened up with the song to reveal a ferocious inside bursting to get out. This was one song ripe for both headbanging and wine swirling. “Black Dog” was another; its call-and-response structure perfectly suited for a deep and contemplative taste of Padrillos Mendoza’s Malbec. The dark red weighed heavier on the palate than the pinot noir, and prepared for the East/West fusion of “Kashmir” paired with a nuanced Barolo from Fontanafredda. It was a wine that unfolded slowly, allowing ample time for an epic song that stretched into double-digit time.

Closing out the wine tasting part of the night was a Château de Sales from Bordeaux. This velvety wine was pure hedonistic pleasure to go along with the accompanying song, “Whole Lotta Love.” Scott Ian from Anthrax joined the band onstage and stayed for a set that went on to include “Tangerine" and “Heartbreaker.” It also featured “Good Times Bad Times," a song that Six Foot Nurse’s bassist remarked would be good paired with box wine.

6 Foot Nurse, in special Wine-O-Vision view