MOVEMENT: NEWS and CONCERT UPDATES: SATYRICON'S SATYR DISCUSSES WINEMAKING WITH PUNCH.com

Monday, February 3, 2014

SATYRICON'S SATYR DISCUSSES WINEMAKING WITH PUNCH.com

SATYRICON'S SATYR DISCUSSES WINEMAKING

WITH PUNCH.com

"Nothing feels as unexpected as Satyr making wine," writes Punch.comjournalist, sommelier, and black metal music fan Steven Grubbs. "Black Metal is a genre steeped in bleakness and an obsession with death. But winemaking isn't the first break Satyr has made with old Oslo form.SATYRICON was the first to sign a major label record deal, and adjusted their sound toward something that is more like dark, heavy rock than pure Black Metal. [Satyr] credits the life on the road that ensued with introducing him to good food. Wine came as a natural consequence."

Grubbs recently spoke with SATYRICON founder, frontman, and winemaker Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven and asked whether his friends in the metal scene think it's odd that he makes wine, which is sold under theWongraven family name. "I think the majority think it's pretty cool, actually. For them, wine is this thing that is kind of mysterious and unapproachable. "When it comes to wine, Satyr is quick to describe himself as a traditionalist, preferring the old Piemonte style (wines of medium weight and stern tannins and acidity). "I like wines that are representative of their places," he says. The sentiment is echoed in what stirs him about Black Metal. "It is the music of my people, my place." Satyr has been making and selling a Burgandy Barolo from Castiglione Falletto since 2010. He sources fruit from a monopole cru owned by the Roagna family, a venerable bastion of Piemontese winemaking tradition. Luca Roagna handles the vinification and Satyr assembles the final product. "Who can say that 'Barolo Made By Singers in Black Metal Bands' isn't a totally new category?" asks Grubbs. Read the Punch.com feature in its entirety here: http://punchdrink.com/articles/burgundy-barolo-meet-black-metal/

Wine label illustration by Justin Bartlett

SATYRICON's self-titled eighth studio album debuted at #12 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #30 on the Hard Music chart in September. Other world chart entries include: #1 - Norway; #6 - Finland; #23 - Germany; and #26 - Australia. Recorded in Norway, produced bySatyr, and mixed by Adam Kasper & Satyr in Seattle, Satyricon can be purchased in CD, vinyl, and digital formats via the links on the album's landing page: http://bit.ly/satyricon-st