WINE + BEETHOVEN: Beethoven as Bacchus

Discover Beethoven’s lifelong passion for wine through five European wines paired with live selections from five of his string quartets.

Did you know that Beethoven had a lifelong passion for wine? His letters and conversation notebooks reveal his interest in the wines he encountered, enjoyed, and wrote about throughout his life.

Beethoven + Wine: Beethoven as Bacchus brings this lesser-known side of the composer to life through history, wine, and live performance. Wine and Music Historian Ron Merlino will illuminate Beethoven’s relationship with wine, while David Schildknecht of the Cincinnati Wine Academy selects and presents five wines from Austria, France, Germany, and Hungary. Each wine will be paired with a selection from one of Beethoven’s string quartets, performed live by the concertnova String Quartet.

Together, the five pairings offer a new way to experience Beethoven, connecting the wines that captured his interest with music spanning his early, middle, and late creative periods.

THE PROGRAM

Ludwig van Beethoven:

String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18, No. 2
I. Allegro

String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59, No. 1
I. Allegro

String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3
II. Andante con moto quasi allegretto

String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95, “Serioso”
I. Allegro con brio

String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
IV. Alla marcia, assai vivace
V. Allegro appassionato

Each selection will be paired with one of five European wines connected to the varieties and wine traditions Beethoven loved and wrote about.

*Guests must be 21 or older to participate in the wine tasting. Program and wine selections are subject to change.

EVENT DETAILS

Friday, September 11, 2026
7:30 PM
Somerhaus
Cincinnati, Ohio

Tickets: $125 per person

Each ticket includes five guided wine pours and the complete live musical experience. Seating is limited.