Serenading Silvaner in Germany

Florian Meierott's a busy man. The German violinist has just returned from a tour of Japan and Korea, he's playing in London on Friday, followed by concerts in Salzburg and Barcelona.

But in between delighting his international fans, Meierott regularly takes time to bring the music of Bach, Mozart and others to a very different audience: grapes.

Following the example of others who claim to have found out that classical music increases a cow's milk production and drawn-out sounds cure horses' dust allergies, Meierott is convinced that his art brings pleasure to Silvaner grapes in the northern Bavarian town of Würzburg.

He told German public broadcaster BR that it takes him about two hours to cover the entire vineyard, adding that he avoids music that's overly dramatic.

Happy grapes

Vintner Michael Jansen seems to think that Meierott's efforts are paying off.

"The grapes seem to be very relaxed and very happy," he said, adding that they're bound to turn into a relaxed wine.

It's hard to imagine what a stressed out wine would taste like and Jansen's grapes have so far refused to comment on whether they're really enjoying the serenades.

But apart from open-air rehearsal time, at least Meierott's getting something out of it: Each year, Jansen dedicates part of his wine production to his fiddling friend.