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Friday read: Adding a touch of theatre to wine

Claiming to be the first exclusively South African fine wine bar in Europe, the initiative firstly compliments INALA, the grammy-nominated South African dance musical that the venue is home to. But it takes this one step further, also providing an immersive ‘Sensory Notes’ experience, narrated by no less than Cape wine expert Michael Fridjhon, which allows guests to explore the stories behind the wines – in much the same way that the hugely uplifting dance performance tells its own stories of the troupe’s homeland.

Both the all-South African wine bar and Sensory Notes experience are the brainchild of performance artist and painter Ella Spira MBE who, along with her business partner and fellow dancer Pietra Mello-Pittman MBE (the Sisters Grimm), has highlighted what can be achieved with the wine offer by looking at it with a fresh and creative eye.

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And having experienced the ‘audiovisual journey’ ahead of the main INALA show, the promised mix of ‘immersive film, music, storytelling and visual art’ certainly brings the participating Cape wineries and stories behind the guests’ tasting samples to vivid life.

For ordinary wine consumers not used to being immersed in tastings, winery films, cellars and vineyards, the effect must be that much greater again.

The bespoke score, drawing on sections of INALA’s anthem 'Mzantsi Omuhle’ and recorded with the Cape Town Philharmonic – alongside three very good wines – is worth the £35 admission to the wine experience alone. But Spira also spent much time visiting estates on the Cape to select the wines featured, with complimentary paintings of hers, done in situ, now hanging on the walls of this modern event space, adding a further dimension to the overall experience.

“As an avid wine enthusiast and practicing artist in the theatre space, I have personally found it disappointing that the wine and bar offering at theatres generally don’t match the quality of most shows,” Spira explains.

“Typically it will be high street champagnes with high dosage, mass produced wines with a gross level of sulphites and a few basic spirits, served warm in plastic cups. It seems such a mismatch to the effort that goes into producing a show.”

The interactive wine flight, says Spira, came about as a result of Fridjhon’s support of Spira and Mello-Pittman’s holistic artistic approach.

“I very much see wine as art and as a result wanted to honour that by giving voice to every storytelling part of the wines behind our partner winemakers,” adds Spira.

On the evening Harpers visited the wine samples served up for the Sensory Notes experience included Spier Brut Cap Classique 2023, Ahrens White Black 2021, and Tesselaarsdal Pinot Noir 2023. Moreover, all were served in Ridel glassware, and – in light of Spira’s comment about plastic cups – wine from the wider range at the iGOLI bar can then be taken into the main auditorium in Riedel glassware too.

Furthermore – and a testimony to Spira’s love of good wine and personal involvement – several of the labels in the wine bar’s portfolio are special collaborative bottlings just for House of Sisters Grimm.

Another important part of the stories behind the wines for Spira and Mello-Pittman’s is the social dimension, with recognition that the economic activity generated by the wineries offers not just employment and opportunity locally, but support for the likes of schools and higher education programmes too.

Spira is additionally a big admirer of viticulturalist Rosa Kruger’s work with old vines, citing old vine Chenin as a favourite in her drinking repertoire.

“South African wine has extraordinary stories behind it, but many people in the UK still only know a small part of what’s happening there. Sensory Notes is about creating a different way into wine – one that celebrates place, creativity and the people behind every bottle,” she concludes.