Pairing the Tango with Wine...
This idea sprung from a lunch with wine and good conversation, while listening to sommelier Ali talk about wine, the depth of it, the different flavours, textures and colours. And also about the tastes that only come in... afterwards. As an experienced Tango dancer, I realised that wine as an art form resonates deeply with my own form of art: the Argentinian Tango. I started playing with the Idea of pairing Wine to the music and dance of Tango.
To really dance the Tango, one needs to engage all 6 of our senses. “Tango Bliss” is that moment of intensity and oneness shared with a partner that can only happen when there is a physical and spiritual connection manifesting in a silent and unspoken conversation. It is the same connection which combines the complexities and depths of a good wine with colour, taste and smell into a unique conversation with the drinker... With Tango it is an emotional experience; most profound in the silences between movements that can leave you in a maelstrom of emotion. With wine, our experience can be equally emotional if the joy of the first introduction is matched by its structure, character and promise...
Ali is very excited to pair Wine and Tango at the Cape Tango Festival 2019 (4th – 9th Dec)
Who is he? Why is he a sommelier? In his own words...
“I love telling stories that create different perspectives towards one’s understanding of life in general. We learn to differentiate individual people from the human race itself and the same can be said about each wine we taste. It is more than just liquid art. It is music, philosophy, the biography of the soil, environment and place put together in a bottle. Like pairing wine and tango. It stimulates the brain because the history and evolution of both is just mesmerizing: As the roots of tango are found within Africa, the history of vitis vinifera starts within the Persian gulf; just as tango is a story of how two people connect through music and express that connection via dance, wine’s expressions are found
through the nose, sight, the mouthfeel. One needs to connect all the Dot’s and come up with a conclusion. My job is to lead from the back and guide people to do just that... connect the dots...