Sensory notes, a new immersive art & wine experience

Created by Sisters Grimm founders Ella Spira MBE and Pietra Mello-Pittman MBE, Sensory Notes reimagines traditional wine tasting as a multi-sensory cultural journey designed to feel welcoming, immersive and deeply human.

Limited to just eight guests per session, the 45-minute experience takes place within a private suite at House of Sisters Grimm, surrounded by original artworks, rich velvet furnishings and carefully curated interiors. Every element has been thoughtfully considered, from the premium Riedel glassware selected to enhance each wine to the bespoke South African colour palette featured throughout the space.

The experience begins with a guided exploration of Ella Spira’s paintings through wireless headphones. Accompanied by her original music and narration, guests discover the stories behind the artworks and the extraordinary journeys undertaken to create them.

These are not studio paintings. They were created in situ across South Africa, from crashing oceans at the southern tip of the African continent to ancient caves within the UNESCO World Heritage Cradle of Humankind. One work, later transformed into an own-label collaboration wine with Ahrens Family Wines, was painted aboard a small aircraft in flight, a testament to Ella’s fearless creative process and refusal to approach anything in half measures.

Guests are then immersed in a cinematic art and wine film featuring breathtaking footage captured by Sisters Grimm across South Africa, including the Cape Winelands, Robertson, the Swartland, Hemel-en-Aarde and beyond.

Far from a traditional wine documentary, the film blends moving paintings, original music, storytelling and tasting notes to create an emotional connection between place, people and wine. Throughout the experience, paintings come to life on screen while guests are guided through a tasting of three exceptional South African wines.

Featured tasting wines include:

• Spier Brut Cap Classique 2023, Spier Wine Farm
• Ahrens White Black 2021, Ahrens Family Wines
• Tesselaarsdal Pinot Noir 2023, created by acclaimed winemaker Berene Sauls

Guests also discover the stories behind additional featured wines and artist-label collaborations, including Dainty Bess Cap Classique by Jane Ferreira.

Tasting notes are written and narrated by Michael Fridjhon, widely regarded as the leading authority on South African wine, alongside contributions from Julian Naik, Director of Spirits & Bubbles South Africa, and the winemakers themselves, including Berene Sauls, Jane Ferreira, Albert Ahrens and Janno Briers-Louw.

Designed for both wine enthusiasts and complete newcomers, Sensory Notes removes the intimidation often associated with wine tasting. Guests are not expected to know anything. They are simply invited to relax, listen, taste and allow the experience to unfold around them.

Following the experience, guests are welcomed into iGOLI, London’s first exclusively South African fine wine bar, where they can continue their journey, discover additional wines and purchase bottles to take home, including exclusive artist-label collaboration wines available only through House of Sisters Grimm.

The launch of Sensory Notes forms part of House of Sisters Grimm’s wider Summer 2026 programme. Following the final summer performances of the Grammy-nominated production INALA on 2 August, the venue will transition into a Summer Festival season featuring Sensory Notes, a Global Landscapes Retrospective showcasing more than 65 original artworks created in situ around the world, summer social experiences at iGOLI and preview development sessions of The Laughter Chamber, Sisters Grimm’s forthcoming immersive wellbeing experience.

INALA will return to House of Sisters Grimm in September 2026.

House of Sisters Grimm is a unique cultural destination in London’s West End bringing together theatre, fine wine, visual art and immersive experiences under one roof.
Home to the Grammy-nominated production INALA, London’s first exclusively South African fine wine bar iGOLI, and the multimedia artworks of Ella Spira MBE, the venue reflects Sisters Grimm’s internationally recognised approach to creating experiences that bridge cultures through music, art, storytelling and human connection.

Founded by Ella Spira MBE and Pietra Mello-Pittman MBE, Sisters Grimm has created and toured award-winning productions internationally, reaching audiences of more than 200 million people worldwide and earning recognition including a Grammy nomination and MBEs for Services to the Creative Industries and International Trade.

Sensory Notes will be unveiled at an exclusive VIP Preview on Friday 3 July 2026, bringing together invited guests, media, wine professionals and cultural partners for a first experience of this new immersive art and wine journey.

Guests attending the VIP Preview will also have the opportunity to experience INALA, Sisters Grimm’s Grammy-nominated production, at 7:30pm and continue their evening at iGOLI, London’s first exclusively South African fine wine bar.

Regular Sensory Notes sessions will commence in July 2026.

Tickets are priced at £35 per person and include a guided tasting of three South African wines:

• Spier Brut Cap Classique 2023
• Ahrens White Black 2021
• Tesselaarsdal Pinot Noir 2023

With capacity limited to just eight guests per session, guests are invited to register now for Priority Access and be among the first to receive booking information when tickets are released.