About
Is a Wagner opera paired better with an intense red Bordeaux or with something of a closer cultural origin, like a Kabinett Riesling? Does a Chopin Nocturne sound better with a glass of Chablis or of Beaujolais? And what wine is the musical equivalent of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"?
These are questions Vine Opera explores through curated music-and-wine tastings designed for music aficionados, wine-lovers, and everyone in between. Based on the latest scientific research into cross-modal correspondences – the way our senses influence each other in subconscious and often surprising ways – we create memorable visual, aural and olfactory experiences for performances, dining experiences or private parties.
Founded by opera composer and sommelier Theo Popov, Vine Opera studies the complimentary interactions between the auditory and visual experience we get from a musical performance and the tactile, olfactory, and gustatory sensations brought out by a glass of wine with the aim to design better experiences for all five senses.
Events
Signature Tastings – explore the ways hearing, sight, smell and taste interact as you embark on a multisensory journey. Is anything better than live music and good wine which complement each other perfectly?
Consulting Services – employ our expertise in music and wine pairings to select the most fitting wines for your recital, opera or theater performance, fundraising event or private gathering... or the most suitable musical offering to pair with your wine selections.
New Music – program one of Theo’s multisensory works, such as the chamber opera WINE COUNTRY, which pairs each scene with a harmonious wine the audience can enjoy, or the piano concerto DISPERSION, where each movement is accompanied by a smell kit.
Team
Based in San Francisco, Theo Popov is an award-winning composer of music for the theater stage and film screen whose five operas have received multiple productions across the United States. His interest in wine was sparked by the numerous cultural, creative and epicurean parallels he observed between it and music. He holds a Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma and is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas.
Theo is a passionate educator with more than a decade of experience teaching different age groups through renowned programs such as Matter of Wine. He has led wine-and-music tours on three continents and is excited to be partnering with the Diogo Carvalho Music Festivals for their next iteration. In 2022, Theo certified Stella Rosa’s Guinness World Record win for world’s largest flute of prosecco (6 ft tall and containing 144 bottles).
Contact
For inquiries, contact theo@vineopera.com.