The Sound of Wine at Heldeke! Bottle Shop

Held at Heldeke Bottle Shop, this was a cozy and intimate experience, with everyone gathered around one big table. The space is small, but that actually works in its favour. It makes the evening feel less like watching a performance and more like being part of something happening right in front of you.

And then there are the wines. Four reds, each with a very different personality, paired with four pieces of music composed and performed by Iranian pianist and composer Arashk Azizi.

What makes the concept work is how naturally the two worlds meet.

I particularly loved the progression of the tasting. We started with a softer, smoother wine accompanied by a slow, gentle piece. Then, little by little, both the wine and the music became more intense, more rhythmic, more powerful. It gave the evening its own momentum, almost like listening to a story unfold.

The music also made me experience the wines differently. Instead of focusing only on tasting notes, I found myself noticing their texture, intensity and overall mood through the music. A wine could suddenly feel softer, warmer or more energetic simply because of what was being played alongside it.

And Arashk is very much part of what makes the experience work. He is friendly, spontaneous and clearly very talented, with enough personality to make the evening feel relaxed rather than overly formal. There is also room for improvisation, which adds an element of unpredictability and makes each performance feel alive.

The story behind the concept is probably my favourite part. Arashk was originally supposed to write a review about wines, but at some point he ran out of words. So he started wondering: what if, instead of describing a wine with words, you could describe it through music?

And that simple idea became this experience.

It’s an unusual way of tasting wine, but that’s exactly what makes it memorable. Sometimes, when words aren’t quite enough, music can say a lot more.

The Tallinn Fringe Festival continues through 18 September, and you can experience both The Sound of Whiskey and The Sound of Zero before the festival’s end.

Author: Hélène