"I did a lot of research into flavours," Sacha says, "including a public installation where people were blindfolded, had a sip of wine and were asked to describe it.

"We got the fruit-type comments but also things like 'rolling down banks of grass' or 'sitting on the couch with my partner', which blew me away."

Sacha, who has had an interest in The Wine Project since a degustation festival in Dijon, recently realised she thinks like an actor when developing work.

"I use movement to express ideas and that means using not only the body, but the face too. I believe dancers should be able to express ideas, play characters and interact with the audience."

The Wine Project is staged in the round, which means, she says, audience members will experience scents too. s"We go through heaps of cinnamon and lots of grapes during each show."

Java's last Tauranga work was the quirky Back of the Bus, where audience members boarded a bus for a mystery tour of the city without knowing who the performers were, a hit at the 2013 festival. "I do play on the idea of people not knowing what's going to happen next," Sacha says.

"It's about building something special for the audience - just like the magic that happens when a grape becomes wine."

Tickets
The Wine Project performs at 8.30pm at the Pacific Crystal Palace on Thursday, October 29 as part of the Tauranga Arts Festival. Tickets from Baycourt or ticketek.co.nz with a TECT card-holder discount until October 7 (conditions apply). Programmes available or go to taurangafestival.co.nz.