What’s Up: Wine Festival, Ukrainian ballet, drag workshop, Machine Head, Art & Soul

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This article was published 25/01/2024 (716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Malbec and more to be uncorked downtown

Winnipeg Wine Festival

• Friday, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday 1-4 p.m. and 7-10 p.m.
• RBC Convention Centre, 375 York Ave.
• Tickets $69.95 at Liquor Marts. winnipegwinefestival.com

They created the tango, perfected the asado (the grilling of meats over an open flame) and marketed Malbec to the masses as their signature wine grape — and now Argentina takes centre stage as the theme region for the Winnipeg Wine Festival.

Around 400 products are being poured at the RBC Convention Centre on Friday and Saturday, including nearly 100 Argentine whites, rosés, sparkling wines and, of course, reds — with a big emphasis on Malbec. Argentine producers adopted the Malbec grape as their signature variety 30-plus years ago, and since then they’ve made a name for themselves producing dense, dark but highly approachable red wines that are typically great values.

Most of Argentina’s wine production is nestled along the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains in a region called Mendoza. As high-elevation vineyards go, Argentina takes the top prize, with many Mendoza vineyards located over 1,300 metres above sea level. Higher elevation means cooler temps for the grapes, and more intense sunlight. The result is wines with great depth of flavour and a nice balance of ripeness and acidity.

Taste the magic of Mendoza for yourself at the Winnipeg Wine Festival this weekend. The public tastings take place Friday and Saturday from 7-10 p.m., with an additional Saturday matinee tasting happening from 1-4 p.m. Tickets for the fest are $69.95 plus taxes and fees at winnipegwinefestival.com — or save on the fees and pick them up at your nearest Liquor Mart.

Proceeds from the event benefit Special Olympics Manitoba; over the course of 20 years, the festival has raised over $3 million for the organization.

— Ben Sigurdson

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National Ballet of Ukraine brings message of hope to Winnipeg

• Monday,8 p.m.
• Burton Cummings Theatre
• Tickets $76-$138 at Ticketmaster

Before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the National Ballet of Ukraine — among the world’s most renowned companies — was performing 16 productions a month at the Taras Shevchenko National Opera House in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Now, 23 artists from the 150-dancer company are bringing Nadiya Ukraine to 10 cities across Canada to spread a message of hope and cultural resilience (“nadiya” means “hope” in Ukrainian). They will be performing excerpts of classics such as Le Corsaire and Don Quixote while also raising funds for the Olena Zelenska Foundation, the charitable foundation founded by the First Lady of Ukraine, and HUMANITE in Ukraine. Visit www.humanite.org/ballet for more information about donations and sponsorships.

“When we’re here, we have the opportunity to show we’re still alive, our culture is still alive and we have a great history,” principal dancer Sergiy Kryvokon told Global Montreal.

Tickets are still available for Monday’s performance.

— Jen Zoratti

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Drag Werkshop with local queen Vida L’amour

• Saturday, 2 p.m.
• Room 142, Centre culturel franco-manitobain, 340 Provencher Blvd.
• Admission by donation

Winnipeg’s longest-serving drag queen Vida L’amour, who has reigned supreme in the city for more than 23 years, will be imparting her hard-won knowledge to wannabe dragsters at Village Conservatory’s final masterclass Saturday.

L’amour, who is part of the Bannock Babes, a collective of Indigenous drag performers in Treaty 1 Territory, is the matriarch of one of the oldest and largest drag houses in Winnipeg, the Lamour Coven.

She is focusing her efforts on supporting young performers as well as rural and Indigenous communities in Manitoba.

The Village Conservatory Music Theatre is an arts organization that provides post-secondary performing arts education. It helps emerging artists develop practical skills and connects them to the larger arts community through mentorship.

— AV Kitching

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Machine Head ready to crank it up

• Sunday, 6:30 p.m.
• Burton Cummings Theatre
• Tickets: $48-$72 at Ticketmaster

Winnipeg metal fans will aim to go the distance as four rounds of hard-charging riffs take over the Burton Cummings Theatre Sunday.

Machine Head, the Bay Area metal group that formed in 1991, heads a four-band bill that includes Los Angeles’s Fear Factory, Orbit Culture, a death-metal band from Sweden, and Gates to Hell, from Louisville, Ky.

Vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn, one of Machine Head’s co-founders, remains its sole original member on tour. The band took off in 1994 with the release of Burn My Eyes and its opening track, Davidian, which made Rolling Stone’s top 100 metal songs of all time in 2023.

Lead guitarist Waclaw Kieltyka, bassist Jared MacEachern and drummer Matt Alston join Flynn on Machine Head’s 2024 tour, which supports the group’s 2022 album Of Kingdom and Crown.

— Alan Small

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Art & Soul at the cre8ery

• To Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• cre8ery, 125 Adelaide St., second floor

Artist-members of the cre8ery gallery were asked to submit a piece of art with “a little soul” for this sprawling exhibition in the Exchange District. The results spoke for themselves, with 73 local creators answering the call and providing pieces between 12 and 24 inches.

A full list of the participating artists can be found at cre8ery.com, with artworks available for purchase online or in person.

The work is wide-ranging in styles and approaches. A few favourites from the collection highlighted online include a lively pastiche by Darci Madllung; a light, cellular plantscape by Olivia Leader; and a folky nostalgia curio by Suzanne Hunter.

The cre8ery’s executive director Jordan Miller is right: there’s probably something for everyone.

— Ben Waldman

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