Chardonnay From The Heel Of Italy's Boot

The 2023 Varvaglione 12 e Mezzo Chardonnay is a Puglia IGP wine. "12 e mezzo" is Italian for twelve and a half. The name refers to the wine's alcohol content, which is lower than many of its Pugliese counterparts. 

The Chardonnay grapes are organic, grown in the Taranto province of Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot. The stainless steel production means you get to taste the grapes, not the oak. Alcohol, as mentioned, rests at 12.5% abv and the retail price is $17.

This wine's color is a pale yellow, tinted green. The nose is rather muted, but it displays the best of the unadorned grape, without the oak. Citrus aromas dominate, with a healthy minerality, and a sweet floral note adds complexity. The palate has a lemon flavor with a strong element of salinity. It's a great wine to pair with crab or oysters. The acidity is medium strength and the finish highlights the mineral aspect. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Make It Again, Sam

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell.  This week, we have wine pairings for three films that are into recycling. 

Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within is a 2010 remake of the 2007 original. It's a Brazilian action film, which may explain why you didn't see it. That may explain why you didn't see the original, either. Everybody in Brazil saw both of them. Where were you? At a soccer match?

The script concerns the laughs and loves of the Polícia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. You can call them PMERJ for short, although it could be the worst acronym ever devised. It's easier to acronymize Park Reverse Neutral Drive Low into PRNDL. In the movie, they sidestep this awkwardness by calling the special ops group BOPE. It still sounds dumb, if you ask me. 

The film's story is incredibly dense. I would love to have listened in on the pitch meeting. "Think Serpico meets The Godfather!" "Which Godfather?" "Doesn't matter." I shouldn't poke fun. It was the biggest box office smash ever in Brazil. 

The action is beyond realistic. One scene, filmed in a residential neighborhood, included 80 real cops, two helicopters and a boatload of badass artillery. The neighbors were ducking and covering. It would have been nice had the producers dropped leaflets first. 

Let's have some wine. North Carolina's Duplin Winery has an Armed Forces Wine, as well as a First Responders Wine. They're made from Muscadine grapes, so let the buyer beware. Since the PMERJ dates back to the Portugal days, try a nice Portuguese grape. Miolo makes a Touriga Nacional in Brazil. If my conversion app is correct, it sells for around $15.

Guess what genre 1984's Ninja III: The Domination falls into. That's right, it's a martial arts film. That's not the reason I like it, though. I like it because James Hong appears in it, like he has in *checks notes* a million other movies and television episodes. Hong is the hardest working man in show business. 

Ninja III follows Enter the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja in the Ninja trilogy. In this one, a dead ninja takes over the body of a good looking, big haired aerobics instructor. It's a 1980s time capsule, is what it is. She should have used a Thigh Master in her aerobics class.

The call goes out for a Japanese exorcist, which is where Hong comes in. He explains that only a ninja can destroy a ninja, so he leaves an invoice for his services and a ninja's phone number and exits, stage left. There's a lot more ninja action, but you probably won't keep watching this long. Nobody does. 

South African producer Testalonga has an odd line of wines under the El Bandito banner which include I Am the Ninja and I Wish I Was a Ninja. They are sparkling wines, one made from Chenin Blanc and the other made from Colombard grapes. The most interesting thing about these wines may be that the label of one features a dog and the other features a guy in a swimming pool. You'd think one of them would have James Hong's picture on it.

We don't have to tell you what came before Exorcist II: The Heretic. The sequel to that iconic horror film has been described in terms that would make a sailor blush. One critic slammed Exorcist II as "a piece of sh*t," "a f*cking disgrace," and "one of the worst movies ever made." And those comments came from the director of the original Exorcist, who said he'd rather watch a traffic accident. John Boorman, the guy who drew the short straw and had to direct II, wanted the film exorcised from his IMDB page. When they made Exorcist III, they pretended that II had never happened.

When it comes to Exorcist II, the sooner we start drinking, the better. Manos Wine has two California Cabs in etched Exorcist bottles, $74 for the pair. Some customers say they have yet to open the bottles and are using them as decor, which may be the best advice we could give you. 

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A Sicilian Wine For Come Over October

Come Over October is a campaign dreamed up by a wine writer and a couple of publicists. The idea is, share wine with friends and family during the month. It is an admirable aspiration, if a little bit pedantic. Who do they think I'm drinking with during the rest of the year? Total strangers? People I don't like very much? Maybe, but they had better bring their own bottles. 

Seriously, it's a nice promotion to further the conviviality of wine consumption. Hopefully it will move a few more bottles off the shelves. Also hopefully, it will prompt folks to drink wine with people they like. It's much more enjoyable that way.

My friendly neighborhood publicist jumped on the opportunity created by this movement, and sent to me a bottle of a Sicilian wine. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.

The 2020 vintage of Tenuta Regaleali Lamùri Nero d'Avola was produced by Sicily's Tasca family. They have been making it for six decades now, so you can be sure they know what they are doing. 

Tenuta Regaleali is the family's flagship estate, located in the highlands of central Sicily. How high are the highlands? About 1800 feet, I'm told. March of the 2020 vintage was very rainy, which is good since the spring was hot and the summer dry.

The 100% Nero d’Avola grapes were grown on five estate vineyards, fermented in steel tanks and aged half in stainless steel and half in large Slavonian oak barrels for just six months. Alcohol checks in at 13% abv and the wine retails for  $16.

This wine is quite dark in the glass. Its nose is powerful, loaded with dark notes like black cherry, tar, leather, and tobacco. The palate is just as dark, with brambly cherry and plum flavors and a heavy dose of earthy minerality. The finish fades more quickly than I would like, because a savory delight is left behind after the sip. I would have this with a lamb burger or Italian sausage and be very happy with the pairing. 

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St. Francis Merlot Goes Sideways

It was 20 years ago this month that the movie "Sideways" was released, unleashing a world of hurt on producers of Merlot wine. Paul Giamatti's character, a hard-core Pinot Noir lover, has a fit when the prospect of ordering Merlot in a restaurant is offered. "If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any f*cking Merlot!" Well, that quote got traction and sales of Merlot wines tanked, while the sales of Pinot Noir went through the roof. 

Clearly, that character was a little too into his Pinot. Today, the sales of Merlot are still recovering. There are plenty of wineries that believe in the Merlot grape and which are producing bottles of magic with it. Sonoma County's St. Francis Winery and Vineyards is one. 

St. Francis winemaker Chris Louton says his 2021 Sonoma County Merlot "captures the depth of flavor, abundant aromas and luscious finish" that the often overlooked grape can achieve.

The grapes for this full varietal wine come from the St. Francis estate vineyards in the Sonoma and Russian River valleys, as well as from growers elsewhere in Sonoma County, like Alexander Valley and Rockpile. 

The 2021 harvest started on August 18th. Limited rainfall during the growing season produced slightly lighter crops but brought intense, concentrated flavor and color. Temperatures remained fairly even through the summer, which is good for fruit acidity, brightness and balance. The last grapes were picked in mid-October.

The St. Francis Merlot spent 14 months in French oak barrels for aging, hit an alcohol level of 14.8% abv and bears a retail price of $23. Many say it drinks well north of that price.

This wine is quite dark in the glass. The nose brings a powerful whiff of dark fruit and earth, with a hint of smoke behind it. The palate offers a rich, full mouthfeel, with flavors of plum, blackberry, and black cherry out front. There is a mineral-laden earthiness to the taste, a savory herbal streak which always attracts me. The finish is medium long and serves as a reminder of the darkness in the sip. Tannins are semi-smooth and acidity is refreshing. The alcohol certainly doesn’t seem like it's almost 15%. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Biopix

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell.  This week, we have wine pairings for three films which the Dewey Decimal System would categorize under 921. 

Inquiring minds want to know. That's why we people-watch. Why else would we care about what other people are doing, except to satisfy our own curiosity? When I see a bottle of wine in someone's shopping cart, I'm curious about it. I crane my neck to see what wine this person is buying. I spin a tale in my mind about why that person chose that wine. Sometimes I'll even ask, which usually gets a mind-your-own-business stare directed at me. Biographies satisfy our craving to look inside the lives of famous people. They also give us an opportunity to have a glass of wine, which is always appreciated. 

From 1994, Ed Wood takes a lighthearted look at the filmmaker who gave us Glen or Glenda and Plan 9 from Outer Space. What a cast! Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lisa Marie and Patricia Arquette, to name more than a few, all tug on the heartstrings with comedic chops. 

Director Tim Burton says he made the movie because he's an Ed Wood fan. That's why there is so little snark in it. It was made from love. Wood might be known as the King of the B-movie, if not for his films ranking several notches below B.

It's the one-word quotes from Ed Wood that resonate with me. Murray's laconic "Sure," in response to whether he had accepted Jesus as his savior. And I love Depp's answer to his crew when they ask him what to do as they see the cops coming toward their unpermitted street filming: "Run!"

Forget Bela Lugosi's "No. I never drink… wine" comment. We have two wine pairings for Ed Wood. The film's star, Johnny Depp, reportedly doesn't drink any more. Try to resist the cheap "but he doesn't drink any less" gag. When he did drink, though, you see where all that pirate money went. He had a taste for Bordeaux, namely Château Cheval Blanc and Petrus. If you don't happen to have a few grand lying about for those sorts of purchases, we'll scale it back some. Le Petit Cheval is Cheval Blanc's second label wine. It goes for right around $200, so drink up. 

1964's Becket is more a British historical drama than a biopic. And we all know what a basket of laughs those British historical dramas can be. Just kidding. I'll watch anything starring Peter O'Toole, Richard Burton and John Gielgud. Just have them read the phone book and argue over it.

I'm a little light on my British history, but Thomas Becket was a pal of King Henry II. They probably drank mead together, but they drank something, that's for sure. Henry relied upon Becket to run his court, get him women, be Lord Chancellor, get him women, go hunting with him, get him women. 

The high and mighty behind the king took a genuine dislike to Becket, what with him just being a Saxon and all. The king, a bit drunk at the time, wondered aloud if he'd be better off with his friend-turned-enemy dead. The high and mighty do the honors at Canterbury Cathedral. It's one of the Canterbury Tales. You could look it up.

Hundreds of years later, in the 16th century, an "a" got slipped into his name, making it Thomas a'Becket. Somehow, that was supposed to make him more palatable to Protestants. I don't know how that works. It must have been in the British history book I never read. Anyway, I only bring it up because…

The wine pairing comes from a'Beckett's Vineyard. Seems there's an extra "t" in there, too. Ah, nevermind. The Langham family makes a nice his-and-hers English sparkling wine duo, a brut and a rosé from the soil of Wiltshire. Cheers. 

Isadora is the 1968 biopic of dancer Isadora Duncan. She gained worldwide fame as a dancer, someone who created beauty yet suffered unimaginable pain during her life and died tragically at only 50 years old.

We all know what happens to free-spirited artists who seem to have things going along too nicely. That's right, torture. This film covers Duncan's too-short life in all the detail that fits in nearly three hours. Over the years the running time has been altered several times. So you may miss a few highlights. Save your tears for the right times. And do not cut any of Vanessa Redgrave's lines!

Duncan lost her two children when the car they were in drove into the Seine river. An automobile figures prominently in her own death, too. She took a ride in someone's Bugatti convertible in Nice. Her long scarf - flapping in the breeze behind her - got tangled in the car's wheel and strangled her. I must admit, that is a bit more tortured than I want my own demise to play out.

The Wine Collective, out of Baltimore, has a rosé named after Duncan. Isadora is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Manseng and Merlot grapes that were grown in Virginia. Having had good experiences with Virginia wines, I can venture that sipping this one will be nothing close to torture.

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Patagonian Terroir In Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

Friends of mine were recently in Patagonia, and they were kind enough to tell me how good the wine was there. Happy to hear it! They travel to places like Patagonia, Portugal and Pakistan as easily as most of us make a trip to the big box store. Me, I went to Patagonia courtesy of a bottle from Bodega Otronia. 

They like to say they are at the edge of the world, the 45th parallel in the southern hemisphere, the globe's southernmost winemaking outpost. Juan Pablo Murgia, Otronia's head winemaker, says he uses the long hours of summer sunlight in the southern extreme of Argentina to enhance the natural strengths of the terroir and craft distinctive wines. I was given two samples of their wines to try.

The 2020 Otronia Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown in special plots of their Paico and Sierra Silva vineyards. The wine was fermented in concrete and placed in French oak barrels after malolactic fermentation had taken place. The aging lasted 18 to 20 months in the untoasted oak. Alcohol sits at 13% abv and the wine retails for $79.

This wine has a ruby tint with purple notes in the glass. The nose offers strong earthiness and notes of cola, coffee, herbs and tobacco. Its delicate palate is loaded with tart, red fruit. A full mouthfeel is joined by a fresh acidity. The tannins are quite smooth and the finish is lengthy and full of the earthy aspect of the wine. 

The 2020 Otronia Chardonnay comes from two special plots - III and VI - of the Paico Vineyard in  Sarmiento, Chubut, Argentina. Aging occurs in French oak over the span of 18 to 20 months. Alcohol comes in at 13.5% abv and the retail price is a lofty $80. 

This wine has a pale greenish tint. The nose displays a basket of fruit aromas, like lemon, peaches, pears, melon, along with a hefty whiff of minerality. The mouthfeel is quite full. There is a noticeable oak effect on the palate, but it treads softly. The fruit flavors come through without much difficulty and the acidity is refreshing. A lengthy finish centers on the minerality. It is a very nice Chardonnay, although I feel it's a tad overpriced. But if your budget allows it, it rivals many Chardonnays from Sonoma or Napa. 

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Wine: Cook With It, Drink It, Repeat

Here is another one of those wines I picked up at Trader Joe's with the intent of using it in a short rib recipe. To paraphrase W. C. Fields, I believe, I used this wine while cooking, and even got some in the food. 

Truffaut Cabernet Franc 2022 is a Pays d'Oc wine, from the south of France. Its alcohol content is 13.5% abv and the price was cheap at Trader Joe’s. I’m talking less than $10. 

This wine is medium dark ruby in color. Its nose presents dark fruit - blackberries, black plums - in a spicy setting. The notes of black pepper and anise are joined by an herbal aroma. The palate is soft and fruity with mild tannins and a moderate acidity. I did use it for cooking, but it served admirably as a sipper while I stirred the pot. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Babs

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell.  This week, we have wine pairings for a trio of films featuring everyone's favorite Babs.

Up the Sandbox, released toward the end of 1972, had Barbara Streisand as a New York City housewife and mom who escapes her mundane existence through wild fantasies. Already caring for two kids and a husband, she finds that she is pregnant again. Her eventual awakening: "You can either like me the way I am, or shove it."

Everyone liked Streisand in Sandbox, but the movie didn't exactly burn up the box office. The film was seen as fun, as opposed to "funny." Babs herself opined, after the fact, that America didn't mind seeing her as a housewife. They simply wanted her to be a funny housewife.

As Fidel Castro says to Streisand's character in a fantasy, "Would you like for some wine?" For a sandbox, why not Sand Castle Winery? It’s in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and is more centered on weddings than wine, but they have rosé for $19 and Pinot Noir for $33. The countryside is beautiful, there are not quite as many Trump yard signs as in other parts of NEPA, and they offer helicopter rides to the tasting room from anywhere in the northeast. Babs would like that. I'm guessing there is an additional charge to get a chopper to the tasting, discounted if you have a wedding there. 

The version of A Star Is Born which hit the screens in 1976 was a remake of the 1937 original. It was the second of three remakes, but who's counting? The story has Janet Gaynor, er, Judy Garland, er, Lady Gaga… I'm sorry, I've got my remakes mixed. What's the name of this piece? Oh, yeah. Babs. The well-trod story has Streisand as the up-and-coming singer who hooks up with a big star and passes him on his way down. 

Sadly, we lost the male lead this week. Kris Kristofferson was 88 when he passed on Saturday. His absence may be felt more in the music world than in film, but he did a fine job as the falling star here, and also played well in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. He will be missed by many. 

Babs is featured musically, of course. The film's love theme, "Evergreen," was a giant hit. The lyrics, (love, soft as an easy chair) always made me want to get teary and violently ill, at the same time. That Paul Williams really knows how to churn out a tune. He won a Grammy and an Oscar for that one. No doubt, it paid for a lot of lunches at The Ivy.

Conveniently, there is a Barbara Streisand wine, a Chardonnay offered by Celebrity Cellars. The fact that it is a 1996 vintage is puzzling. Either they were incredibly judicious about doling it out over the decades or it didn't sell well at all. You can find out which it is, for $40. Or, you can pick up a wine from Barbara's neighborhood, Malibu. Saddlerock Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is available in various vintages for less than $60.

In 1972, director Peter Bogdanovich asked the celluloid question, What’s Up, Doc?  Bogdanovich called it a "screwball comedy, something like Bringing Up Baby: daffy girl, square professor, everything works out all right." I'm sold. Streisand was the daffy girl, Ryan O'Neal was the square professor, and all was well in the end. That's the first law of the romantic comedy. All has to end up well.

The San Francisco chase scene reportedly cost a million dollars to shoot - a quarter of the film's budget.  The title was borrowed from the Warner Brothers cartoons.  "What’s up, Doc?" was Bugs Bunny's signature line.  Look it up, youngsters.

The sorely missed Los Angeles restaurant, Cube, had on its marquee the phrase "what's up D.O.C.?"  Their partiality to Italian wines spawned that little vino pun.  D.O.C. means Denominazione di Origine Controllata, a classification of wine regions in Italy.  So let's pair a wine from the Veneto D.O.C. with What’s Up, Doc?  You can pick a Valpolicella for red lovers, or a Soave for white grape fans. Or, the Ruggeri Valdobbiadene winery makes a very fine, extra-special Prosecco from the tiny Cartizze region of Veneto. Even though it is very fine and extra special, it costs only about $20. Sure that's double the price of the Prosecco you get from Ralphs, but it's still just $20. 

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Trying A Grape That's New To Me

Bodegas Vi Rei is a Spanish winery on the island of Majorca. It's in the Balearic Sea portion of the Mediterranean, off Spain's eastern coast. They've been growing wine grapes there since a hundred years B.C. The grape which makes up this wine, Prensal Blanc, is native to the Balearic Islands. The estate is in Spain's Pla i Llevant DO

The 2022 Bodegas Vi Rei Prensal Blanc is labeled as Barrica 4 Meses, which means "barrel four months." This wine is also labeled as Edicion Limitada. Alcohol is reasonably low at 11.5% abv and the price wasn't bad, $19 at the Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits and Cheese Shop. I picked it up because I had never tried the grape before.

This wine is colored yellow with greenish tints. The nose has a great salinity to it, along with Meyer lemon and mineral scents. The palate also displays savory salinity, a bit of pepper, and an acidity with a zing. The salty taste lasts quite a while on the finish. I would have this Prensal Blanc with shrimp, crab cakes, scallops, and another order of those crab cakes, please.

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Italian Barbera For The Short Ribs

The Castelvero estate in Piedmont was named after a count who lived there once upon a time. The name wasn't hung on the door until 1970, but the recognition was nice. Piemonte is known as the land of Barolo and Barbaresco, even though more Barbera is made there.

The Castelvero Piemonte Barbera 2020 was grown in the Monferrato hills. Alcohol gets up there, to 14% abv, and the price was $10 at my local Whole Foods Market. I bought it use in my slow cooker short ribs meal, but it serves well as a sipper, too. 

This wine colors up a medium-dark cherry red. Cherry and raspberry aromas dominate the nose, with plenty of fruit that outlasts the savory aspect. The palate is also fruity, and the tannins are quite firm. There is a savory streak that runs through the palate, but it is not strong enough to wipe out the fruit. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Jean Renoir

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell.  This week, a trio of subtitled classics from one of the all-time great directors. Wine pairings, too, of course. 

Jean Renoir's father was an artist, too. He operated before the era of motion pictures, so his canvas was, well, a canvas. The elder Renoir was that Renoir. The French impressionist. The National Lampoon Radio Hour once did a bit entitled, "The French Impressionists." The announcer introduced it, and another voice came on, doing an over-the-top impression of a French comic. "First," the comic said, "I like to do zee Ed Soo-lee-von. Eet eez a reeelly big shew." The bit was mercifully short. Anyway, until I took an art appreciation class in college, that was my exposure to French impressionists. And it was in film appreciation class that I learned of Jean Renoir, the French director. I really appreciated college. 

Everyone's introduction to Renoir, the auteur, is likely 1937's Grand Illusion. Set in World War I, with World War II looming, the story of the French airmen in a German POW camp bid a not-so-fond adieu to the idea that aristocratic bonds could transcend the atrocity of war. 

Back then, battlefield conflict was thought to be the war that would end all wars. Turns out it doesn't work that way. Where would we be without war? Four more years of LBJ, no more years of Nixon, no peace sign memes, no Wolf Blitzer. I guess I could live with that. Oh, and no Hogan's Heroes. 

For Grand Illusion, let's salute the de Nonancourt family, who hid the best vintages of their Laurent-Perrier Champagne from the Nazis. Their Grand Siècle cuvée of grand cru Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blends three vintages, 2012, 2008, and 2007, for those who know their Champagne years. It's Iteration 26 and it sells for about $250. Sing "La Marseillaise" while sipping, please. 

A Day in the Country was released in 1946, a decade after it was shot. It is the story of a love affair that begins and ends on the same day. Well, maybe not a love affair. Maybe it was more like, "Hey, my dad and fiancé are going fishing and these fellows have a boat they want to show me." Anyway, it turns into a picnic on the banks of the Seine, without, you know, the food. The moral of the film is never let your daughter go boating with a guy wearing a horizontal striped t-shirt. That goes double for your wife. 

If you want rosé, you want Provence. And if you want Provence, you want Bandol. Château Vannières Rosé is the perfect pink for a picnic or if you just want to get that nice young lady into your boat. It sells for around $30. 

In case you don't get enough exposure to feelings of entitlement in your average day, take in a viewing of The Rules of the Game. The Renoir film from 1939 brings enough biting satire to the table to cover a full day even in an entitlement-rich place like La-La Land.

The setting of the hard-nosed comedy is a country estate in France, where a group of bougie pals get together for a weekend soirée. The dance card includes staring down the impending world war with an overnight bag in one hand and a magnum of Champagne in the other. You have a dashing aviator's hurt feelings, mistaken identities, and death, as the recipe for a bunch of king-sized mal de têtes. 

You'll want only the best for this viewing party, and we're not talking about Veuve Clicquot. A good bottle of vintage Dom Perignon will run you about three bills - but it could still leave you with stars in your eyes if you gulp too much of it.

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Super Tuscan Earthy Red Blend

The Frescobaldi family has been making wine for more than 900 years in Tuscany. Their wines have graced the tables of kings and their reputation has grown through the centuries. 

The 2020 Castiglioni Toscana IGT contains Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese grapes, all harvested from the namesake estate vineyard. The vintage was marked by an early spring, and long summer and timely rains during August. 

The wine spent 12 months in barriques after malolactic fermentation, then another two months in the bottle. Alcohol hits 14% abv and the retail price is $28. 

This wine is medium dark, with a bit of light getting through the glass. The nose presents a savory show of spice and fruit. Blackberry and plum aromas are joined by oak spice, earth and coffee notes. The palate has plenty of that dark fruit, but also plenty of that savory side. Good acidity and firm tannins refresh the mouthfeel. The finish is medium. This is a great wine to pair with pork or roasted chicken, but I think it would also be nice with turkey on the Thanksgiving table. 

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Fizzy Pinot Grigio Rosé From Italy

The Giardino Vivace Pinot Grigio Rosé was made for Trader Joe's by a producer in Veneto, Giardino Wines, in the delle Venezie DOC. Alcohol is low, at 11.5% abv, and so is the price, at just $5. This is a bargain wine I will go back to again. It is great by the pool or on the patio, where its fizzy nature provides refreshment. It is also a good pair with seafood or salad. 

This wine has a medium copper tint. It pours up frizzante in the glass. That's fun. On the nose I find tart apples and pears. The palate, however, presents very ripe red cherries, almost sweet. The wine is dry and the acidity is bracing. For a cheap little Trader Joe's rosé, this is a fairly nice wine. 

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Blood Of The Vines - R.I.P. James Earl Jones

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell.  We've lost another great one. James Earl Jones and his fantastic voice will be sorely missed. We have wine pairings, suitable for toasting.  

The movie that pitted James Earl Jones opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1982 was Conan the Barbarian. The film put Ahnuld on the map, but Jones was reportedly chosen to play the evil Thulsa Doom, at least partly, to serve as a model for the novice actors in the picture. Some were right out of Acting 101, some fresh off a surfboard, and at least one was still sweaty from an eight-hour stint at Gold's Gym. Jones was a seasoned veteran of stage and screen at the time, and it was hoped his work ethic would rub off on the newbs. Jones appears in Conan as a sort of sorcerer who controls his victims hypnotically. The character has been compared to cult leader Jim Jones. It's a great chance to see JEJ with long hair.

Conan drank wine, at least according to a Reddit thread, and isn't that where all the really interesting information is? Most Conaphiles figure he would drink whatever was on hand, which gets dicey if all they have is Budweiser. But let's say he came across a wine made by barbarians. He'd down it by the jug, right? Barbarians is a group of independent family wineries in the area around Mendoza, Argentina. Malbec is the king of grapes in Argentina, and Apogeo makes one of many available there. 

In 1992's Sneakers, Jones plays NSA agent Bernard Abbott. The comic thriller stars Robert Redford, who leads a team of hackers to steal a black box for the NSA. However, they end up using their skills to bankrupt the Republican Party and make huge donations to liberal causes. Of course, nowadays, the Republican Party has found a new way to bankrupt itself.

For my money, and some of yours if you'll let me, this is the kind of role Jones was born to play. All business. Government business, mind you. Stern, authoritative, over a barrel and knows it, writing US Government blank checks to a bunch of nerds. If only he could have come through on that request for peace and goodwill. Oh yeah, the government doesn't do that sort of thing. 

Cline Cellars has a red blend they call The Sneak. It's from Carneros, features Merlot, Syrah and Grenache, with a dab of Cab, a dash of Sangiovese and a splash of who knows what. Yes, this wine is a rule breaker. $55.

Bingo Long and the Traveling All Stars came along in 1976, a pretty good year for baseball. Not only did the Reds blank the Yankees in the World Series, but Oscar Charleston made it into the MLB Hall of Fame. Charleston, in case you didn’t know, played and managed in the Negro leagues for more than four decades. He died in 1954 and was honored with admission to the HoF 22 years later. It's a shame he wasn't allowed to play on the big stage. A true shame.

The story of Bingo Long centers on the stars of the 1930s Negro League who form their own barnstorming baseball team. They're rather like the Harlem Globetrotters on a baseball diamond, traveling from town to town, picking up games wherever they could. The movie was rather loosely based on reality, a reality where a 45-year-old man still had the knees to play catcher. 

Jones plays Leon Carter, the team's power hitter and moral compass. I must admit, sitting here today it just doesn’t sound right to hear Jones doing a rural Southern black dialect. But he does it so well. And it's hard to resist his smile from behind a short stogie sticking from the corner of his mouth. 

For the Bingo Long barnstormers, let's choose a wine from Barnstormer Winery, located right next to Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region. Yes, I know the barnstormers referenced in the logo are the airborne-in-a-biplane variety, but thanks for the fact check. The winery has only been there for a little more than ten years. However, the old barn that houses it dates back before the Civil War. Maybe that's where they keep their biplanes. True to their upstate heritage, they’re partial to grapes that grow well in the cold, like Riesling, Cabernet Franc, and Blaufränkisch. Most of their wines are in the $20 to $30 range.

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Sangiovese From Romagna

The Italian winery Poderi dal Nespoli is located in the Bidente Valley, on the hills of Forlì, an area that connects the Apennines to the Adriatic coast. Their Gualdo Romagna DOC is a Sangiovese wine, the grapes for which were grown in the commune of Predappio. 

The winery grows their grapes biosymbiotically, using fungal root injections into the soil. Don't ask me to explain what that is, or what it does, but it does appear to be a thing. Alcohol for this wine rests at 13.5% abv and the retail price is around $20. 

This wine is medium ruby colored. The nose is forceful. It shows blackberries and black plums, along with an extremely earthy element. The palate carries dark fruit under a savory cloak, and there is a very firm set of tannins. The acidity is quite lively and the finish is long and savory. 

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A Funky Sangiovese The Romagna DOC

The Italian winery Poderi dal Nespoli is located in the Bidente Valley, on the hills of Forlì, an area that connects the Apennines to the Adriatic coast. Their Gualdo Romagna DOC is a Sangiovese wine, the grapes for which were grown in the commune of Predappio. 

The winery grows their grapes biosymbiotically, using fungal root injections into the soil. Don't ask me to explain what that is, or what it does, but it does appear to be a thing. Alcohol for this wine rests at 13.5% abv and the retail price is around $20. 

This wine is medium ruby colored. The nose is forceful. It shows blackberries and black plums, along with an extremely earthy element. The palate carries dark fruit under a savory cloak, and there is a very firm set of tannins. The acidity is quite lively and the finish is long and savory. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Late Hitchcock

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell.  What better trio of films to receive wine pairings than a handful of Hitchcocks. We'll try some movies from later in his career.

If you're a fan of Alfred Hitchcock's films - and you'd better be - you know there's going to be some drinking going on.  Nearly all his dozens of movies have his characters using booze to brace themselves, lighten themselves, or heal themselves.  Hitchcock was a fine wine connoisseur. He loved the juice of the grape so much that he bought a lavish getaway home in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains, which is now a winery.

Topaz is a 1969 Cold War spy film with its story rooted in real life. Set in the early 1960s, the script centers on a French intelligence agent who has a hand in busting up a Soviet spy ring as nuclear missiles are bound for Cuba. The ring is code-named "Topaz," and the story gets as complicated as you would expect an espionage tale to get. Maybe more so. 

The film features all the elements of a good spy flick, but laid on more heavily than audiences liked. "Too long," they said, which is something nobody ever said about the finish of a good Chardonnay. As for the Hitchcockian alcohol, there is a scene in which a few bottles of beer are featured prominently. We want wine, though.

Hitchcock reportedly grew Riesling grapes on that estate in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Called Heart O' the Mountain, the land is now the estate vineyard for Armitage Wines.  Their estate Pinot Noir goes for around $60.

1972's Frenzy is about a London serial killer who strangles his victims with his own tie.  Before you jump to the conclusion that such an idiot move means he was drunk at the time, consider that he wore a tie pin which had his name on it.  "Oh, so he was high, too?" Of course he probably was drunk at the time, since he didn't mind having booze for breakfast. 

Tying himself to the crimes even tighter, the criminal uses a trunkful of circumstantial evidence to try and frame his friend for the killings.  Well, what are friends for, anyway?  The television series The Fugitive was only a five-year-old memory at the time.  So, Frenzy's framee becomes a fugitive trying to prove his innocence, while the framer is left making sure he still has both arms.

Hitch certainly had a thing for strangulation. He gleefully portrayed it in Frenzy, as well as in Dial M for Murder, Strangers on a Train, and Rear Window. And who wouldn't need a drink after watching the opening scene of Rope? Strangulation is not a pretty sight, but it sure plays well on the screen.

New Zealand's Wilson Daniels Winery has a Frenzy Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough's Mount Richmond estate for less than $20. It's as bold and expressive as one would expect for a film about being choked to death. 

I'll say right up front that I have never seen 1976's Family Plot. I know that makes no sense. I love Hitchcock, Bruce Dern, William Devane, Barbara Harris, Karen Black and black comedy. I have no idea how this fell between the cracks, except maybe I was busy with bicentennial celebrations, or Jimmy Carter on the campaign trail. 

Here is what I know about Family Plot. It was Hitchcock's final directorial effort. The critics loved it, even though they couldn't nitpick this one to death. There are two couples, a pseudo psychic and a cabbie/investigator, and a pair of kidnappers. It's a fair portrait of who to not invite to your next dinner party. 

Dern and Devane were highly lauded for their performances. To me, Devane always looks like JFK about to spit something out and Dern usually appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but that's what I like about them both. As for the cinematic drinking in Plot, I hear that Dern attacks a glass of beer convincingly while a kidnap victim gets to have a bottle of wine in the cellar. 

Healdsburg's Simi Winery is said to have been one of Hitch's favorites. Their 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is a Bordeaux-style blend with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, and Malbec supporting the Cab. All for just $25? Hitch never had to worry about running over budget here.

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Five Prosecco Wines

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Traditionally, Glera is the favored grape for making Prosecco. Why shouldn't it be? It was known as Prosecco until the name was changed in 2009. Glera must make up at least 85% of a Prosecco wine. Other grapes in the remaining 15% include Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Glera Lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Nero, vinified off the skins.

Consorzio Tutela, the organization that promotes and protects the Prosecco name, explains how the method of vinification differs from other sparkling wines, which are given a secondary fermentation in the bottle through the Champagne method.

"The Martinotti method, invented by Dr. Federico Martinotti at the end of the 19th century, is used to produce spumante and frizzante sparkling wines with distinctive floral and fruity notes through a natural second fermentation process in large sealed tanks (autoclaves)." The Consorzio continues, "Dr. Antonio Carpenè, one of the founding members of the Conegliano School of Wine-making, was the first person to use this method to produce sparkling Prosecco wine with the characteristics that are so well known today. Prior to this, the wines were produced using second fermentation in the bottle."

I was given five different bottles of Prosecco to sample. I'll tackle them one by one. 

Brilla! Prosecco DOC 

The Brilla! website says the bubbly is targeted to "young people, millennials, party addicted." Well, don't I feel old, sitting here at home enjoying it all by myself. Maybe I should call a party addict to roll up on my place for some good ol' fashioned, newfangled cork poppin'. Maybe I'll yell for my wife to come downstairs and join me. The Brilla! Prosecco has restrained alcohol at 11% abv and a retail price of $15.

This wine has a pale yellow color and a slightly frizzante bubble situation. The nose displays citrus, green apple, pear and minerality. The palate has those flavors, along with a very nice acidity. It is an amazing aperitif and perfect for the patio. 

Brilla! Prosecco Rosé 2023

The Brilla! website is given more to style than substance. It is a good looking layout, though. This pink Prosecco is made from a blend of Glera and Pinot Nero which are vinified in steel tanks. Alcohol hits only 11% abv and the retail price is $20. 

This wine has an onion skin tint in the glass and plenty of bubbles, which dissipate quickly. The nose displays apples and strawberries with a hint of citrus. Flavors of red berries dominate the palate, while acidity is quite fresh and the finish is fruity. 

Avissi Prosecco DOC is made from 100% Glera grapes. It is vinified in concrete tanks, in small batches. 11% $13 

This wine has a golden tint in the glass. The nose is dominated by apple and pear, with a nice floral scent. Flavors of fruit lead the way on the palate, as apples, pears and citrus are joined by a light minerality. The bubbles are frothy, but they dissipate quickly. Acidity is bracing and the sip is quite dry. 

Bottega Gold Prosecco DOC 

The bottle is a golden mirror, sure to be a head-turner, but also probably drives the price upward, above most other Prosecco wines. Alcohol sits at 11% abv and the retail price is $29.

This wine pours up bubbly, and the dissipating bubbles leave a straw yellow wine with a greenish tint. The nose is quite savory, yet populated with flowers and fruit. The minerality comes through on the palate, as does the significant acidity. I paired it with my veggie stir fry, and it tasted great. 

Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco Brut Rosé 2023 

The Glera grape meets Pinot Noir in this pink sparkler. The blend is 90% Glera and only 10% Pinot. Alcohol sits at 11% abv and the retail price is $15. 

This wine colors up a light copper pink. The bubbles are festive, but they don't last long. The nose is quite sweet, with a strong floral element first and followed by red fruit and citrus. On the palate there is a racy acidity with a dry mouthfeel. Red berries are featured, and they last into the finish. 

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Tuscan Vermentino That Begs For A Food Pairing

Tenuta Ammiraglia Masso Vivo Toscana Vermentino 2023 is made of grapes grown in the Maremma region, on the Ammiraglia estate, an area known for huge outcroppings of yellow rock. That rocky soil is called masso vivo, or living rock. There is no better place for the name Masso Vivo than on the front label. It is the name of this Tuscan Vermentino. 

The wine was vinified and aged in stainless steel tanks, with aging done on the lees, or spent yeast cells. The 2023 vintage featured a mild winter with lots of rain in December and January and more in the spring, in March and April. Alcohol rests at 12.5% abv and Masso Vivo retails for $22.

This wine is tinted light yellow. The nose is what I really love about Vermentino. It smells of the ocean, with savory streaks of Meyer lemon and a hint of white blossoms. The palate is so full of salinity and minerals that it begs for a food pairing. This is exactly what I want in a white wine. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Black Comedy

Pairing‌‌‌ ‌‌‌wine‌‌‌ ‌‌‌with‌‌‌ ‌‌‌movies!‌‌‌  ‌‌‌See‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌hear‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌fascinating‌‌‌ ‌‌‌commentary‌‌‌ ‌‌‌for‌‌‌ ‌‌‌these‌‌‌ movies‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌many‌‌‌ ‌‌‌more‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌at‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌From‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Hell.‌‌‌ ‌This week, we look at three comedies that see the world through a slightly damaged lens.

Our trio of movies this week deals with black humor. That's not like "black jobs." See Donald Trump for a definition. Black humor isn't a racial descriptor. It is a type of humor that deals more with wry chuckling than the slapping of knees. In wine, we sometimes refer to a "barnyard" aroma, especially in wines of the Rhône Valley, or in wines that we like but don't know what else to say about them. That funky scent might elicit an "It wasn't me" response, but it can really liven up the ol' tasting notes. These movies are funny, but the humor works from the inside out.

The 1970s closed out with Buffet Froid, a 1979 French film starring Gérard Depardieu. It's a murder mystery in which few people seem to care about the murder. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. So is a buffet of dark humor. This twisted comedy is so cold the butter's hard and the jello is jigglin'.

It's in French, so hopefully you either speak the language, or don't have an aversion to subtitles. One viewing will show you that the old trope about the French thinking Jerry Lewis is a genius is right on target. 

I'd love to pair Froid de Canard Sauvignon Blanc with Buffet Froid, but it seems the producer ran out, no doubt owing to the catchy name (cold like a duck) and the $8 sticker. Since a buffet froid is really a table of cold dishes from which guests serve themselves, we can stay with the grape and aim for higher quality. Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre is a Sauvignon Blanc, it has the catchy name, and comes with a price tag in the $40 range.

After Hours made 1985 tolerable for me. Well, that and "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. But a year otherwise filled with Wham!, A-Ha and "We Are the World" made many of us feel like Griffin Dunne's character, stuck in SoHo with the uptown blues again. 

Younger people watching After Hours for the first time will no doubt think it was foolish for Paul Hackett to expect to take a cab with nothing but a $20 bill to his name. And he expected to have a drink while downtown! No cap! But we used to do it all the time, after cashing a $20 check at the grocery store. Hey, it won't post until Monday, right?

Just as 1985 trapped us in crazyville, Hackett found himself trapped in his big night out, his escape eluding him time after time. After Hours is one of my favorite films of all time. Several of Martin Scorsese's other movies keep it from the Number One spot. 

I can't resist pairing City Winery's New York City CAB with After Hours, since that cab ride is where the black comedy begins. NYC CAB is actually made from North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon grapes shipped to the Big Apple, but New York could use a little California in it. $30.

Anyone who has ever tried to quit a habit quickly can relate to Cold Turkey. The 1971 movie centers on a small town that tries to quit smoking for a month in order to win $25 million cash from a tobacco company. Of course, the ciggy maker works against the populace to keep from having to pay up. It's rather like how Big Tobacco lied for decades about their product. In real life, though, the stakes are higher.

Cold Turkey was directed by Norman Lear, his only time to call the shots for the big screen. It has the feel of a television episode to it. Dick Van Dyke and Bob Newhart help that feeling along. 

The wine for this film should be one that pairs well with cold turkey sandwiches on Black Friday. A rosé is in order here. Knapp Winery Rosé Saigneé is made in New York's Finger Lakes region and sells for $22. The grapes in this ruby red wine are Saperavi, Arandell, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. I'll bet that two of those aren't on your Century Club list yet. 

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