Blood Of The Vines - Down Three Dark Streets

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 go all noir on you, with three dark streets to walk down.  Just keep looking over your shoulder.  They are still after you.

The Burglar is a 1957 film noir which was largely shot in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, so the cast and crew got some good cheese steaks and a little gambling while on the job.  Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield star in this convoluted tale of how a string of jewels left the safe and ended up in a cop's pocket.

I once rented an apartment in Santa Monica from a woman named Mansfield who told me that Jayne was her mother.  Could've been true, I suppose.  She was certainly beautiful enough and she always chuckled when I introduced her as "my landlady."

Mansfield is not the burglar of the movie's title, but she could be accused of stealing hearts.  She is in the crew, an associate of the mastermind, and she cases the home of the necklace's owner.  She also has possession of the stolen goods at one point, but in her life of crime, Mansfield's character isn't having the time of her life.  When your street takes you to the Endless Tunnel ride on the Steel Pier, look out.

For a movie called The Burglar, what better wine than one from Thief and Barrel Wine.  They help small-batch garagistes turn grapes into wine in the Antelope Valley.  They also help them market the juice.  Try the Merlot/Petite Sirah blend.

Stroll with us now down another dark street.  Walk down far enough that you find the place Where the Sidewalk Ends.  This 1950 noir has nothing to do with Shel Silverstein's later poetry collection under the same title.  No, this story is not suitable for the youngsters in the crowd.  You won't find "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout" lurking in these frames.  Otto Preminger directed Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney in this violent cops-n-criminals yarn.  

Andrews is a cop who hates criminals so much he actually scares the other cops.  That takes some doing.  Wouldn't it be something if he ended up being the one wearing the handcuffs?  The story starts with a gangster's gambling game and runs through murder, misdirection and mayhem.  It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad.  Hey, it's film noir - put your money on "bad."

Footpath Winery uses organic grapes from the Temecula Valley to create some pretty nice Cab Franc, Barbera and Malbec.  Try one of those for your sidewalk-less viewing party.

Now we break into a run to get the hell off of Nightmare Alley.  Tyrone Power stars in this 1947 film noir which didn't make a very big splash at the time, but is now a cherished classic.  It's the original, the one that Guillermo del Toro has remade for today's audience.

To say that Nightmare Alley is a freakfest is not far off the mark.  Any movie set in a traveling carnival has the soft underbelly of crime built into it.  Power is the barker-turned-performer who goes from a circus tent to fancy nightclubs to, well, to Nightmare Alley.  Let's find a wine which pairs well with chicken.

Favorite Daydream, Famous Nightmare is a pink wine from the south of France, but no, not Provence.  It's from the granitic soil of the Languedoc-Roussillon area, a skin-contact blend of Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc.  If you are pairing it with chicken, we recommend that the bird be fully cooked before serving.

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