More Grenache In This GSM, But Just Barely

We are looking today at another bargain wine from Trader Joe's, where shoppers can find plenty of really decent wines at a low cost. The 2023 Ténèbres GSM comes from the Pays d'Oc IGP, which covers a good part of the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the southeast part of France. 

The three grape varieties of a GSM are split fairly evenly: 34% Grenache, 33% Syrah, and 33% Mourvèdre. The low cost I mentioned is just $6 and the alcohol content is 13.5% abv. 

This wine is very dark in the glass. The nose is quite aromatic, with aromas of blackberry, plum, cinnamon, and vanilla coming through. It is the oak spice which dominates the bouquet, however. The palate displays plenty of oak, too, but with jammy, dark, fruit notes to help distract us from the aging process. Tannins are firm enough to pair with whatever beef you like. 

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South African White Blend At A Bargain Price

Mbali is the Zulu word for flower, and the label shows the King Protea, South Africa's national flower. Also, the country's national cricket team is called the Proteas.

The blend of white grapes consist of 79% Chenin Blanc and 21% Viognier, taken from South Africa's Western Cape region. The alcohol content is 13.5% abv and I bought it for $6 at Trader Joe's.

This wine is straw colored in the glass, and it pours up a bit frizzante. It smells wonderful, with notes of honeysuckle leading the way, followed by lemon, lime, and apple aromas. The palate shows delightful stone fruit, tropical fruit, and a hint of citrus. The acidity is not as fresh as I would like, but it serves the purpose of livening up the sip and affording easy pairings with a salad, a baked potato, or a Caprese sandwich. It is not a terribly complex wine, but for six bucks it will certainly do. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay

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 movies featuring rock. And roll.

Elvis: That's the Way It Is tells the musical story of Elvis Presley's 1970 concert in Las Vegas. Besides the show at the International Hotel, the off-Strip locale now called Westgate, there is also footage from an Arizona performance and some rehearsal scenes from a Los Angeles soundstage included. If you're a fan of Elvis the singer, and not Elvis the actor, you will find a treasure trove of tunes to make you happy. From "Mystery Train" to "Suspicious Minds," the hit list is lengthy. I count 19 songs, some of which were hits for The Big E, while others are cover versions.

As a kid, I wondered how it was that Elvis got so bad so fast. The local radio station I listened to as a kid featured Golden Weekends that were packed with his brilliant '50s rockers, but also jammed with what I heard as the lousy stuff, post-1960. It's all in That's the Way It Is, performed by an Elvis who was making his big return to the concert stage after years of playing dumb roles in tedious movies. I'll drink to that.

Let's get some Elvis wine. Not because it's so great, which it may be, but because it's Elvis wine. The Elvis Presley Collection is sold under the Wines That Rock umbrella, and it features the incredibly named Belt Buckle, The King, Blue Christmas Pinot Grigio, and Blue Hawaii White Blend, which is actually blue. A friend of mine once advised me to "never eat blue food." In this case, I'll make an exception. Each of the wines cost less than $20. 

In 1959, Go Johnny Go hit the silver screens. The film stars famous disc jockey Alan Freed as a talent scout. The release date was a scant five months before Freed became infamous for losing his gig in the big payola scandal. Like many rock careers, Freed's was short and sweet. The one-sheet bills him as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll," which was a reach, even before the pay-to-play scandal. Let's give him credit for coining the phrase of the genre, but making him the king of rock 'n' roll? Everybody knows that's Jimmy Clanton, right?

Jimmy C is in this movie, as are Chuck Berry, Richie Valens, and Eddie Cochran. The latter two stars both died within a year of the film's release. Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck appears, tickling the ivories on a Chuck Berry tune.

It seems a little harsh to pair an alcoholic beverage with a movie that starred a guy who died at age 43 from cirrhosis of the liver. But here we go. I heard a radio commercial from Freed's show that had Nat King Cole shilling for Italian Swiss Colony California Pale Sherry. Unfortunately, that's no longer an option. 

Even though DJ no longer means what it meant when Freed was a DJ, you can get DJ Daddy Kool's Strawberry Moscato for the sweet price of just $8.99. From Moldova, the wine is actually made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains grapes, not strawberries. BTW, there actually is a performer named DJ Kool. Anyone who recorded a song entitled "Let Me Clear My Throat" has to be worth a listen.

The artist we all know as Prince starred in and scored Purple Rain in 1984. It's a romance at heart, but it deals with dark subthemes while showing off the musical talent of its star. This film, with its charismatic frontman, huge hit soundtrack, and four top ten hits, pushed Prince into a limelight he hadn't known before. 

Some critics bashed Purple Rain for its misogyny, and one even called for it to be pulled from the National Film Registry. Others heaped so much praise on it that those who hadn't yet gone to the theater to see it had to wonder what they were missing. They were missing a lot.

Purple Wines of Ohio offers some sweet-leaning bottles, none of which appear to be purple. They are cheap, however. But, how about an actual wine for Prince? Prince Vineyards has several lines of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons that sell for around $100 a bottle. Sip on that while you watch a superstar in the making. 

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A Pair For Springtime, From Argentina

From Bodega Santa Julia of Mendoza, Argentina, comes a line of wines known as Del Mercado. There is a flagship Malbec which is joined by the Torrontés del Mercado and the Rosé del Mercado.

The 2023 Rosé del Mercado was made from Malbec grapes grown in the Lujan de Cuyo region of the Uco Valley, as were the grapes for the 2022 Torrontés del Mercado. Both wines were made with organic grapes, both clock in at 13.5% abv, both were on sale for $12 at Whole Foods Market, and both come in a big one liter bottle.

The Torrontés appears pale yellow in the glass. The nose has a floral note first, then some citrus minerality, and then a light lanolin salinity. It reminds me a bit of the seashore. The palate carries a brisk acidity and has lemon and stone fruit flavors. The pairing possibilities can reach beyond the salad range and go with risotto, shellfish, and roasted chicken. 

The rosé seems to have more in common with a white wine than a red. The copper color is beautiful. Its nose displays cherry, but with a strong backbeat of citrus minerality. The palate expresses cherry and strawberry, while also bringing a lemony note to the table. The acidity is fabulous, really nice. I paired mine with lemongrass chicken and was delighted. 

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A French Wine For Less Than $10

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across a selection of Esprit Cépage wines at my local Whole Foods Market, selling for less than $10. The 2023 Esprit Cépage Blanc is the one I picked up. I’ll probably try the Rouge soon. It's only a dollar more.

The Blanc is made from organic grapes, which are not identified by variety on the label. It is labeled as a Vin de France, the designation which replaced Vin de Table in 2010. There is no specific appellation other than it comes from France as an ordinary, everyday wine. It's a lot like the "California" appellation on a California wine. Sure it's from California, but where? The alcoholic content is 13.5% abv and I paid only $8.

This wine, I believe, is a Grenache Blanc. Some of the info I found online suggested that, and my taste buds agree. If there is a little Sauvignon Blanc in there, I would not be surprised. However, the yellow tint in the glass suggests GB. The nose brings citrus aromas along with apple notes. The palate is rather racy in the acidity department, and the finish leaves stone fruit, lemons, and limes lingering. It's an enjoyable wine and a likely pair with some sort of seafood or salad.

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Blood Of The Vines - Coburn Is King

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 select wine parings for three movies that star James Coburn.

1967's In Like Flint is the sequel to the previous year's Our Man Flint. Both are spy movies, played for laughs. Coburn gives the sort of performance that captivated me as a preteenager. That experience was a great icebreaker when I found myself standing next to Coburn at a Hollywood after-party. I told him I wanted to be Derek Flint when I was younger. He turned his head to look at me. "Still do," I said. He flashed that incredible James Coburn smile as our respective friends came to collect their plus-ones. 

The masculine sexual overtones of the title, In Like Flint, give away the plot. A feminist movement threatens to oust the male population from its ruling capacity. Remember, this was 1967. Things are quite different now. Right?

The pairing for In Like Flint should be something flinty, if that's not too on the nose. A Chablis would be ideal. You can hardly go wrong with that as your ask at the wine store. If you feel more comfortable looking for an actual label, try a Chablis from Louis Jadot. That's about as reliable as it gets in the $20 range.

Coburn scored again in 1967 with The President's Analyst. When we think about the President having an analyst, our thoughts may go to "What analyst? I don't need an analyst! But if I did have an analyst it would be the biggest, most beautiful analyst the world has ever known." And probably blonde.

Although technically a psychiatrist, Adam Arkin's Stanley Keyworth on The West Wing is what I would like the President's analyst to be. Trustworthy, loyal, and loaded with sarcasm. And, able to solve your mental health problem in 42 billable minutes. 

Analyst runs a bit longer, but it doesn’t seem like it. Imagine the secrets an analyst to the president would have. Imagine how many people would like to get those secrets. Imagine the lengths someone would go to for that information. Coburn's character imagines all that, and more. His tangle with The Phone Company is the stuff of which nightmares are made. Of course, today we sweat out what Google knows about us.

Pairing a wine with James Coburn could be as easy as saying "Cockburn's Port." Of course, that works better when you actually say it instead of reading it in print. How about a wine called The Therapist? Imagine how I felt when that fell into my lap. Slate Theory makes the white blend of Muscat Blanc and Muscat Canelli in the Texas Hill Country. $32 gets you well.

Hard Times was Walter Hill's 1975 debut as a director. The film not only has Coburn, but Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, and Strother freaking Martin. The names look great on a marquee or a one-sheet, and the performances are fantastic.

The Depression-era, bare knuckles streetfighter portrayed by Bronson fit right in with Coburn's hustler, a guy by the name of Speed. The south Louisiana setting worked well and critics liked the film enough to scrawl out some kind words about it. The general public was even kinder, giving up their hard-earned dollar bills to see it. 

How could we not enjoy a good ol' Temecula wine with Hard Times, particularly when it is a Bare Knuckle Malbec? Wiens Cellars has it for $65. Don't sell Temecula short. There are some high quality wines being made in Riverside County.

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