Those who love dark, bold wines will likely enjoy this Nero d'Avola, especially if paired with a dish such as short ribs, sausage, or mushrooms. Alcohol sits at 12.5% abv and it retails for $15.
This wine has a medium-dark ruby tint. The nose offers very muted, almost imperceptible, black cherry, plum, and cassis. The palate has dark fruit and spice, with gentle tannins and refreshing acidity. It's a vibrant, enjoyable wine, if not particularly complex.
They say the wine "marries the richness and vibrancy of Grenache Blanc with the richness and aromatics of Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne and the tropical fruit and minerality of Vermentino and Picpoul Blanc."
The grapes for the 2024 vintage of Patelin de Tablas came from 16 of Paso Robles' top vineyards that specialize in Rhône-style varieties. The breakdown is 40% Grenache Blanc, 29% Viognier, 10% Vermentino, 8% Roussanne, 7% Marsanne, and 6% Picpoul Blanc. Alcohol tips 13.5% abv and it retails for $30.
This wine gives a pale golden color in the glass. The nose is more subdued than I expected. There is lemon, mango, almond, and minerality available to smell. The palate is more forceful, and a delight besides. Citrus minerals are joined by salinity and a racy acidity, which begs for a food pairing. Seafood is a natural pairing choice, but I loved it with dolmas and hummus.
Our title this week comes, naturally, from the 1970 British comedy, There's a Girl in My Soup. In it, Sellers plays Robert Danvers, a vain TV host, opposite Goldie Hawn. She plays Marion, an American hippie who breaks up with her bum of a boyfriend, then embarks on a relationship of sorts with Danvers. It may be a stretch of the imagination, but a generation of middle-aged men took comfort in the notion that they could get next to Goldie Hawn no matter how overbearing their personalities were.
Marion embarrasses herself and Danvers by getting sloshed at a wine tasting event. Hey, isn't that what wine tasting events are for? There has been at least one over-imbiber at every one of them I've attended, and I'm happy to report it has never been me. At one point in the film, Marion asks, "Are you trying to get me tight?" Danvers replies, "You're frightening enough sober."
Sellers made the most of his standard line for women: "My God, but you’re lovely." Eventually he looks in the mirror and says it to his reflection.
Hawn says she was railroaded into doing the nude scene, her first in a film. She contends there was no logical reason for her to be naked in the scene. The director and the producer did not agree with her.
The wine country scenes are supposed to be in the south of France, so let's go to Provence. Domaines Ott has Château de Selle, for fans of expensive rosé. It's likely north of $45, which will knock four White Zinfandels off your shopping list.
The 1964 comedy, A Shot in the Dark, has Sellers playing French detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Blake Edwards directed this one, as he did the others in the Pink Panther series. Shot was the follow-up to the previous year's The Pink Panther.
Edwards and Sellers suffered a falling-out during this film, vowing that they would never work together again. Of course, they did work together again, on The Party and several more Panther iterations. Promises, promises.
Elke Sommer was his co-star, playing a beautiful maid who becomes a prime murder suspect. While falling over himself, and most everything else in sight, Clouseau also falls for the maid. In real life, Sellers at this time was busy meeting, falling in love with, and marrying Britt Ekland. That whole sequence took only ten days. Bad movies have longer shooting schedules.
A pink wine for a Pink Panther, please. Italian producer Usiglian de Vescovo makes a Pink Panther rosé. Their website is mildly hilarious. They boast that the wine is packaged "with all the care we are capable of" sounds less like a brag and more like a disclaimer. It must have lost something in Google translation. It's Sangiovese and it costs almost $40.
The Mouse That Roared burst onto the scene in 1959. Its nuclear disarmament theme foreshadowed Dr. Strangelove, as did a multi-role performance from Sellers. In The Mouse, he is Duchess Gloriana XII, Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy, and military leader Tully Bascomb. Co-star Jean Seberg only got one role, but not everyone is Peter Sellers. The mouse, who has a key role in the movie, is uncredited.
The story hinges on wine. The economy of the tiny Duchy of Grand Fenwick is rooted in their prized export, Pinot of Grand Fenwick. An American company, possibly Bronco Wines, comes up with a knockoff version of it that is cheaper to buy, which throws the duchy into bankruptcy. Most winemakers will tell you it's tough enough just to meet payroll. Don't even ask how a small country manages to grow enough grapes to produce enough wine to support their entire gross national product. But if that seems a stretch, get a load of their plan to escape bankruptcy.
They dress in medieval armor, sail to the U.S., and declare war. They figure to get beaten quickly and take advantage of American generosity afterward. But, through ineptitude, they wind up with The Bomb. International hilarity ensues as the Duchy of Grand Fenwick snatches victory from the jaws of a sure defeat.
A Pinot would be perfect, even if it's not the fabled Pinot of Grand Fenwick. Gérard Bertrand makes a Pinot Noir from high altitude vineyards near Limoux, right about where the fictional duchy would be located. Domaine de l’Aigle Pinot Noir lists for $35.
I'll let them describe the winemaking process: "Harvest in 2024 was very early, starting mid-September. 40% of the bunches were thrown in the bottom of the Palmento lava-stone vats and then 60% of the grapes were de-stemmed by hand on top. Fermentation started spontaneously, and the grapes were macerated for four to five days, being foot trodden or plunged daily. The fermenting must was then pressed and continued fermenting in qvevri {egg-shaped earthenware vessels}, large oak casks (20hl), chestnut barrels (11hl), and a stainless steel tank to dryness. All components underwent malolactic fermentation spontaneously. Blending took place in February 2025, and the resultant final wine was left on fine lees until bottling early April without fining or filtering."
The 2024 Vino di Anna Palmento Vino Rosso has a rather low alcohol content, 13% abv, and the wine sells for around $34. The label has an artist's depiction of grapes being foot stomped.
This wine is medium-dark ruby in the glass. I found the nose to be subdued, but notes of ripe cherries and redcurrant berries came through. I'd like to say that I noticed the effect of the chestnut barrels used, but they were half as large as the oak casks. My olfactory sense isn't all that sharp, anyway. The palate is medium weight and a bit tart, showing raspberry and currant flavors. The tannins are medium firm and the acidity is bright. The medium finish carries tart fruit after the sip.
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Apalta is a micro valley within Chile's Colchagua Valley, where Chief Winemaker Carolina Vasquez watches over the process of turning grapes into something even more beautiful.
The 2021 Pewen de Apalta Carménère was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Pewen has plenty of oak on the property. Their barrel room contains some two thousand containers. Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and the wine retails for $70.
This wine is a dark indigo in the glass. The nose features abundant black and blue berry aromas, earthy minerality and black pepper. The palate has plenty of that dark fruit, along with a savory streak of tar. The tannins are quite firm, even after the bottle was open for a day. Acidity adds brightness that counterpoints the dark flavors. The finish is long and savory. I used it in making a short rib stew, but enjoyed it more when I paired it with the dish.
The 2021 Mint Furmint Extra Brut was made in the traditional method, just like Champagne, except there is no dosage. That's the addition of a sugary liquid which is part of the production of most sparkling wines. Mint is a single variety (Furmint) and a single vintage (2021). The grapes were harvested from vines which were planted in 2002. This bubbly was aged on the lees for more than 40 months. Alcohol sits at 13% abv and the retail price is $23.
This wine shows a nice, white froth which dissipates quickly, leaving a pale yellow-green color under the frizzante. The nose has lemon, lime, and stone fruit aromas. On the palate, intense carbonation and acidity put the mouth a-tingle. Flavors of apple and pear are draped in a bitter nuttiness, and the absence of sweetness is noticeable. This Furmint sparkler will pair with anything.
