Blood Of The Vines - Bingeing The Bard

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 Shakespeare movies. You didn't know they had movies back then, did you? A wine pairing will be given for each.

From 1996, we have Looking for Richard. Al Pacino took his first turn as a director for this documentary. He plays himself and Richard III, and does both non-ironically. Filmed portions of Richard III are featured, alongside interviews with others who have thundered Shakespeare's words as they trod the boards. The Bard's enduring effect on pop culture is examined here. 

A homework assignment: try to work the phrase "hoist on his own petard" into everyday conversation. I know it's from Hamlet, but it's the best I can do in the winter of my discontent. 

A wine pairing! A wine pairing! My kingdom for a wine pairing! From Othello, we learned that "Good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used." Mark this: they say that Richard III drank liters of wine every day. They also say he was drowned in a barrel of Malmsey. True or not, here is the pairing. The Rare Wine Company makes a line of Madeira wines which are astoundingly good, if a little pricey. Their New York Malmsey is as good a pairing choice as any with Looking for Richard. $50. Try not to drown in it. 

The 1953 epic Julius Caesar gathered a handful of Oscar nominations, but only one win, for Best Art Direction. Marlon Brando was hailed for his role as Marc Antony, largely because he didn't mumble his lines or stand in the street yelling, "Stellaaaa!" That was, however, a helluva soliloquy.

Those ancient Romans loved their wines, and they were kinda snooty about it. They derided beer as being fit only for those living north of the Alps. I once poked fun at a Westsider by asking how long since he had been east of the 405. "You mean Lincoln!" was his proud reply. Planeta makes a wine even today which pleased Julius Caesar, a Sicilian Nero d'Avola/Nocera blend called Mamertino. It will probably cost you about 30 pieces of silver. 

In the 1935 version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Warner Brothers decided to take on Shakespeare. They did so with a cast including James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, and Olivia de Havilland in her first film. Reviews were mixed and the film cratered at the box office, but as rain wears the marble, so does time soften the critics' slings and arrows. 

The story features fairies, spritely royalty, passion, deception, mistaken identity, a love potion, and a bad play. Were the events of the night real, or were they just a dream? As the Bard said, dreamers often lie, and dreams are not to be trusted. No more than those who create them. 

You need not dream of California Dreams Chardonnay. It's affordable, found on the lowest shelf of the realm. To dream of drinking wine, they say, is to dream of joy and friendship. To dream, perchance, of broken wine bottles foretells excessive passion. Take yours from a vessel unbroken, or a shattered container, as you like it. 

 

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Orange Wine By The Liter At Trader Joe's

My wife recently laughed off my restaurant order of an orange wine with lunch. She said with a happy smile, "Orange? Is that for breakfast?" Well, it certainly could be, and if you want to swing that way I won't tell a soul. In fact, I'll join you. When the sommelier came around and asked how I liked it, I had to try to keep from gushing. But that was several orange wines ago.

This Côte Mas Orange 2025 is made by Paul Mas in France's Languedoc region. The Vin de France is composed of 55% Grenache Blanc, 25% Grenache Gris, and 20% Macabeo grapes. Alcohol sits at 13% abv and the liter bottle costs $10 at Trader Joe's. It's so good you'll be glad you're buying it by the liter.

This wine has a light orange color, owing to the skin contact with the white grapes from which it's made. The nose is almost all citrus, mainly tangerine and lemon, with some spice thrown in for good measure. The palate is a delight. Apricot, citrus, and a bit of fancy teabag flavors are in the mix. I notice the reviews for it are less than enthusiastic, but I'll stamp my foot in favor of it. 

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Orange Wine From Three Unlikely Grapes

Le Clot l'Origine produces Le Trouble Fait, a natural orange wine from Marc and Caroline Barriot in the Roussillon region of southern France. Labeled as a Vin de France, non-vintage effort, the wine was made from 30% Muscat of Alexandria grapes, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, and 40% Syrah. Alcohol sits at 12% abv and the retail price is about $25.

The name Le Trouble Fait translates to the troublemaker, or one who stirs up trouble. The grapes were organically and biodynamically farmed to create a wine which is suitable for vegans.

This wine is cloudy in appearance with a peach-like tint to it. The nose is complex, with notes of watermelon rind, pineapple, green apple, and citrus. The palate is savory and tart. There are flavors of sour cherry, apricot, Meyer lemon, and pineapple juice. A cloak of salinity wraps around the flavor package. This is one of the more interesting wines I've tasted lately. I don't know if it's for everyone, but it is for me. I would like to pair it with a shrimp salad or even have it with an eggs-and-sausage brunch. Breakfast, even, if you don't have to go to work. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Revenge: A Dish Served Cold

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 get vengeful, as we pair wines with movies about getting even.

Denmark produced Riders of Justice in 2020. In case you didn't think the Danes had a good sense of humor, this movie should dispel that notion. It's an action/comedy based on two sides trying to get back at each other. You may think it's rather bloody for a comedy, or you may think it's kinda funny for an action flick. Either way, justice will be served. 

A case of mistaken identity starts all the action. By the time the error is realized, how do we stop it? More killing. More killing is the answer. And then unwrap some Christmas presents. That's how we stop it.

The Danes have been making wine from grapes for less than 20 years, but they have a history of cherry wine and mead, which are pretty expensive. Given that, let's keep looking for a suitable wine pairing. Carmen Delanz Carménère results from a case of mistaken identity. Carménère was known in Chile as Merlot until some diligent wine scientists uncovered the masquerade. It's a $30 bottle. 

2018's Mandy stars Nicolas Cage. Guess who's getting revenge here? Certainly not the long-suffering folk who waited patiently for decades to see Cage cast as a lumberjack with a grudge. Where's my crossbow?

The film didn't make a lot of money, which is too bad, since that's one of the main reasons for making a movie in the first place. Oh, you can say you're all about the magic of cinema. But just wait until you've released a couple of stinkers and see how easy it is to get that art film made.

This revenge pic pits our lumberjack against a cult and members of a hellish biker gang who are hallucinating on LSD. The movie has attracted a cult following, which is no surprise since, y'know, Nicolas Cage, lumberjack, vengeance. 

The Count's Revenge references Buena Vista Winery's founder, Count Agoston Haraszthy. He died in a river full of crocodiles in Nicaragua in the 19th century, so it's only natural that his descendants want some retribution. However, they exact this by putting a golden crocodile on the bottle, which I don't see as any sort of worthwhile comeuppance for the killer reptiles. At $200 a bottle, maybe we're the ones who should get even. 

If you were old enough to go into a theater by yourself in 1955, you likely remember sitting in the icy air conditioning, soaking up the scares from Gill-man in Revenge of the Creature. Younger folks *ahem* will remember the Friday night Fear Theater presentations on TV, or the double features on the Saturday kiddie show at the movie house down the street. The former always featured homemade popcorn in a big bowl, while the latter always featured Raisinettes and M&Ms bouncing off our heads. 

Revenge of the Creature was surely one of the highlights of 1955, along with The Honeymooners and "Speedoo" by the Cadillacs. It was a three dimensional fright fest which also went under the names Return of the Creature, and for those who didn't get the connection, Return of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. You have to really spell it out for some people.

In Revenge, Gill-man has apparently recovered from the hail of bullets he suffered in the original film and is incarcerated in an oceanarium to be studied by scientists. They make the critical mistake of bringing in a beautiful female researcher, and Gill-man falls in lust again. He can't help it, he's a sucker for a pretty face. It's terror in the city this time around, as nobody wanted to go back to the Amazon to shoot this sequel. 

Look for a fresh-from-Central-Casting Clint Eastwood here, as a young scientist trying to explain why there's a missing rat in his labcoat pocket. "You were going to try and blame the cat. Well, weren't ya, punk?"

Here is the perfect wine for Gill-man: Gillman Vineyard Clairet. Okay, so there's no hyphen. Any other complaints before we move on? This blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot can run anywhere from $60 to $100.

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Wines For The Calorie Conscious

If you are watching the waistline, Mezzacorona Ventessa has low calorie wines that you may enjoy pairing with diet dishes. 

The 2025 Pinot Grigio is from the Vignetti delle Dolomiti IGT, in the Dolomite Mountains. The term ventessa is described as a delicate wind that blows through the Alpine vineyards. The grapes are sustainably farmed and the wine is vegan and gluten free. Alcohol for both the white and the rosé versions are very low, at 9% abv and they retail for $11. 

This white wine has a pale straw tint in the glass. It's very clear. The nose is fruity and floral, the way you expect a Pinot Grigio to smell. The palate shows stone fruit, hints of citrus, and a note of minerality. It's not terribly complex, but it is tasty. Pair it with salads, seafood, or just sip it. 

The 2025 Mezzacorona Ventessa Rosé is also made from Pinot Grigio, just with more skin contact for the pink color. It shows more red fruit notes, but stays pretty much in the same lane of the white wine.

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I'm A Hog For This Super Tuscan Blend

Super Tuscans are not my first choice when it comes to Italian wines. That does not mean I won't enjoy one now and then. The 2024 Tenuto de Biserno Insoglio del Cinghiale is a Toscana IGT wine made up of 45% Syrah grapes, 28% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% other varieties.

The wine was fermented in steel tanks, then aged 40% in French oak barriques for at least four months, the remainder in steel. Tenuta de Biserno owner Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi  says the name "Insoglio" is a place where wild boars wallow in the Maremma region of Tuscany. Alcohol tips 13.5% abv and the wine sells for around $30. 

This wine is dark ruby in the glass. The nose shows black cherry, plum, and some spice. On the palate, fruit is forward with an earthy minerality following. The tannins are smooth, and the finish is long, with dark berries being the predominant flavor. I used this one for a pasta sauce, but it would also pair quite well with any beef or pork dish. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Fuller's Earth

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 are happy to feature three films from the late, great, Samuel Fuller. Unfortunately, I can claim no relation. We are happy to drink a toast to the man, with a wine pairing for each movie.

 Fuller wrote and directed The Big Red One in 1980. With Fuller directing and Lee Marvin starring, I'm sold already. It's a war picture taken from Fuller's own experiences in WWII. The Big Red One is the nickname of the 1st Infantry Division in which he served.

Fuller's tale was nearly three hours long, so United Artists, the distributor, took out the scissors and snipped it down to just under two hours. They did that without Fuller's consent, so imagine his surprise. After his death, the Reconstruction edit restored Fuller's sprawling vision. 

If you ask me, and demand a knee-jerk answer, I'd say I'm not a fan of war films. Then I would think of movies like M*A*S*H, Catch-22, Coming Home, and this one, and I'd have to revise my thinking. Hell, even White Christmas has a wartime setting and a dandy little tune about how much we love our commanding officer. 

Big Red opens with an American soldier in hand-to-hand combat with a German counterpart. He is told that the war is over, but he doesn't buy it. Later he finds out it was the truth. The story follows the soldier's bootsteps through the war and into a place where enemies turn into partners. 

The Fuller Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley Vineyards is a good one, if you can find it. Sadly, winemaker Bill Fuller passed away last year. The 2023 vintage is what remains. It's a $100 bottle, but very scarce.

1963's Shock Corridor was also written and directed by Fuller, who produced it as well. The story is Samuel Fuller through and through. A journalist commits himself to a mental institution in order to solve a murder in the hospital. He's the original man on the inside. 

The movie's one-sheet promises "sights you’ve never seen before," and it's likely true. The nymphomaniac attack and the lover/sister act are about as lurid as it got in the early '60s. Some of the scenes come off like a Fuller fever dream.

The experience of pretending to be insane takes its toll on our intrepid newspaperman. He gets the killer to confess and writes his story, but it turns out to be a hollow victory. 

Bottle shock in wine is a temporary condition, but shock therapy can be the gift that keeps on taking away. The movie Bottle Shock was about wines from Chateau Montelena in Calistoga, so let's go there. You may think it's crazy to spend $200 on a bottle of wine. Shocking, I know. But Montelena's flagship Cab is a taste worth experiencing. 

Pickup on South Street is a Cold War classic, written and directed by Fuller. It's not an ad for an F-150 for sale in Cerritos. It's the story of a small-time hood who picks the wrong pocket and ends up with microfilm secrets intended for the Commies. Okay, Richard Widmark. You're in the spy business now. 

An earlier version of the script was titled Pickpocket, but Darryl Zanuck thought that sounded too European. I don't know why that makes me laugh, but it does. The movie drew criticism from none other than J. Edgar Hoover, who claimed he didn't like the film's politics. Maybe he just wanted a better look at Jean Peters' wardrobe.

Sans Liege Winery of Paso Robles makes a 100% Grenache called The Pickpocket. Aged for two years in French oak, we hope it doesn't taste too European for you. It's a $50 bottle.

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A Field Blend Wine From Vienna

If you are a fan of field blend wines, those featuring different grape varieties that were grown intermingled and fermented together, you'll enjoy a Gemischter Satz wine from Vienna. That's what Austrians call a field blend. The 2025 Natural Red from the Fuchs-Steinklammer estate is a great example. Here's what the importer has to say about the winery:

"In 1989 Kurt Fuchs of the northern 21st district and Helene Steinklammer of the southern 23rd district, married and merged their two wine estates. Together, they are the culmination of hundreds of years of winemaking with family history dating to 1697. Joining their two estates also created the only winery in Vienna that both owns and cultivates grapes from both the northernmost region of Vienna as well as the southernmost region, allowing their family to make a wide range of styles of Gemischter Satz." Their sons Stefan and Alexander now make the family's trademark juice.

This bottle comes from the estate's northern Bisamberg Vineyard, a field blend of red and white grapes all grown and harvested together, then co-fermented after the grapes were foot crushed. Alcohol tips a light 11% abv and the wine sells for about $30. 

This wine has a light red tint to it, a shade darker than a rosado. The nose is also rather light, quite muted. There is some raspberry, some minerality, a hint of citrus, but not much there at all, really. The palate shows a little better, with ripe red fruit and an earthy streak. The mouthfeel sits somewhere between a rosé and a red wine, not too light and not too full. It’s a pleasant sip, and will pair nicely with a pork or chicken dish. 

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From The Volcano With Funk

Nerina Cardile is, like her grapes, native of and rooted in Sicily. A psychologist by trade, Cardile turned in her bust of Freud for a tractor that fits between the rows of grapes.

Her 2024 Vulcanica is made from 85% Nerello Mascalese and 15% Nerello Cappuccio grapes. This red, and a white indigenous blend, are the only two wines she produces. It's made with spontaneous fermentation, unfiltered and unfined. Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and it sells for about $30.

This wine has a brick-red color to it, medium dark. The nose is quite savory. Let's be straight. It's kinda funky. Aromas of raspberry and plum are all but vanquished by the funk. Not that it's a bad thing. It's just a funk thing. Be ready. The palate lets a bit more of the fruit get loose, but you're not escaping the funk zone entirely. The savory experience pairs with an astringent acidity and medium firm tannins. This is what I think of as a country wine, one that packs a punch and doesn't worry about being pretty. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Big Adventures

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 enjoy three big adventures on film, and a wine pairing for each.

We'll open with Peewee's Big Adventure, from 1985, Tim Burton's debut in the feature film category. I was never a Paul Reubens fan, so I missed Big Adventure at the time and haven't seen it in the years since. I am a Tim Burton fan, but not even his graduation to Batman director could draw me into the world of Pee Wee. That won't stop me from toasting the film, though.

The adventure noted in the title is Pee Wee's quest to recover his stolen bicycle. Pee Wee's neighbor wants to buy the bike, Pee Wee won't sell, and the neighbor warns that he'll regret the move. Shades of My Mother the Car, with bad guy Avery Schreiber fixated on getting his hands on the car by hook or crook, mostly crook. 

There is a wine called Pee Wee. It’s a Nero d'Avola from Australia's Lino Ramble, in the McLaren Vale. Get your Pee Wee on for $30.

John Carpenter continued his fascination with Kurt Russell in 1986 with Big Trouble in Little China. Russell's truck driver character helps a friend recover his green-eyed fiancée after she was taken in San Francisco's Chinatown. His adventures have him underneath the city, where he meets a sorcerer, a magician, and delves into the world of martial arts. The big fight also contains some swell knife throwing, if you like that sort of thing.

Big Trouble kinda flopped at the movies, but it has maintained a legion of fans over the years.  Personally, I always want to hear Russell say, "The name's Plisskin," but I understand that sometimes we must move on.

Gerard Bertrand likes to putter around in his winery in the south of France, making delectable juice. His Trouble xp is a non-filtered, cloudy, organic, vegan wine. I know it sounds like I'm trying to talk you out of it, but it really is good. It's just $26 and it comes in three colors, red, white, and pink.

2008's Speed Racer is exactly what it sounds like. It's the movie version of the cartoon series of my childhood, which was very popular with my younger sister. It was probably popular with a lot of younger sisters. It had to be the introduction to anime for a gazillion kids, too, but I won't hold that against it. 

Half the cast of characters have Racer as part of their names, so it's nice that they use first names a lot. The Racer family runs Racer Motors, and scion Speed has gasoline flowing in his veins. 

Speed and all the other Racers (Racer X, Mom Racer, Pops Racer, etc.) delve into the dark world of racing corruption. A big corporation is fixing races, and those who care want to see that it stops. While we're at it, can we look into FIFA's red card corruption? That ref has got to go.

Emile Hirsch plays Speed, and you'll also enjoy Susan Sarandon as Mom Racer, John Goodman as Pops Racer, and Christina Ricci as Trixie, Speed's girlfriend. She's not a Racer. Yet. 

Adobe Road Winery has a line called The Racing Series. Owner Kevin Buckler married his passion for racing to his love of the grape. The wines - Redline, Shift, The 24 and Apex - are California-grown and sell from $50 to $80.

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