A New Wine From The Prisoner

The 2023 Prisoner Corrections vintage started nearly a month behind schedule due to heavy winter rains and cold temperatures which lasted into April and May in Napa Valley. But, the winery says a long, hot summer lasted well into October. That meant lots of hang time for the grapes, which produced big flavors, aromas and color. 

About the label art: “For the fourth year of Corrections, we are proud to partner with artist and poet Omari Booker. His work is deeply rooted in the belief of "FREEDOM THROUGH ART." For Omari, art is a source of healing, a way to process experience and offer inspiration to others seeking their own sense of freedom.”

Omari's original piece, Black Bird, decorates the label. The winery hails it as “a work that acknowledges moments of confinement while standing as a powerful symbol of resilience and hope. Inspired by the black bird that visited Omari's window during his time in prison, the piece captures a sense of possibility and the inspiration he drew from glimpses of the world beyond his confinement.”

The Prisoner Corrections 2023 is the fourth vintage of the series, a blend of Syrah and Viognier. Alcohol sits up at 15.5% abv and the list price is $100. Five percent of sales are earmarked for the Center for Art and Advocacy.

This wine is dark in the glass. It has a big nose, full of blackberry, blueberry, black pepper and black tea aromas. The palate is not as hot as I expected from a high-alcohol wine. The mouthfeel is full and lush, and flavors of dark fruit and oak spice abound. The tannins are bold and the finish is long and fruity. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Living Dolls

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 about dolls, living and otherwise.

2007’s Lars and the Real Girl stars Ryan Gosling as a guy who has a relationship with a sex doll. Not a sexy doll, an actual sex doll. The kind you order from a website, and which comes in a plain brown wrapper. Don’t get the wrong idea, though. It’s not played for lurid laughs. He really loves the gal. 

What makes the film so charming is that all the characters play along with him, in an effort to help him become more sociable with actual people. It says something about Hollywood that nearly all the reviews find it almost unbelievable that there are no lewd jokes in the script. Maybe it says something about me, too, because I’m also amazed. Lars and the Real Girl is the sort of movie the MAGA crowd will sneer at, which makes me like it so much more. 

For a charming movie like this one, it’s got to be a wine that amplifies that quality. Laurenz V. in Austria makes a Grüner Veltliner called Charming. It doesn’t get more charming than that. Get it for $30 a bottle. 

When I started researching Private Parts, I thought of the Howard Stern movie. But, the 1972 Private Parts was less funny and much scarier than the 1997 affair. That is unless you're not a big Stern fan. In which case it was funnier and not so scary. 

In this horror flick, the character Cheryl runs out on her roommate and goes to a creepy, old hotel full of weirdos and peepholes. We mutter, “Girl, get outta there.” Does she listen? Keep watching and see. And it’s not just her we worry about. 

I never lived in a creepy, old hotel full of weirdos and peepholes. I'm thankful for that. Even without that touchstone. I could see the end of this movie coming during the lingerie modeling session. The twist, however, was interesting.

In France’s Loire Valley, there is a spooky, old château known as the Château de Brissac. They say the place is haunted by a woman killed there centuries ago by her jealous husband. Haunted it could be, but it doesn't stop them from making wine there. Their Cremant de Loire is a Chenin Blanc sparkler that sells for less than $20. 

In Sex Kittens Go to College, from 1960, forget the cast - even though it features Mamie Van Doren, Tuesday Weld, John Carradine, Jackie Coogan, Louis Nye, Vampira (not as herself) and Elektro the Robot as Thinko the Robot. Check out the character names - Admiral Wildcat MacPherson, Legs Raffertino, Woo Woo Grabowski (his real name) and Tallahassee Tassel Tosser, among them. That last name is a tipoff that strippers are involved, but don't get too excited unless you have the version which was released to adult theaters, featuring a lengthy dream sequence starring those exotic dancers. Essential viewing? You be the judge.

When sex kittens go to college at UC Davis, they join the Aggies Uncorked wine club, which sends out monthly shipments of wines with a connection to the old oenological alma mater. At some point, the university will sell the wine made by students in the wine program - for upwards of $100 a bottle.

However, to go with the title, here is a wine for actual kittens: White Kittendel Cat Wine has no alcohol and real catnip in it for $10 a bottle. Hey, if you have that kind of money to throw away, just send it to me. I'll spend it on real booze. Oh, a wine pairing, right. Meiomi sounds like something a sexy kitten would say. For twice the price of that catnip, they have a good Chardonnay for sale. Don't give any to your cat.

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Rosé On The Dark Side

If you are a Nebbiolo fan, and who’s not, you should try a Nebbiolo rosé. I grabbed this one off the shelf at Eataly in Los Angeles. It was my first pink Nebbiolo, and it won’t be my last.

The 2024 Sfera Nebula Rosa Nebbiolo rosato is on the dark side of rosé. The 100% Nebbiolo grapes were grown organically in Monferrato, Piedmont, on the Crotin family estate. The juice got six to eight hours of skin contact, was vinified in stainless steel, and aged there for six months on its lees. Alcohol tips 12.5% abv and the price is $24.

This wine pours up in an orange salmon color, almost copper. The nose gives nice aromas of cherry, raspberry, and a slice of citrus minerality. The palate is full and creamy, thanks to the six months aging on the lees. The red fruit is a bit tart and a sneaky citrus note makes an appearance. The salinity lasts into the finish. This is not a pinky from the south of France. It’s darker and bolder. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Cinematic Obsession

Pairing‌‌‌ ‌‌‌wine‌‌‌ ‌‌‌with‌‌‌ ‌‌‌movies!‌‌‌ See‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌hear‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌fascinating‌‌‌ ‌‌‌commentary‌‌‌ ‌‌‌for‌‌‌ ‌‌‌these‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌movies‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌many‌‌‌ ‌‌‌more‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌at‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌From‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Hell.‌‌‌ This week, it’s all about the movies. For me, it’s more about the wine pairings for our three feature pictures.

1991’s Popcorn is a horror movie starring “scream queen” Jill Schoelen. Seriously, she’s been in more slasher flicks than a knife. This one has a group of college students putting on a film festival. “Sure, gang, we can have it in the old movie theater where the crazy killer hangs out!” Purrfect, as the younger folks are fond of saying. 

The films that are screened within the movie are Mosquito, The Attack of the Amazing Electrified Man, The Stench, and Possessor. Each movie has a crucial plot point associated with it. By the way, one of the pictures is shown in Shock-o-Scope and another in Odorama. I’ll let you guess which ones. Don’t forget about the prop from Mosquito. It comes back pointedly in the climax.

Pairing wine with popcorn, the food, is easy. Wine Enthusiast recommends sparkling wine if your snack is flavored with olive oil, ice wine if it’s caramel coated, and Pinot Noir if you get really fancy and use duck fat and mushroom powder. For good ol’ movie theater popcorn, though, there’s nothing like a buttery Chardonnay. My fave comes from Edna Valley Vineyard. Their Central Coast Chardonnay carries a ramekin of butter flavor and sells for $15. 

Let me start this section by disclosing that Matinee, 1993, was directed by the Chief Guru at Trailers From Hell, Joe Dante. He is the guy who opens the emails containing my little articles each week, laughs his way through them, hopefully, and sends them off to be placed on the website. So, naturally, I think Matinee is the best movie ever made. Ask me about Citizen Kane and I’ll tell you, “Well, it’s no Matinee.”

Seriously, Matinee is a great movie, dripping with more movie-buff treats than Cheez Whiz on theater nachos. It has a permanent place on the “must watch” list for my wife and me. But as good as Matinee is, who among us didn’t want to see a full-length version of Mant!, the movie within the movie. As half-man half-ant movies go, it’s either Mant! or Ant-Man, and I’ll take Mant! all day long. 

New York state’s Fulkerson Winery has a name-check wine for our film. Matinee is a white wine made from the Himrod grape. Yeah, it stumped me, too. Himrod is a hybrid cross of Ontario grapes with seedless Thompsons. It’s sweet and special, like Matinee, but it’s probably tough to find on the West Coast. $14.

Day for Night is one of François Truffaut’s best films, and it’s generally considered one of the best movies ever. The 1973 rom-com not only has a great director behind the camera, it’s got Jacqueline Bisset in front of it. Any movie with Jacqueline Bisset in it has a lot going for it already. 

It’s about the making of a movie, and all the melodrama that goes along with such a foolhardy endeavor. The title of Day for Night comes from the photographic stunts used to film a scene in daylight when it is supposed to look like night. 

Even as a kid, I could tell when the night scenes in those old B movies had been shot in daylight. I didn't know the tricks of photography that made that happen, but I knew it when I saw it. It was the hallmark of a low-budget film. It was also something I grew to love pointing out when I saw it, to the sorrow of everyone who ever went to the movies with me. “Shut up, know-it-all!” 

I am so sorry to note that the Australian rosé called Day For Night is no longer available. They say it paired well with pickles! We’ll just change one little word and go for an Italian Pinot Noir called Day & Night. I know, words mean a lot. Maybe if you shoot this one in daylight, it looks like night. Stranger things have happened.

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