Blood Of The Vines - Fording The River

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 pair wines with a trio of movies directed by John Ford. 

A 1960 movie that centers on race relations in America and stars an African-American actor? Yep, that's Sergeant Rutledge. Viewing it is like discovering a grape or a wine area you never knew about. It leaves you feeling good about yourself for having watched it.

Rutledge was one of the first American films to deal straight-on with racism. Ford directed the courtroom drama, with Jeffrey Hunter as the defense lawyer and Woody Strode in the title role. Strode recalls that the studio wanted Sidney Poitier or Harry Belafonte to play Sgt. Rutledge. Well, who wouldn't? Oh, Ford wouldn't. He didn't think either of them was tough enough for the role, and tapped Strode for it.

Strode, speaking of groundbreaking, was also one of the first Black Americans to play football in the NFL. Even before Dubya Dubya Two, he was playing for the Hollywood Bears, in case you'd like to have a T-shirt made. 

I'd like to pair a Woburn Winery wine with Rutledge, but the place closed after John June Lewis, Sr. passed away. He was credited as the first Black American winemaker, since he opened the winery in 1940 in Virginia. But, let's not forget about the wines made on Thomas Jefferson's estate, produced through the labor of slaves working in his vineyards. 

We can go with another African-American winemaker, Theopolis Vineyards in the Anderson Valley. The grounds are owned and operated by Ms. Theodora Lee, known in wine circles as Theo-patra, Queen of the Vineyards. Her Cortada Alta Vineyard Pinot Noir sells for $50, but her estate Petite Sirah is calling my name.

The soundtrack of 1959's The Horse Soldiers rides in on the strains of "Dixie" and out to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." You not only get a western, you get a Civil War movie, too. And John Wayne's in both of them.  

Heck, you even get Ford directing at no extra charge, and a story that was ripped from the headlines of the Vicksburg Post, circa 1863. A western? In Mississippi? That's right, pilgrim. Mississippi was once The West. The Duke plays the railroad-builder-turned-Yankee-Colonel who is sent into Mississippi on a mission to blow up a railroad. Now that's iron horse irony for you.

Besides Wayne and Ford, you have fantastic character actors like Ken Curtis, Denver Pyle, and Strother Martin. That's the hick trifecta, right there - a dialogue coach's dream, a speech therapist's nightmare.  

Wild Horse Winery, just south of Paso Robles, advises us to "Live Naturally, Enjoy Wildly."  Their 2006 Cheval Sauvage not only means "wild horse" in French, it's the kind of masculine Pinot Noir John Wayne might share with his brave steed after a tough day of breaking the Confederacy.

Drums Along the Mohawk is the 1939 story of trying to stay alive in the new American nation. It was no easy task in the Mohawk Valley, what with British Loyalists attacking the farm and those pesky Native Americans trying to regain the land that was taken from them. You say you want a revolution? This is how it's done.

Henry Ford is the sodbuster and Claudette Colbert is his perpetually pregnant wife. With the farm in ruins and the proud farmer reduced to sharecropping, one might think about giving up. But giving up doesn't play here. Besides, I think the cavalry's on the way.

The Mohawk River Valley may have the drums, but the Hudson River Valley has the barrels. Benmarl Winery actually had them first. It is the oldest vineyard in New York. The Benmarl Cabernet Franc is estate grown and sells for $40. 

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Bargain Lambrusco

A lot of people probably equate Riunite with Lambrusco wine, simply because the company has sold so much of it since the 1950s. They bill themselves as "the world's #1 Lambrusco," and I have no problem with that pat on the back for good winemaking and great marketing. Today, they still use the great catchphrase, "Riunite on ice, still nice." I don't mind it chilled, but I'll skip the ice cube.

Riunite is produced in Italy's Emilia Romagna region, where a great portion of Lambrusco is made. The wine is imported in the US by Frederick Wildman and Sons of New York City. Alcohol is quite restrained, at a mere 8% abv, and the Sweet-O-Meter on the back label shows sweetness in the "high" range. It sells in most supermarkets for less than $10. 

This wine pours up delightfully frizzante. It has a deep purple color, and even the bubbles are purple. The nose is earthy and grapey. It's simple, but very pleasant. There are more complex Lambruscos, but finding a less expensive one will probably prove difficult. 

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Vinho Verde With Low Alcohol, Less Acidity

Orlana Vinho Verde is one of those bargain wines which is almost invisible online. I could not find much information on it, save for the million and one retail outlets that carry it, all under $10, and all the blurbs are pretty much the same. 

It is a Portuguese wine, from the Minho region in the northern part of the country. It carries the Vinho Verde designation. That translates to "green wine," but it is a reference to style, not color. The wines are youthful and exuberant. Most Vinho Verde wines are white, but this producer does make a rosé, too. The Vinho Verde has a low alcohol content of 11% abv and it cost only $7 at my local Whole Foods Market. That's how much their rosé costs as well.

This wine pours up a bit frizzante and has a greenish tint in the glass. The nose carries pear, apricot, and lime aromas. The mouthfeel is full and shows flavors of citrus and stone fruit. The acidity is almost nonexistent, but the sip is certainly pleasant enough

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Blood Of The Vines - TV Behind The Scenes

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 that give us a look at TV, behind the scenes.

John Candy's career, like a wine you really liked, was gone far too soon. Sometimes it seems we had only just opened the bottle when suddenly there was no more to enjoy. Candy left more than a dozen movies behind, as well as some cherished memories of the television classic, SCTV, a behind-the-scenes experience itself. He did Delirious in 1991, giving us another peek into the workings of a TV show.

Candy co-starred with quite a cast, including Mariel Hemingway, Jerry Orbach, and Raymond Burr in his last screen role. It's fitting that these actors all had successes of their own on what we laughingly refer to as the small screen. Mine is 55 inches and takes up a good expanse of a wall in my living room.

Candy plays a soap opera writer who can make things happen just by writing them. Imagine how valuable that old Selectric would have been to you with that gift. It's a bump on the head that sends him senseless, then superpowered. However, a great idea does not a good movie make. Just ask eight out of ten people who have seen Delirious. At least that many critics also agree, so it's not just disgruntled movie-goers blowing a raspberry.

I would expect to like a movie such as this, as behind-the-scenes-entertainment is a favorite topic of mine. I also like movies about time travel, football, and wine, if anybody wants to try and make me happy. Please, form a line, not everyone at once.

Did you know that Oprah has a TV soap opera called The Kings of Napa? Neither did I. Now I have to figure out what channel Spectrum puts OWN on. Before I go down that rabbit hole, let me pair Delirious, the wine, with Delirious, the movie. From Austria's Burgenland region, this white wine features Gelber Muskateller as the star grape. It was called Yellow Muscat until the blurb writer bumped his head. It should run you about $15.

Also in 1991, Soapdish centered on a soap opera, too. Was there something in Hollywood's water supply that year? Soap, possibly? As I swirl a sample now, yes, I do get a slight lanolin sensation. 

Soapdish is actually a soap opera about a soap opera. Nobody gets hit in the head here, but you see the action coming from the first act. An actor's ultimatum leads to a live episode of the daily melodrama, which in turn leads to someone with brain fever being written out of the show. I love it when art imitates art.

This film ran the risk of culture cancellation since a transgender woman is made out to be the villain. The film survives, but the character in question winds up doing her acting amid the clatter of dishes in a dinner theater. A stage adaptation got workshopped and a television version amounted to a lot of industry people shuffling papers and clearing their throats. It still has an office somewhere at Paramount.

The 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest was set in the make-believe wine country of Tuscany Valley. Much like fava beans, soap operas go well with a fine Chianti. At least, that's what it says here. The San Felice Chianti Classico knocked me out when I tasted it. No, I wasn't hit on the head. Depending on your taste, a bottle will cost anywhere from $20 to $50.

2002's Death to Smoochy was directed by Danny DeVito, who also appeared in the film, along with Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Jon Stewart and a host of immediately recognizable character actors. Despite the wealth of talent, Smoochy died a thousand deaths. To say that nobody liked it would be inaccurate, but not too far off the mark. 

Williams plays the host of a TV kiddie show who suffers a debilitating scandal and loses everything he holds dear. How could a comedy with that premise not find an audience? Well, you could ask Bobcat Goldthwait. He did Shakes the Clown a decade before Smoochy, to a similar absence of ticket purchasers. Obviously the general public doesn't see the humor in these movies like I do. 

The disgraced kiddie host funnels his anger towards his replacement, a guy who plays the character of Smoochy the Rhino. Even though Smoochy is the target of numerous failed attempts to get him off the show, it’s his cousin Moochy who ends up at the morgue. I'm not worried about this spoiler paragraph. It's not like knowing who dies is going to spoil it for you.

American Vintners' Smooch line does not appear to be available anymore in those cute little single-serve bottles. Too bad for the airline industry. But, if you're up for an adventure, seek out Bushy Run Winery's Sunset Smooch. Located outside of Pittsburgh, and using fruit other than grapes for their wine, adventure might be a generous term. But I hear it pairs nicely with food that has fries piled on top, Pittsburgh style.

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Rosato From The Slopes Of Mt. Etna

I recently attended a wine event in Beverly Hills, a very informative master class on the Abruzzo region of Italy. The talk was delivered by Jeremy Parzen, a wine writer who never fails to capture the imagination in his Do Bianchi blog.

As it happened, my wife went shopping at Eataly while I was occupied, which meant I would miss out on one of my favorite shopping excursions, Italian wine. I asked her to pick up a couple of bottles for me. She asked, "What would you like?" I told her to go with her feelings. She didn't pick up any wine from Abruzzo, but that's okay since I was tasting plenty of it at Jeremy's event. One of the wines she selected was from Sicily.

The Benanti family pioneered Etna wine and today they make what respected reviewers call some of the best wines in Italy. They champion indigenous grapes like Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Carricante, and farm them under organic practices. 

The 2022 Benanti Etna Rosato was made from 100% Nerello Mascalese red grapes which were grown on the southeastern slope of the Mt. Etna volcano. After a cold maceration and a soft pressing, they were vinified in stainless steel tanks, then left to sit on their lees with no skin contact. Alcohol rests at 12.5% abv and the bottle cost $27 at Eataly in Los Angeles. 

This wine has a dusty rose color, darker than pink but lighter than red. The nose was a surprise, and not a particularly good one. There was hardly any fruit to speak of at all. The dominant aroma was a funky, barnyard sort of smell. On the palate there were flavors of cherry and Meyer lemon, with a savory overlay and a ton of salinity. If you can get past the first whiff, the taste is a treat. Mine paired very well with a spicy soppressata, some cheese, and an onion focaccia bread.

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A Superior Chianti From A Tuscan Castle

The Castello del Trebbio was built in the Tuscan countryside in the 12th century, by the Pazzi family. They ruled Florence back in the day, until the 15th century, when the Medici family usurped their power. Modern winemaking in the land around the castle started in 1968, when the Baj Macario family bought the castle and the land surrounding it. 

The 2022 Castello del Trebbio Chianti Superiore was made from organic grapes, 85% Sangiovese and 15% Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo grapes. The wine was vinified in stainless steel tanks, aged for six months in big oak barrels, then another six months in stainless steel. Alcohol sits at 13% abv and it retails for around $20.

This wine has a medium red color in the glass. Its nose is lovely, with purple flowers jumping out first, followed by cherries and red licorice whips. Cherry flavor dominates the palate, with a hint of oak spice. The oak is handled very lightly. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is refreshing. It is really a nice wine to sip, but pairing it with an Italian sub is working just fine, too.

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Blood Of The Vines - Lords Of Illusion

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. For my next trick, a little escapism. Movie magic, from serious to comedic, with wine pairings appearing for each one. 

My initial impression of Harry Houdini came from the master illusionist's portrayal by Tony Curtis, in 1953's Houdini. Curtis and Janet Leigh, as his wife Bess, explore the realm of Houdini's physical ability to escape from locked confinement. A safe, no problem. A Scotland Yard jail cell, ditto. Straightjacket, got it. His water-related feats of derring-do turned out to be a bit more difficult. 

Picking a lock is rather low on my list of mythical superpowers. I'd much rather have invisibility, incredible strength, or the nose to determine a wine's origin simply by sniffing it. Of course, if I could do the latter, I'd probably end up having to wait tables, and I'm not that much of a people person. 

As long as we’re serving a bottle of wine for Houdini, we should grab a good one before it disappears. Houdini Wines of Napa Valley certainly has the name right. Why name your wine company after Houdini with no visible reason for doing so? Get 'em before they're gone? Maybe. I'm not going to over think it. Houdini wines are sold in duos, trios, or gift baskets, so a per-bottle price is hard to pin down. That business model is not usually indicative of great wine, either, but if you want Houdini wine, you go where it is.

The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao is a Western comedy from 1964. Tony Randall stars in seven roles, the main one being Dr. Lao, proprietor of an incredible circus which has come to the small desert town of Abalone, AZ. It's a place that needs a little magic, and the good doctor brings enough to fill a tent. 

Randall makes the magic as Lao, Merlin the magician, Pan, Medusa, a fortune teller, a monster serpent, and the Abominable Snowman. Seven roles in one film was pretty impressive until last year's Dr. Sander's Sleep Cure had Mart Sander playing 48 roles. Showoff. 

The conflict in Dr. Lao comes when a rich rancher wants to buy the whole town cheaply before the railroad comes through. He and his merry band of baddies never counted on confronting the likes of Lao. 

I love that nearly all the characters are given descriptions as part of their names. The Crusading Publisher, The Ruthless Tycoon, The Widowed Librarian, and the Stuffy Matron are only a few. Me, I'm The Overbearing Wine Guy.

The German winery, Dr. Loosen, makes a wine called Dr. Lo. However, it is non-alcoholic. So, nah. Try one of their great Rieslings from the steep, slate banks of the Moselle River. A bottle of magic will cost you $20 or less.

Jerry Lewis flies again, in 1958's The Geisha Boy. The title alone makes us expect Lewis to break out his buck-toothed characterization of a Japanese person. Amazingly, he does not. It could be the first time that Lewis exhibited restraint on film.

The story follows a burned-out magician as he goes on a USO tour for GIs stationed in Japan. The giggles come from the standard Lewis brand of slapstick comedy, with the help of a rabbit and a child. That flies in the face of good advice handed out by W.C. Fields, who said "Never work with children or animals." Any child or animal who tries to upstage Jerry has his work cut out for him. 

Director Frank Tashlin worked on many Warner Brothers cartoons, both Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. That connection resulted in Lewis doing the "That’s all, folks" bit for the film's finale, in his particular way.

Ver Sacrum makes a really nice wine called Geisha de Jade. The thing is, it's from Argentina. That's a head-scratcher. However, if you can find a blend of single vineyard Roussanne and Marsanne for $40, it's worth a shot. 

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More Amphora Wine, This Time From Italy

Elena Casadei grew up in a winemaking family, but she didn't think that would be her career. One summer, she was called back to Tuscany to lend a hand to her dad in the vineyard. To hear her tell it, the next thing she knew she was making her own wine. 

Her 2022 Ansonaco Toscana IGT is made completely from golden, Demeter certified organic Ansonica grapes. Ansonica is primarily grown in western Sicily, but the white fruit has found a home in Tuscany, too. Vinification takes place in giant terracotta amphorae, clay vats that are as tall as Elena. Six months aging takes place in the amphora, with another for months in the bottle. Alcohol is a comfortable 13% abv and the wine sells for about $32.

This wine is striking to look at. The color is a strident yellow, almost the shade of an amber ale. The nose brings a huge note of dried apricots, almost a sugary sense. There is also a nuttiness to the sniff. On the palate, a mix of apricot and Meyer lemon present one of the more unusual flavor profiles I've had recently in a wine. Salinity is high, acidity is fresh, but not sharp. It is quite an exceptional wine, if maybe just not for everyone. At the very least, it's an opportunity to mark the Ansonica grape on your Century Club list. 

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Clay Pot Red Wine From Portugal's Alentejo

Portuguese wines are a treat, whether you're drinking a wonderful Porto or a still wine from the Douro Valley. Today's wine is from the Alentejo region in the south of Portugal.

The 2024 Rocim Amphora Vinho Tinto utilizes the Portuguese grape varieties of 50% Moreto, 30% Tinta Grossa, 15% Trincadeira, and 5% Aragonez. Alcohol rests comfortably at 12% abv and retails for $18. That's a steal. 

It is often described as a "chillable red," a term which winemaker Pedro Ribeira doesn't seem to wholly agree with, although he admitts the wine does refresh nicely on a hot day with some cooling beforehand. It has almost a claret coloring. Ribeira says the notion of chillable reds sometimes takes away from the true character of a wine.  

This wine is lightly tinted, a little redder than a rosato, but not as dark as most red wines. The nose is fruity, yet earthy. I smell red plums, blackberries, cherries, and a faint licorice note. The mouthfeel is full and clean, almost a creamy presentation of red fruit. The tannins are light, but the acidity is very refreshing. I wouldn't fault you for dropping an ice cube in it for summer enjoyment. I heard someone say they wanted to make sangria from it, and that sounds like a good idea. I'll just sip mine, though. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Jonathan Kaplan Week

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. Please join us in lifting a glass to remember director and TFH guru Jonathan Kaplan.  

In 1977, Kaplan directed Mr. Billion. Noted for bringing Terence Hill to American movie-goers for the first time, it was also the last screen appearance of William Redfield. Hill was a huge star in Europe at the time and this was his stateside intro. 

Billion also features Valerie Perrine, Jackie Gleason, Slim Pickens, and Chill Wills. How did Slim Pickens and Chill Wills end up in the same movie? Didn't SAG have some kind of rule against such an occurrence? Character Actor Overload? I guess not, because this was the second time for that Character Actor Lightning to strike. Trivia buffs know that the first was in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

The story smacks a bit of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Guy inherits a ton of money but has to meet a deadline in order to claim it. Gleason and Perrine stand in his way. Let the comedic action begin. 

Mr. Billion flopped like Gleason doing the cannonball. Kaplan considered it his career low point. Can we enjoy it today, despite all the negativity? Sure we can. Along with some bubbly.

A Champagne from the François Billion winery almost seems like low-hanging fruit for this pairing. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes are the fruit in question for Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Brut. You may have to pay $200 for it, but at least you don't have to beat the clock.

In 1951's The Prowler, a sleazebag cop has to find a peeping Tom who is harassing a beautiful woman. Van Heflin is our policeman with a broken moral compass. The needle points to where the trouble is. I'm reminded of Double Indemnity while watching his infatuation with the victim turn into a murder plot.

By the way, if you're wondering what connection Kaplan has to The Prowler, Heflin was his uncle. I sure hope that when Uncle Van came to visit young Jonathan, he was more like 3:10 to Yuma Heflin than The Prowler Heflin. The latter would be one creepy uncle. 

A dirty cop might dress himself in dirty laundry, both literally and metaphorically. That sets up my reach for this wine pairing. Dirty Laundry Winery of British Columbia makes a red blend called Dangerous Liaison, which goes for $25 in the Great White North. Your tariff mileage may be higher.

Kaplan's The Slams, from 1973, features former NFL star Jim Brown in what might be seen as a "Shaft goes to prison" tale. Brown's character is in the hoosegow for pulling a million-dollar job. Some of his fellow inmates want him to give up the location of the cash, and they want it badly. At the same time, he needs to get over the wall in a hurry because the place where he hid the loot is about to be demolished.

It's not a stretch to figure that there's a lot of sweating, a lot of fighting and a lot of pruno drinking in this film. Actually, I don't think there's even a mention of pruno, but I always think of it while watching prison movies. Just think it, don't drink it.

Okay, prepare for more low-handing fruit. Let's pair The Slams with the wine known as The Prisoner. I don't know how high the security is in Napa Valley's stony lonesome, but it is said to be relatively easy to smuggle a bottle or two of The Prisoner out of your local wine shop. Less than $50 bucks is all it takes to grease the warden's palm.

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Clay Pot White Wine From Portugal's Alentejo

Portuguese wines are a treat, whether you're drinking a wonderful Porto or a still wine from the Douro Valley. Today's wine is from the Alentejo region in the south of Portugal.

The 2024 Rocim Amphora Vinho Branco Alentejo DOC is a white wine, made in the ancient traditional method. Fermentation took place at the grapes' pace, in clay pots, with no temperature control, using indigenous yeasts, and with no adjustments made to the juice. They let the grapes speak for themselves.

The grapes in question were 40% Antão Vaz, 20% Perrum, 20% Rabo de Ovelha, and 20% Manteudo, all grown in Portugal's Alentejo region. Antão Vaz is a white grape with thick skin, which loves hot weather. You may know Perrum under its Spanish name, Pedro Ximénez. Rabo de Ovelha translates as "sheep’s tail" in Portuguese, for the way the grape bunches look. Manteudo is another thick-skinned grape native to Alentejo. Alcohol is quite low, at 11.5% abv, and the retail price is around $20.

This wine is a golden yellow in the glass. The nose shows minerals, apples, stone fruit, and salinity with a lanolin backbeat. The palate has those same traits, but leans a bit heavier into the salinity. The acidity is fresh, but not razor-sharp. It finishes medium long. I paired mine with a lentil and sweet potato salad, with a good result. 

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Portuguese Grapes In A Great Red Blend

The wines of Portugal really reach me, and few have reached me more than the wines of Pedro Ribeira of Rocim Winery. I was given the opportunity to sit with him for a tasting during his visit to Southern California, and I'm glad I did.

The Herdade do Rocim 2023 Mariana Red Blend comprises 40% Touriga Nacional grapes, 30% Aragonez, 20% Alicante Bouschet, and 10% Trincadeira. The fruit was grown in the Alentejo region of Portugal, the Vidigueira subregion. Alcohol hits 14% abv and the price sits at around $10. Unbelievable.

This wine is medium dark in the glass. Its nose brings a powerful blast of aromas. Raspberry, blackberry, currant, and plum dominate the bouquet. A touch of smoke leads a savory streak which includes tobacco, tar, and earth. In the mouth, the fruit steals the show. A firm set of tannins just begs for a juicy steak, while the finish goes on and on. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Shipboard Follies

Pairing wine with movies!  See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. This week, our wines are paired with films that are set on the high seas.

 A Countess from Hong Kong is a romantic comedy from 1967, back before they referred to the genre as romcom. It was written, directed, and scored by Charlie Chaplin. I don't know how many directors have written the music for their movies, but I imagine it has to be a rarity.

Countess starred Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren. Brando's character must have been pleased, in some way, to find Loren stowing away in his stateroom. Tippi Hedren, as his wife, was less enthused. Chaplin's son Sydney is also in the film, along with Margaret Rutherford. She plays someone named Gaulswallow, which sounds a lot like typecasting. But, she was great at that type. 

Chaplin worked on the script on and off for three decades before finishing it as a Loren vehicle. He originally intended for his wife Paulette Goddard to star, but scrapped that plan when they split. "Never give a good role to your ex" may have become a Hollywood axiom if it hadn’t been for Woody Allen.

The tune "This is My Song" was a hit for Petula Clark and probably made more money than the film did at the time. Critical opinions on the movie have softened over the years after an initial bunch of less-than-lukewarm reviews. Maybe the critics simply didn't like Chaplin's politics. It's a good thing one's polítical stance doesn't hurt one's career today, isn't it?

The 8th Estate Winery bills itself as Hong Kong's only urban winery. They source grapes from Australia, Italy, and Washington state, and ship them to Hong Kong after flash-freezing them. This, I suppose, allows their label to say "product of Hong Kong." It's an expensive way to make wine, and it shows on the winery's website. Awhile back, they announced their Christmas sale: "$1200 for 6 HK wines!!" Pardon my gasp. If you find yourself in Hong Kong and want to do a tasting there, it's $80 for a flight of four. That's even pricier than Napa Valley. An Asian social/food site claims the wait time for a table at the winery is one minute. No doubt. Who can afford to stay longer? 

1957's An Affair to Remember stars tuxedoed Cary Grant and evening gowned Deborah Kerr. Their affair begins on a transatlantic cruise. The film is considered one of the most romantic ever made, with the possible exception of those whose spouses have fallen in love with other people. They'll probably call it salt in the wound. It's also a pretty good Christmas movie, as if that helps those jilted movie goers. 

The two leads part ways after docking, but encounter each other again long after the seafaring tryst, with a twist. 

Good memories last a lifetime, or so we hope. A good memory plays a part in the movie's climax, so why not pair a wine from South Slope Wines' Memory line with Affair. They offer a variety of Sierra Foothills grapes, like Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, and Touriga Nacional, starting at about $50.  

Triangle of Sadness was heralded as one of 2022's best movies. The story follows a group of rich people on a luxury cruise. As they, no doubt, eagerly await their big tax cuts, a storm hits and shipwrecks the passengers on a remote island. There are some genuinely funny moments as well as some genuinely surprising ones. 

The castaways' struggle to survive takes a page or two from Lord of the Flies as wealth and beauty become their legal tender. It's too bad they couldn't find refuge at a fabulous resort, huh? Is it too late to say, "spoiler alert?" Aah, you’ve probably already seen it, haven't you?

Wines that were recovered from a sunken ship would be the perfect pairing, although they are hard to find and tend to be on the pricey side. Aaron Wines has a San Luis Obispo Pinot Noir called Seafarer for $40. It didn't travel on the ocean, but the vineyards are just six miles from the California coastline. Use your imagination.

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Incredible Portuguese White Wine At An Incredible Price

Portuguese wines are a treat, whether you’re drinking a wonderful Porto or a still wine from the Douro Valley. Today's wine is from the Alentejo region in the south of Portugal.

Herdade do Rocim's 2024 Mariana is a white Alentejano wine which was named after a cloistered nun. Mariana Alcoforado lived in the Beja Castle in the 17th century. The castle was already centuries old at that time. Why the namesake? From the terraces of Rocim Winery, one can see the famed tower of the castle. She reportedly wrote Letters of a Portuguese Nun, a collection of five letters she wrote to her lover, a French military man. That's the story, anyway.

The wine is even more interesting than the story behind the name. Mariana is made from 60% Antão Vaz grapes, 30% Arinto, and 10% Alvarinho. Antão Vaz is a thick-skinned white grape which thrives in hot weather. Arinto delivers high acidity, and Alvarinho is the Portuguese name for the Spanish Albariño. The wine was aged for three months in concrete tanks, has an alcohol level of 12% abv and sells for around $20. 

This wine has a clean, yellow glow in the glass. The nose is full of lemon and herbal aromas. Minerals abound on the palate, along with a delightfully racy acidity. Sweet lemon flavors and a mineral-laden salinity mark this wine as one to look for.

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Great Wines From Portugal's Alentejo Region

The wines of Portugal are amazing. It should be enough that the country produces Port wine. What more could anyone ask? Well, Portugal has a lot more to offer.

I was gifted the opportunity recently to sit with Pedro Ribeira at Gjelina in Venice, California. With his wife, Catarina, the wines of Herdade do Rocim are made. Located in southern Portugal, in the Alentejo region, The Ribeiros have assembled a line of wines the likes of which anyone would be proud to claim. 

His Mariana wine is concrete fermented and aged. It is at once fruity and savory, sweet and salty. The wine is dry as a bone and has a zingy acidity that will refresh no matter how hot the weather is. The red Mariana is also fermented in a concrete tank, then aged nine months in neutral oak. 

The Amphora wines, one white, one red, are elegant and have a mineral streak a mile wide. 

The Grande Rocims, again in red and white, are only produced in exceptional vintages. The white gets a year's aging in Austrian oak, the bold and unique red is made from Alicante Bouschet grapes which were planted in 1961. 

The star of the tasting was the Vinha da Micaela. It is an astounding wine, rich and decadent. I got the distinct sense of chocolate in my sip. 

I will be writing more about the wines of Rocim in the coming weeks. Watch this space.

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Blood Of The Vines - Hypnotic Heists

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 steal some wine pairings for three movies where the stakes were much higher than a bottle of vino.

Scratch any cinephile, and you'll see traces of the 1955 French crime thriller, Rififi. A jewelry store heist is the star of the film. The one-sheet shows Jean Servais doing his best Bogie impression, dressed in a trench coat, gloves, and a fedora at a mean slant. The caper outlined in the film has reportedly been copied by actual criminals through the years. To paraphrase Pablo Picasso, steal from the best. Or maybe that was Igor Stravinsky. Or T.S. Eliot. Whoever it was, thanks for the inspiration.

Jules Dassin got the Best Director award at Cannes for his work on Rififi. Did he make a splash under the Palme d'Or? Word has it, he stole the show. Not bad for a guy who was blacklisted in the bad ol' HUAC days, huh? I guess Republicans were scared of talent back then. Oh, they still are today.

Let's pop the cork on a Champagne for the big French winner. Nicolas Feuillatte's Palmes d'Or Brut will run a man a couple of Benjamins, unless you know a guy. Plus, the neat studded bottle reminds me of the Hellraiser guy. 

Michael Mann's big screen debut was Thief, from 1981. Mann wrote and directed it. This heist film is about a safecracker, so don't munch on your popcorn while he's trying to hear the clicks. The safecracker gets swindled by his fence. Man, you can't trust anybody in a crime film.

The movie stars James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Jim Belushi, Dennis Farina, and Willie Nelson. Huh? Yes, that's what it says here. Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be safecrackers. They say clothes make the man. In this case, a bullet proof vest was a pretty good idea.

Cooper and Thief Winery is located a bit off the wine trail, in Ripon, California. That's in the lovely Central Valley, between Modesto and Stockton, if you'd like to set your GPS. I like to think the winery was named after a barrel maker and a guy who steals barrels, but I doubt that's the case. At any rate, their wines are all aged in bourbon and brandy barrels for that little extra oomph we look for in Ripon grapes. 

The Asphalt Jungle is a 1950 crime noir, one that kept alive the golden age of the genre. John Huston directed, so, okay. That's good. Also contributing some dark goodness are Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, and Marilyn Monroe, in one of her earliest roles. They're so good, maybe they'll all get to share a prison cell. Well, except for Monroe and Hagen. Maybe they'll get cast in a Women Behind Bars flick. 

Hayden plays an ex con who masterminds the whole gig, and he seems born to play that kind of role. That, and Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper, of course. But that's a story for another trio of films. 

The story follows a jewel heist gone wrong. Is there another way for a jewel heist to go? Can't have noir without something going wrong. Spoiler alert: not everyone makes it to the comfy confines of the Hotel Graybar. 

There was a heist of sorts at San Diego County's Hatfield Creek Vineyards in Ramona. The crooks made off with only about $15,000 worth of goods, and no safecracker was needed. The winery's website seems more geared toward nibbles and the cornhole game that's likely to be going on when you visit. But, as one satisfied customer commented: if you're on the way to Julian, you might as well stop in and have a glass of wine. If you really want to make it rain, try the Rainmaker Rosé.

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Italian Wine: The Cesanese Grape From Lazio

The Cesanese grape is thought to be indigenous to the Italian region of Lazio. The red grape has a long history there, dating back to the winemaking of the Romans. Today, the Cesanese grape is primarily found in Lazio, and rarely outside of the area.

Lazio is home not only to Rome, but to Casale del Giglio. Vintner Antonio Santarelli and Winemaker Paolo Tiefenthaler got 14 awards recently for their concoctions. They dedicated those awards to the Italian region they call home, Lazio.

The Cesanese grape ripens late and is usually not harvested until October. Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv. I purchased their 2022 Cesanese Rosso for $23 at Eataly in Los Angeles.

This wine is very dark. It looks that way and it smells that way, too. The nose offers a funky, earthy, dare I say barnyard-y package of aromas. The fruit that is there, the blackberry, currant, and black plum, is muted and dwarfed by the savory smells. Tar, creosote, forest floor, and cigars are the main event. The palate bears much more fruit. Flavors of dark berry, black currant, plum, black cherry, elderberry and black Mission fig all vie for attention. The mouthfeel is fairly elegant, which is surprising after the brute force of the nose. Fine tannins and a gentle acidity will make a nice pairing with meatballs in a Bolognese sauce or sautéed mushrooms. 

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Portuguese Pink Wine

Orlana Vinho Verde Rosé is one of those bargain wines which is almost invisible online. I could not find much information on it, save for the million and one retail outlets that carry it, all under $10 and all the blubs pretty much the same. 

It is a Portuguese wine, from the Minho region in the northern part of the country. It carries the Vinho Verde designation. That translates to "green wine," but it is a reference to style, not color. The wines are youthful and exuberant. Most Vinho Verde wines are white, but this one is a rosé. It has a low alcohol content of 11% abv and it cost only $7 at my local Whole Foods Market. That's a couple of dollars less than when I had it a year ago.

This wine has a lovely salmon tint in the glass, as well as in the clear bottle. There is a bit of a frizzante quality upon pouring. The nose offers some strawberry, guava, lime and mineral aromas. The palate has red fruit with a splash of citrus minerality. The acidity is quite good. The wine finishes short, but is a delight while sipping. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Burning Bridges

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 starring an actor who is aging like a fine wine himself.

 My favorite Jeff Bridges movie is The Big Lebowski, but that's just, like, my opinion, man. In 2009's Crazy Heart, Bridges does a fine job as a burned out, broken down country singer, the archetypical hardcore troubadour. From commanding big arenas to playing bowling alleys, it's been a sharp decline for Bad Blake. Throw in a lovely reporter who comes around to do a where-is-he-now article on him, and the humiliation is complete.

The film was a big success, getting praise from critics, dollars from paying customers, and a Best Actor Oscar for Bridges. The Academy also awarded a statue to the song, "The Weary Kind," written by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett. I mean, how often will I get to mention T Bone Burnett in this column?

About 15 years ago, Jeff teamed up with Ledson Winery in Sonoma County to produce a Meritage blend of Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon. It benefitted the Harmony Foundation for Children at $125 a bottle. It's not clear if any is still available, but if so, it's a good cause. Explore the website for other ways to contribute.

Winter Kills is probably not as convincing as JFK, but is likely a lot funnier. The 1979 black comedy spins a yarn based on the John F. Kennedy assassination. Bridges stars as the half-brother of a fictional president who was assassinated 19 years earlier. 

Want an all-star cast to go along with Jeff? How about John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach, Richard Boone, Toshirō Mifune, Sterling Hayden and Elizabeth Taylor. Despite the roster, the team didn't make the playoffs. Winter Kills tripped over its own complexity and earned only a fraction of its budget at the B.O.

While Kennedy was in the White House, he reportedly had Champagne flowing like the Seine. Pick up a bottle of your favorite Veuve Clicquot and drink like it's Camelot all over again. It starts at $40, but does not come with a conspiracy theory.

Fat City, from 1972, has Stacy Keach playing a has-been boxer who is trying to punch his way past his demons. This boxer is so down on his luck that he works in the fields with migrant workers to make money. We could use him out there today. A guy with fighting skills could match up nicely with all the ICE agents getting in the way of the picking.

The elder pugilist sees something in Bridges' young fighter, and begins training him. Maybe director John Huston saw himself in the young boxer. As a teen, Huston was quite the amateur lightweight himself. He quit the sweet science after getting his nose broken, possibly figuring that a movie career would be easier on his face. He went on, of course, to be a heavyweight in films.

This was supposed to be a vehicle for Beau Bridges, but he felt he couldn't convincingly play an 18-year-old. He felt that his kid brother could, and Huston agreed. Jeff was fresh off his breakout performance in The Last Picture Show, and Fat City sent him further on a successful acting career. It was quite an upswing from playing bit parts in his dad's TV show, Sea Hunt.

I'll resist the urge to pair a boxed wine with a boxing movie, although I'm told wine in a box can be pretty good. I don't have room in the fridge for a box of wine, so let's look at a fighting wine from Australia. Mollydooker is Australian slang for a left-handed boxer, and Mollydooker's The Boxer Shiraz packs a punch for about $30. I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains, lie la lie.

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Spirits From Washington State

If you like your spirits with a heck of a backstory, and maybe some Prohibition-era moonshine running mixed in, you will want to check out Wohlfert Distillery in Snohomish, Washington, 

Here's how they tell the story, and after all, it's theirs to tell. "Distiller John Wohlfert always appreciated a well-made distilled spirit, but imagine his surprise when the 'spirits' who moved him to found his craft distillery were his ancestors, passing down the tradition and thrill of the moonshine trade they plied during Prohibition when John's grandfather convinced his dad to move their family into a home and install a 3 story tall still transforming their small family bakery into a thriving business."

"Moonshine mash is simply the fermentation of yeast with sugar and corn, and the bakery had access to plenty of both. By 1925, the family had gone from one struggling bakery to three thriving 'bakeries' that became the center of a prosperous operation which kept the family fed and the neighbors well sauced.

"Something of that spirit was passed down to great-grandson John, a Microsoft engineer by day. In 2022, he 'reverse-engineered' the family recipe and opened his distillery, and new traditions were started from there.

"Wohlfert celebrates the history and lore handed down over the years, from daring great-grandparents to the Outriders, brave men who planned delivery runs and scouted for safe routes on their motorcycles during prohibition. Those cycles and riders gave the various Wohlfert Spirits their names, after coded catchphrases and speakeasy passwords of simple motorcycle parts that kept the riders safe during prohibition. Such as Starter, a reference to the moonshine, or High Beam, a warning to "Be On The Look Out." Clutch meant to "Speed Up Delivery."

Appreciating the classic heritage and obvious connection to the 1920's, John took the opportunity to partner with Janus Motorcycles. Today, a classic 1920's replica Janus Halcyon 45 motorcycle is being created for the Wohlfert spirits brand. John will bring that bike from the factory in Indiana to his tasting room in the charming Clearview area of Snohomish. It's open on weekends or by appointment.

Here are cocktail suggestions, some from me and some provided by Wohlfert in the sample pack they sent to me.

With Wohlfert’s 100 proof High Beam Vodka, I made a nice G&T, except it's a V&T. Lime juice makes it flash those high beams. 

For the Head Light on Sunset Drive, pour up the Wohlfert's Head Light Vodka with some Cranberry and orange juices. Add a squeeze of lemon, if you're looking to boost that vitamin C.

The Classic Spark Gimlet uses Wohlfert's Spark Basil Vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup, shaken, not stirred.

Great Grandpa's Classic Manhattan starts with Wohlfert's Starter Sugar Shine over ice. Add sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters. Throw a Maraschino cherry on top to make it fancy.

The Apple Crisp Torque has, naturally, Wohlfert's Apple Liqueur, topped with Prosecco and club soda, on ice. Choose a fresh garnish of apple slices, lemon, or mint. It's a good way to use up some of that mint that's overtaking your garden.

Now for the coffee course: The Espresso Clutchtini. Wohlfert's Clutch Coffee Liqueur meets your espresso, left to cool a bit. Put some ice in a cocktail shaker with Clutch, coffee and Irish cream. I tried it with orange liqueur, because I like it that way.

Enjoy these beverages safely. Stay off the motorcycle after consuming them. And, watch out for those T-men. 

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