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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Red Rhône Blend

Domaine Guigal was founded by Etienne, furthered by son Marcel and now his son, Phillippe, represents the third generation toiling in the Côte Rôtie appellation of the Rhône Valley. It is, as they say, une affaire de famille. 

The 2020 Guigal Cotes du Rhône is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvdère from the southern Rhône Valley, grown in various types of soil, featuring sediment, limestone, and granite. The vines average 35 years in the ground. After vinification, the wine spent a year and a half in oak. Alcohol hits 15% abv and the bottle cost me $20, at my local supermarket.

This wine is inky dark in the glass. The nose sports aromas of blackberry, plum, and currant, with notes of sweet oak spice, white pepper, and a bit of anise. There is also a tarry sensation in the bouquet. The palate displays all the fruit you can handle, along with some of that oak. The tannic grip is fairly intense upon opening and should be left to breathe a bit before serving. It is a great pairing with any kind of fatty beef. 

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Long Live This Loire Valley Rosé

While searching for bargain wines at Trader Joe's I came across a rosé that I had never noticed before. The Vive La Loire! Touraine Rosé blend appears to be a non-vintage wine from the Loire Valley, specifically the Touraine region. 

The organic blend is about half and half Gamay and Cöt, a tad heavier on the Gamay. The grape description is interesting in that Gamay is usually associated with the Beaujolais region, and the use of the name Cöt, for Malbec, is generally found in the southwest part of France. Plus, I don't remember ever having a rosé wine made from Malbec. This one's exciting!

The alcohol level is perfect for a pink wine, 12% abv. The price isn't bad, either. At $12, it's a little steeper than most other rosés at Trader Joes. 

This wine has a beautiful salmon orange color in the glass, almost a copper shade. Big red fruit aromas decorate the nose, with a hint of orange peel thrown into the mix. The palate also shows that red fruit, in a big way. Cherry, strawberry, and red vines combine for a bold and complex profile. The acidity is fresh, but not bracing. This wine will be a good sipper during the spring and summer months. 

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Blood Of The Vines - Horse Sense

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 concentrate on the neighsayers with wine pairings for three thoroughbred films. Giddyup!

The Black Stallion is a 1979 adventure about a boy who is shipwrecked on a desert isle with the black horse. The two become pals, as there was no one else on the island with whom to talk or whinny. A rescue brings them both back home for more escapades and, eventually, a race. In that one, bet on the dark horse.

The film spawned a sequel, a prequel and a TV series. That's pretty good for a movie starring a non-talking horse. Mr. Ed was green with envy. Mickey Rooney was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but he couldn't go the distance. He did land a role in the series, however. 

Bucephalus was Alexander the Great's black steed, and it is the wine pairing here. It's a blend of Napa Valley grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel, from the Black Stallion Winery. It's pricey at $230, so don't spill any during the exciting parts of the movie.

The soundtrack of 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 John 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 get 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.  

It may be my imagination, but I think this movie has more horses in it than I've ever seen before in a film. It makes me wonder if actors get paid more for saddle sores. We should probably check with a bow-legged actor for the answer.

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.

The Appaloosa is a 1966 Western, sometimes titled as Southwest to Sonora, in case you didn't catch on right away that it's a Western. Marlon Brando plays a Mexican-American who has a beautiful horse. But you know, in the movies as in real life, we can't have nice things. Not without putting up a fight, anyway. 

As fights go, the climax of The Appaloosa is a doozy. It shows the lengths that some men will travel for what, or who, they love. It also shows why you shouldn't have a chrome gun.

Sol Invictus Vineyards has a Riesling for just $22. It's from Idaho, but the best thing about it is that it's named Appaloosa. That's a recco if I ever heard one.

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A Good Cigare Is A Wine

The Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Orange 2022 is labeled, unofficially, as "skin contact wine of the earth." The orange color comes from fermenting white wine grapes on their skins, which has become a fairly trendy trick for winemakers in recent years. 

The "le cigare" in the name refers to the French term for UFO. The back label tells an abbreviated version of the story about legislation put on the books in the Rhône Valley back in the 1950s. The law banned UFOs from landing in the vineyards. It appears to have worked.

This orange wine was made from 44.5% Grenache Blanc grapes, 25% Pinot Gris, 14% Grenache Gris, 9.5% Orange Muscat, and 7% Chenin Blanc, all grown in a handful of Central Coast vineyards. Le Cigare Orange is vegan friendly and gluten free, carries alcohol at 11.5% abv and cost about $12 at my neighborhood Whole Foods Market. 

This wine has a beautiful salmon orange color, quite brilliant. The nose displays the stone fruit and citrus one might expect from a white wine, but also a boatload of cherry and strawberry aromas. There is a lovely tangerine citrus note that comes after swirling the wine. Stone fruit dominates the palate, but with a considerable salinity over it, the kind of savory attraction for which winemaker Randall Grahm has made his calling card. 

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You Had Me At Vouvray

I was bargain hunting at Trader Joe's again, which is a great place to go bargain hunting. The 2023 Vignobles Lacheteau Vouvray caught my eye, as it has before. Any time I see Vouvray on a wine label, my eye is caught. 

The French region of Vouvray is in the Loire Valley, or white wine heaven if you prefer. The main grape there is the Chenin Blanc, which is what makes up this interesting vin blanc. Alcohol is quite restrained, at 11% abv, and it sells for less than $10 at Trader Joe's. I hope they keep it in stock, because I have a spicy shrimp dish on my radar for the coming week. 

This wine has a straw-yellow color in the glass. Its nose shows aromas of stone fruit, like peach, apricot, and white nectarine. There is also a hint of Meyer lemon in the sniff. The palate is just creamy goodness. The fruit flavors are joined by a savory minerality and salinity, which is overpoweringly wonderful. The acidity is fresh, but not razor sharp. Pair it with a spicy dish and thank me later. Spicy seafood would be perfect.  

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Blood Of The Vines - Still More Movies You Never Heard Of

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 dig way down in the digital streaming stack once again, for three films that may have gotten past you unnoticed. There will be wine pairings, too.

People who know me know better than to ask me about wine.  They know that one simple question will ensnare them in a conversation that lasts too long and ends up putting them to sleep.  It's the same with movie aficionados. They always end up talking about movies that were seen by only twelve people in a limited opening in Sherman Oaks.  My kind of people. 

2018's Little Forest tells the story of a woman in Seoul who gives up on her dream of becoming a teacher and moves back to the small South Korean village where she grew up. It may sound like a thin nail on which to hang a whole movie, but it's one of those feel-good films that actually works. 

She returns home to find that Mom is gone, but the memories of the "little forest" of ways she showed her love are still there. A couple of her childhood pals remain, too. One of them has also given up the struggle of the big city, while the other is striving for bigger and better, right there in their tiny town. That's worth a toast, I would say.

Well, whattaya know? A winery named Little Forest. Let's call off the search right there. I mean, owner Atsuko Radcliffe was the first female winemaker in Japan, and now she is seeking fame and fortune in Australia. Who knows when she might go back home to play with her ol' school chums? She has a bunch of Shiraz wines for sale at around $40.

The 2019 sci-fi Vivarium takes perhaps the bleakest view of child-rearing ever seen in a movie. The story involves a couple who are taken to live in a certain house and forced to raise a certain child who was left on their porch. Any parent will tell you, it's a job raising a kid. In this case, it is an actual j-o-b, from which they cannot escape. No amount of "mommy wine" can help. And in the end, he never calls, he never writes….

The temptation is to pair any old cheap, box-wine Chardonnay with Vivarium, but maybe we won't treat "mommy wine culture" so casually. It is, basically, functioning alcoholism, after all.  

Let's cheat a bit and call on Domaine Parent for a nice Chardonnay - I mean a really nice Chardonnay. It comes in a glass bottle and everything. And "Parent" is Jacques Parent's name, en Français, so it's "pair ONT." A bottle of his Grand Cru white Burgundy will have you unfolding a Benjamin, but he has a good $20 Chardonnay as well.

Box of Moonlight hit theater screens in 1996, and most people likely did not see it coming. They didn't see it going, either. They just didn't see it. Those that did see it are a cult of a precious few, a cult apparently headed up by the film's director.

The comedy/drama centers on a man who decides to kill a few days on his way home from a business trip by visiting a lake he knew as a child. This sort of Tomfoolery is quite out of character for him. For this variance from the norm, he is rewarded with a new take on life and maybe fewer rats in the rat race. 

Sonoma County's Chateau St. Jean Winery has moonlight that comes in a bottle, not a box. Moonlight Malbec is a reserve wine from their collection and it sells for $85.

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Carménère From Chile

The 2022 Carmen Delanz Carménère Apalta was grown in Chile's Colchagua Valley, in the Apalta region. The varietal makeup is 71% Carménère grapes, 15% Syrah, 9% Petite Verdot, and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Carmen's Carmenere vineyard was planted in 1935. I'm told that Carménère was considered extinct from its original home in Bordeaux, until 1994. That's when a noted wine expert identified the grape in Chile's Maipo Valley, where it had been known as Chilean Merlot. This wine is a tip of the hat to that discovery. It carries alcohol at 14% abv and retails for $30. Winemaker Ana Maria Cumsille has done a fine job with this Carménère blend.

This wine is dark ruby in the glass. The nose carries rich notes of cherry, strawberry, and cassis. A savory angle joins the fruit and presents a more complex bouquet. The palate brings similar dark fruit flavors, along with some clove, anise and oak spice. The tannins are firm, yet the sip is elegant and smooth. Pair this with any sort of meat or cheese. 

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Priest Ranch Winemaker Cody Hurd

When you get the chance to have some very good Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, you take that opportunity. Lunch is thrown in, too? A bonus, for sure, but the wines from Priest Ranch need no justification. 

I was invited to join Priest Ranch Winemaker Cody Hurd and CEO Judd Wallenbrock for a lunch and tasting at Castaway in Burbank. They were in Southern California for Musexpo 2025. Wallenbrock told me that he likes the philosophy of Robert Mondavi, which combines wine, food and the arts into a complete and fulfilling lifestyle. It was my good fortune that he and Hurd had a couple of hours to kill between more enriching events.

Priest Ranch, they were quick to tell me, is not a religious organization. Apparently, some folks take the name literally. The winery is named after James Joshua Priest, a prospector in California's Gold Rush era. He may not have found much gold in 1869, but he did find a good patch of land. It is now called Somerston Estate, and that's where all Priest Ranch wines are grown. They date back to 2007, those wines, the inaugural vintages of Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. Hurd came along a few years later and is now crafting those wines. He shows his skill at blending with the reserve wine called James Joshua, a tip of the hat to the original landowner. It is produced only in select years and is dedicated to club members and the Yountville tasting room.

Hurd described for me the blending process, which he says can start with as many as 112 bottles open in front of him. Although he has an idea in mind along the way, he says the blend is always a mystery until it's done. Priest Ranch wines are made with minimal intervention, but with the help of today's technology. Hurd has a big hand in guiding the Priest Ranch brand. 

Does the worldwide renown of Napa Valley serve as a burden to him as he crafts his wines? Not on your life. "People ask me where I would be a winemaker if I could make wine anywhere in the world," he says. "I tell them 'I can make wine anywhere in the world, and I'm doing it right here.'"

Hurd and Wallenbrook were happy to put their Soda Valley terroir on display for me. They poured the 2023 Priest Ranch Sauvignon Blanc as an opener, then we sampled the 2022 Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Priest Ranch Remedy, and the 2019 Priest Ranch Snake Oil. The latter two are both Cabs. 

The Sauvignon Blanc has a bit of herbal grassiness to it, but plenty of ripe fruit to keep it fully in the California style. The wine was made from the Musqué clone, grown on a west-facing slope. A tall mountain makes the sun set early on the vineyard, producing a truly incredible acidity.

The Cabernet Sauvignon is what they call the workhorse Cab. It has a beautiful, minty nose, and 40% of the oak is French. A retail price of $60 is about half what you would expect to pay for a Napa Cab of this quality.

The 2019 Priest Ranch Remedy offers spicier notes than the workhorse.  The blend features Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot. Remedy retails at $85, while the 2019 Snake Oil sells for $110. Snake Oil sports great tannic structure, so it's the one you may want to cellar, if you can resist the temptation to put a corkscrew in it.

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Blood Of The Vines - April Fools

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 celebrate April First with a trio of foolish flicks and wine pairings to match.

I'll Never Forget What's'isname is a 1967 British comedy. You know it's British because the letter "H" in the title is replaced by an apostrophe. That's also how you know it's a comedy. 

Leonard Maltin summed it up in three words: "Excellent comedy drama." All the other critics used far more verbiage, calling it overwrought, dated, muddled, pessimistic, heavy-handed. I could go on, but we've all paid too much attention to negative reviews already, haven't we?

Orson Welles gets fairly high billing for a part that barely used up any celluloid and Oliver Reed chops up the place, literally, as an ad man who makes Don Draper seem like a milquetoast. 

The wine pairing for What's'isname is a wine which actually has no name. Like the Horse With No Name. Or the Man With No Name. Borgogno's 2020 Barolo failed an Italian taste test and was declassified to Nebbiolo. In protest, the winery slapped "No Name" on the label. Which means that's actually the name, I guess. It sells for $50 online. For that price, I'd expect a name. 

The Private Lives of Adam and Eve came out in 1960, a time when things were just looking up for America. Elvis was wrapping up a tour of duty, Kennedy was preparing to beat Nixon's perspiring upper lip, and The Flintstones were about to become the modern stone-age family.

Mickey Rooney co-directed this film with Albert Zugsmith, who probably should have called himself What's'isname, except the film wasn't British. Rooney also tackled the role of Satan, which is how you know it's a comedy.

It's a film about paradise, which seems to be set in purgatory. A busload of people are headed to Reno, the across-the-border name for Lake Tahoe, where people in movies went to get divorced. The lead couple, Mamie Van Doren and Martin Milner, end up dreaming that they're in the Garden of Eden. The biggest temptation they faced might have been to get off this picture. But, their per diems were already doled out, so they stayed and ate from the honey wagon.

It's not a bad way to waste an hour and a half, but don't expect a major skin show just because the Catholic Legion of Decency condemned it. 

Paradise Springs Winery is in Santa Barbara County. They also have an operation in Virginia, making them one of the only bicoastal wineries. They pick fruit from some well respected vineyards, and bottles start at $35.

With James Garner starring, you know it's a comedic western about to happen. Sure enough, in 1969's Support Your Local Sheriff, Garner's sharp shooter character becomes the sheriff of a gold rush town that is held in check by a rich family that charges a toll to use the only road in and out of town. Hey, it's nothing but dirt everywhere you look. Just make a new road! But no, that would leave us with a movie only 17 minutes long and not very interesting. 

Garner's touch with the western motif was a gift, so much so that in The Rockford Files it was disappointing to see his home surrounded by beach sand instead of desert.

This film features a great supporting cast. The likes of Walter Brennan, Jack Elam, Bruce Dern, and Harry Morgan are worth the investment of 90 minutes and $4 to rent the flick on your local iPad. 

Shadow Ranch, in the Sierra Foothills, has a red blend they call The Sheriff. As in "Support Your Local Sheriff," "There’s a new sheriff in town," and "Y'all drive careful now, heah?" The blend is Syrah, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache, all for $23. 

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Kosher Chianti Classico

Italo Zingarelli bought the Le Macìe estate, in Castellina in Chianti, in the mid 1970s. He handed it down to his son Sergio, who already has the next generation busy in the growing, making, and selling of wine. 

The 2022 Rocca della Macìe Famiglia Zingarelli Chianti Classico DOCG is made from 95% Sangiovese grapes and 5% Merlot. After the wine completes malolactic fermentation, it ages in Slovenian and French oak barrels for six to ten months, then another month in the bottle. It is kosher for Passover, carries alcohol at 14.5% abv and sells for around $25.

This wine is medium dark garnet in the glass. The nose has a good supply of cherry and raspberry notes, dusted up with earth, tar and anise. The palate has a bit of licorice on it, but mainly serves as a showcase for the red fruit. There are some spicy elements, too. White pepper, nutmeg, and a very light clove sense brighten up the fruit. Tannic structure is firm and acidity refreshing. I had mine with a slow cooker red wine short rib dish, and the pairing was sublime. 

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A Pair From Valpolicella

This year is the 100th anniversary of the Italian winery Pasqua Wines. The business has been family-owned since 1925, for three generations. Just last year Wine Enthusiast named Pasqua the Innovator of the year. 

The 2015 Pasqua Mai Dire Mai Valpolicella Superiore is made from grapes grown in the Monte Vegro vineyard. The blend is 50% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella, and 10% Oseleta. The grapes are vinified in steel tanks, then aged for a year and a half in French oak. Alcohol sits at a lofty 15% abv while the 2015 vintage sells for about $50.

This wine is a deep ruby red in the glass, with brick tones starting to show around the edge. The nose is powerful and savory, with the dark fruit accompanied by notes of cedar, tobacco, earth, and licorice. The palate is lean, as the fruit lets the stage be stolen by the savory side. The acidity is quite refreshing, and the tannins have a bit of bite left in them. I paired mine with some Italian beans, but it could also serve well with a steak or a plate of meatballs.

The 2017 Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG is a classic Amarone made from hand picked grapes that undergo a three-month drying process before fermentation. During this time, the grapes lose about a quarter of their weight. (Maybe I should try it.) That helps bring out the velvety tannins and deep sugar concentration. The grapes were then vinified and aged about a year and a half in French oak. Those grape varieties, by the way, are 65% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, and 10% Corvinone. Alcohol is 15% abv in this wine as well. It retails for $60.

This wine is medium dark garnet with some brown starting to show. The nose brings enough savory for everybody. Currant, fig, and blackberry notes are draped in earthy scents like pepper, tobacco, oak spice, coffee, and tarragon. The palate holds a set of firm tannins and a racy acidity. Flavors of dark berries, cherry, and plum define the wine's profile. It will pair well with pork, lamb, or veal.

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Blood Of The Vines - Richard Chamberlain

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 salute another great actor who has shuffled off this mortal coil. Use our wine pairings to raise a glass to Richard Chamberlain. 

The Last Wave is a 1977 Australian thriller directed by Peter Weir. No introduction needed, but he gets one anyway. Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, Dead Poets Society. Those are some great films in Weir's resumé. Chamberlain's acting chops lifted Wave to the level of those movies. 

He plays a lawyer who represents a group of Aboriginal people accused of murder. Chamberlain's attorney keeps having dreams about water and death. It sounds like a music video from MTV’s early days, right? The solicitor keeps feeling a connection between himself and the indigenous people, one that proves to be stronger than an attraction to didgeridoo music. 

If you have the bucks for a bottle of Penfolds, don’t let us stop you. Fourth Wave Wine is Australian, too, and more affordable. They actually have wines from five other countries as well. Their Tread Softly rosé plants an Australian Native Tree for every six-pack sold. Be aware they also have an alcohol-free rosé with a similar name.

Ken Russell directed 1971's The Music Lovers, one of his films about classical composers. If you're wondering how Russell got a major movie studio to fund a film about Tchaikovsky, here's how. He told them it was a story about a homosexual who fell in love with a nymphomaniac. There's no word on how he managed to get the others made.

The Music Lovers was so abused by the critics you'd have thought they were all relatives of the composer. "Tedious," "grotesque," "perverse" and "wretched excesses" were just a few of the epithets hurled at Russell's film, and those were from the critics who liked it.

Chamberlain had a lot to work with while shaping his take on the music man. Tchaikovsky's mental condition was ruined at an early age when he watched his mother get boiled alive. It was thought to be a cure for cholera. Well, it cured it, alright, with the unfortunate side effect of no longer being alive. Tchaikovsky himself died of cholera after he purposely drank contaminated water. Apparently, by this time, boiling was no longer thought to be an effective cure.

The movie is very light on dialogue, so Chamberlain gets to cut loose with his physical performance. There are lots of facial expressions to convey emotion. Y'know, ACTING!

For a complicated guy like Tchaikovsky, who made some pretty complicated music - how about a nice, complicated Pinot Noir? Melville's Estate Pinot comes from the Sta. Rita Hills part of Santa Barbara County. It is a rich, complex and elegant Pinot which will pair perfectly with Tchaikovsky's music - and hopefully with Russell's vision of it.

The 1973 version of The Three Musketeers stars Chamberlain alongside fellow musketeers Michael York, Oliver Reed and Frank Finlay. Also appearing in Richard Lester's swashbuckle with a chuckle are Raquel Welch, Geraldine Chaplin, Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Lee and Spike Milligan. Gee, it's too bad the movie was so light on star power. 

Chamberlain plays Aramis to the hilt. He and the other actors and crew were livid when the producers decided to split the long film into two shorter ones, resulting in the sequel, The Four Musketeers. SAG saw to it that future contracts would prevent that sort of bait-and-switch, two-for-one shenanigan. 

Y. Rousseau Wines has the unusual Tannat grape as the star of The Musketeer. The grapes came from the Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino County. It’s a $50 wine.

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It's Always Spring With Aviv Wine

Israel’s Galil Mountain Winery is introducing their new Aviv line of wines, a red, a white and a pink. The grapes for all three were harvested from the various estate vineyards in the Upper Galilee wine region, all three are kosher for Passover, and all three sell in the $15 range.

The 2023 Aviv Dry Rosé was made from 43% Syrah grapes, 22% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, and 15% Barbera. Winemaker Michael Avery must have needed a passport to produce such an international wine. The grapes in the blend are more at home in France, Italy and Spain. 

The wine’s label depicts the fruit and flowers of spring, which are embodied in the wine itself. It’s only fitting, since Aviv means “spring” in Hebrew. Alcohol for this rosé is quite low, at 11% abv. Yarden Wines imports the new Aviv line to the U.S. 

This wine has a beautiful salmon color in the glass, and in the clear bottle, too. The nose displays a basket of fruit, like strawberries, cherries, berries, all quite ripe. There is also a green herbaceous quality along with the fruity nose. The palate is medium full in the mouth with red fruit and citrus minerality. The acidity is fresh and lively. It is rather bold for a rosé, only to be expected with Syrah, Tempranillo, Grenache, and Barbera.

The 2023 Aviv Dry White Wine was made from 69% Viognier grapes, 24% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Gewurztraminer. Alcohol is 13% abv.

This wine colors up a pale yellow in the glass. There is a floral note on the nose that hits first, followed by honeydew and nectarine aromas and a hint of citrus minerality. There is an herbal, grassy feel on the palate and a nice, fresh acidity. The finish is long and leaves traces of the Sauvignon Blanc behind as a remembrance.

The 2023 Aviv Dry Red Wine was made from 86% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, 8% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot. Alcohol is 14% abv.

This wine has a dark purple color in the glass. The nose has an odd, medicinal smell to it, along with abundant black fruit and savory earth notes. The palate brings similar fruit flavors and a healthy dose of spice rack. Clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg appear, as do white pepper and dry mustard. The acidity is racy and the tannins are quite firm. 

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Passover Wine From Judea

Our current series explores some options for kosher wine. With Passover coming up, many people are searching for good kosher wines. Some keep kosher all year 'round. Whatever your need, here is a kosher wine that deserves a seat at the table.

Darom by Yatir Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a dry red wine blend. It is made up of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, 10% Petite Sirah, and 5% Shiraz, all grown in several different vineyards in the Judea region of Southern Israel, near the Negev Desert. 

The vines grow at an average altitude of 2,500 feet, according to winemaker Eran Goldwasser. The wine was aged for a mere eight months in small oak barrels. Alcohol stands at 13% abv and retails for $35. 

A spokesperson for Yatir says this new wine "is an ideal choice for celebrating the Passover holiday, with its full-bodied profile, dark fruit flavors, and savory notes that complement dishes like lamb, steak, prime rib, and chicken, traditional staples of festive holiday meals."

This wine is medium dark in the glass. It smells of black fruit, like plums, blackberries, and currant. There is also a layer of spice on the nose. The palate brings more of that dark fruit, with a heaping helping of tannic structure. It will pair nicely with fatty meats.

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Blood Of The Vines - Pacino

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 chew up some scenery with three films starring Al Pacino. Also, say hello to my little wine pairings for each movie.

I once took a picture of Al Pacino into a hair salon and told the stylist that I wanted to look like that. She said, "I'm a stylist, not a freaking magician." I just meant the haircut, lady. Anyway, if I were an actor, I'd ask to have a signature line of dialogue like Al Pacino. Nobody overdoes it better. 

Pacino had a memorable line in 1979's And Justice for All. "You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order!" Everybody got to break that one out well into the '80s, lawyer or not. Norman Jewison directed the courtroom caper, which comes off like Perry Mason on steroids.

And look at the supporting cast: Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Jeffrey Tambor, Craig T. Nelson, Lee Strasberg. Hey, was Strasberg Forsythe's acting coach for Bachelor Father? Thomas Waites was in it, I have all his albums. Oh, wait. Waites. Not Waits. Sorry, I got carried away there. I was out of order. The whole article is out of order!

Justice Wines of Napa Valley will do nicely here. Their Jurisprudence Cabernet has a name so long that it's broken up by a hyphen on the label. If you're planning on buying Justice for all, be forewarned that it runs about $200 a bottle. And that's before any billable hours get tacked on.

Sidney Lumet directed Pacino in Serpico in 1973. Apparently, no one associated with casting this movie ever said "That shrimp never gets the part!" Even critics who panned the film overall thought that people should plunk down their $1.76 to see it just for Pacino's performance. The cost of a movie ticket in 1973 was $1.76. Adjusted for inflation, that's more than ten bucks in today's money. Have you paid to see a movie lately? Forget corrupt cops. It's the corrupt concession stands we need to investigate. 

In Blake Edwards’ S.O.B., a cop comes to the door to bust up a party. He ends up pitching a story idea to a producer, because he's got some great stories from being a cop. "And none of that Serpico crap, either." I’ll take some of that Serpico crap any day. "We do not wash our own laundry. It just gets dirtier."

Feudi di San Gregorio has a single vineyard Aglianico wine called Serpico. That suits me just fine. Get out $70 and party like it's 1973.

Serpico worked so well, Lumet decided to do it again in 1975, when he helmed Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. This was the film version of the 1972 attempted bank robbery in Brooklyn. If you think art imitates life, you are correct. Dog Day Afternoon was taken from a Life magazine story about the botched robbery.

Pacino's big line from Dog Day is "Attica! Attica!" The line was reportedly improvised by Pacino. A journalist who covered the heist remarked that the script presented Pacino's character as being more rational than he really was. 

The crime was a drawn-out drama on a hot August afternoon, one that had decent intentions behind it. Some of the loot was supposed to go to a sex change operation. But dumb criminals are high on every cop's wish list. Sometimes you're not arrested for the crime, just for being dumb enough to get caught doing it.

Pheasant Run Wine is in Oregon, but they make some of their wines with grapes from Walla Walla, Washington. Bank Robber Red is what they call a criminally good blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. If it's a blazing hot late summer day, try their Heist Sauvignon Blanc while you lay low waiting for the heat to blow over.

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