The Wine Oscars 2019
Free tasting | Saturday, February 23, 2019 | 4-6PM
Obviously, there’s no Oscars 2019 host this year because the Academy knew that they couldn’t compete with your resident wine experts, Susan and Molly. We’ll laugh, we’ll cry…and then we’ll pour you more wine! This year we’re pairing the 8 Best Picture Nominations with their wine equivalents. Buckle in and get ready to cast your vote on Saturday, February 23rd for your Best Wine Picture!
VICE paired to…
2014 Xabregas Riesling
When scrolling through reviews of Vice it’s clear that this film was prized and despised equally, so it seems only appropriate that Vice is a Riesling. This King of White Grapes has styles varying from as sweet as cotton candy to as dry as toast. It’s fitting for a film that has everything from Shakespearean styled monologues to policy bills read off menus. Like rural Wyoming and Texas, where some of Vice’s most poignant scenes take place, this wine’s home, in Western Australia, is just as untamed. As the a barely recognizable Christian Bale as Dick Cheney asks Steve Carrell’s Rumsford, “What do we believe?” you’ll have to ask yourself - what do YOU believe about Riesling?
Who: Winemaker Terry Hogan / Director Adam McKay
What: Xabregas Riesling / VICE
Where: Western Australia, Australia / 1969-2012 mostly in the United States
How: 11 months aging in tank / SPOILERS, Man!
Fun Fact: Christian Bale gained 40 pounds for the role, bleached his eyebrows, and bulked up his neck muscles to play Dick Cheney properly.
What it Tastes Like: As bone dry and brusque as Cheney and as perfume-y as the hair products used on Amy Adams (as Lynne Cheney) with notes of lemon rind, lavender and petrol.
A STAR IS BORN paired to…
2016 Domaine de L'Oubliée ‘Existe en Blanc’
The Loire Valley is the wine region of fairy tales with its towering cliffs, château, and moats, which make it the perfect setting for the Hollywood love-rise-and-fall story that is A Star Is Born. Who doesn’t dream of being discovered in a dark and smoky bar by Bradley Cooper? To appreciate this movie you have to adore romance and clichés since, well, honestly there are no cliffhangers in A Star Is Born. But that’s Chenin Blanc in a nutshell - you drink it because it’s beautiful. The winemaker, Xavier Courant, is an ardent film lover (Stars like us!) and names all of his wines after French filmmaker Bertrand Blier’s movies…except for this one, funnily enough, which is named for a book by Blier. (But don’t tell that to the Film Noir-esque beauty smoking a cigarette on the label of Existe en Blanc, who’s channeling a Film Noir from the early 1950’s.)
Who: Winemaker Xavier Courant / Director Bradley Cooper
What: 2016 Domaine de L'Oubliée ‘Existe en Blanc’ / A STAR IS BORN
Where: Loire Valley, France /2018 United States
How: This Chenin Blanc is aged in oak barrels for a year / We all want to rock n’ roll deep down inside
Fun Fact: This is the 4th remake of A Star is Born. The others are from 1937, 1954 and 1976 respectively.
What It Tastes Like: Minerality cruising down your throat like a ballad. Honeysuckle and peach notes that will make you soar as much as hearing Ally and Jackson Maine perform ‘Shallow’ for the first time.
THE FAVOURITE paired to…
NV Domaine Augis Saint-Michele Reserve
Royals like the rabbit obsessed Queen Anne in The Favourite guzzled bubbles like this Crémant from the Loire in the early 18th century. Sophisticated, fashionable, and expensive are all words that come in conjunction with sparkling wines but aren’t necessarily true to what happens before and after the bubbles are served (love gets messy, amiright?). The Traditional Method used to create this Chardonnay Crémant is as deliberate and manipulative as Queen Anne’s favorites at court, Abigail and Sarah, who both attempt to get into her Majesty’s good graces. As for after the wine is served…this film delivers profanity, violence, and rage to rival any of your legendarily (messy) family gatherings!
Who: Winemaker Philippe Augis / Director Yorgos Lanthimos
What: NV Domaine Augis Saint-Michele Reserve / THE FAVOURITE
Where: Loire Valley / Early 18th century, Great Britain
How: Traditional Method / Very witty dark comedic performances by Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz
Fun Fact: The Favourite has 10 Oscar Nominations.
What It Tastes Like: Flirty tiny bubbles with mischievous notes of buttered toast and pineapple.
GREEN BOOK paired to…
2016 Donkey & Goat Linda Vista Vineyard Chardonnay
The premise to Green Book and the winery Donkey & Goat is all about understanding strangers’ experiences and unlikely friendships. Donkey & Goat refers to a particular pair of farm animals on a farm in France where Donkey’s job was to eat certain plants in the fields but he would get distracted and wander off. The farmer recognized Donkey’s loneliness and brought him Goat, a friend to keep him company; with Goat by his side, Donkey was able to concentrate! While Dr. Don Shirley and Tony’s issues revolve around 1960’s social economics and racism, their friendship becomes as deep as Donkey and Goat’s. While it doesn’t hail from the Deep South, this Chardonnay is from the equally sunny and road trip worthy expanse of California. This natural wine pairs excellently with Green Book’s killer and moving soundtrack from the genius musical mind of Kris Bowers.
Who: Winemakers Jared and Tracy Brandt / Mahershala Ali is so FINE
What: 2016 Donkey & Goat Linda Vista Vineyard Chardonnay / GREEN BOOK
Where: Napa Valley, California / 1962, a road tripping across the Deep South
How: Aging for 8 months in French Oak barrels / By car
Fun Fact: Goats have such a calming effect on horses and donkeys that they are frequently used as therapy animals to calm anxious equines. Goat yoga, anyone?
What It Tastes Like: Cream soda, toasted almonds, and white peach…you’ll feel like your drinking a Cream Soda at a Soda Shop in 1960’s America. It’s as lovely as the love letters that Don helped Tony compose to his wife.
BLACK PANTHER paired to…
2017 Los Bermejos Listán Negro
Thousands of years ago in what would become Wakanda, a warrior ate a heart-shaped herb that gave him super abilities and earned him the title of the Black Panther; 289 years ago there was a volcanic explosion on the isolated island, Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands that lasted 3 years. Like the herb, the Canary island crater created unique soil, distinctive strength and power. On Lanzarote, Ignancio Valdera makes this Listán Negro, which is as structured and well-trained as T’challa and Killmonger. Once you try this bold island you’ll be eager for more - and don’t worry, like Wakanda and its spreading technology throughout the world, the Canary Islands are becoming more prolific in the United States!
Who: Winemaker Ignacio Valdera / Director Ryan Coogler
What: 2017 Los Bermejos Listán Negro / BLACK PANTHER
Where: Canary Islands, Spain / WAKANDA FOREVER!!
How: Aged 5 months in French Oak barrels / Whenever anyone was in trouble, Shuri’s technology would save the day
Fun Fact: This is the 1st superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture!
What It Tastes Like: Tart black cherry, tobacco, and tar. It’s a taking-care-of-business wine like Okoye’s crazy martial art moves!
ROMA paired to…
2017 Bichi No Sapiens Tecate
In some parts of Mexico ‘Bichi’ is slang for ‘naked,‘ which mirrors the winemaking techniques at Bichi and the film, Roma, perfectly. The main character, Cleo, is based off of Director Alfonso Cuarón’s caretaker growing up in early 1970’s in Roma, Mexico. It’s an intimate portrayal; we see every load of laundry Cleo folds, the jokes she exchanges with her Adela, and the ever-shifting complex relationships with her employers Teresa and Antonio. If this is your first time tasting wine from Mexico you’ll be blown away by how delicious this Dolcetto is and wonder what you’ve been missing as you watch Cleo move gracefully and humbly about her life.
Who: Winemakers Noel and Jair Tellez / Director Alfonso Cuarón
What: 2017 Bichi No Sapiens Tecate / ROMA
Where: Baja California, California / 1970-1971 Colonia Roma, Mexico
How: Dolcetto possibly, the winemakers aren’t positive; it spends 3 months in equal parts steel and older oak / Yalitza Aparicio, who plays Cleo, Owns. Every. Single. Scene.
Fun Fact: Aparicio was terrified of filming the scene in the ocean because she can’t swim.
What It Takes Like: Full-bodied and dusty with notes of fig and black currants. It’s as reassuring as selfless love.
BLACKKKLANSMAN paired to…
2015 Il Censo ‘Praruar’
These white Cataratto grapes are in disguise (Shh, don’t tell anyone) as much as Ron Stallworth is when he dials the Ku Klux Klan and begins his infiltration to the gaping shock of his colleagues. The name of this wine, Praruar, translates to ‘towards gold’ in an old Sicilian tongue which mirrors Ron and Flip Zimmerman’s attempt to prevent the Klan’s attack lead by the boy-next-door Topher Grace. Appearances are deceiving, and hey, that’s the point! Should a white wine have tannins? Blackklansman, with its jarring footage from historic films and notes of a mixture of comedy, drama, and historic and current reverence will challenge you to choose sides. Like Praruar, this film is incapable of being consumed thoughtlessly!
Who: Winemaker Gaetano Gargano / Director Spike Lee
What: Il Censo Praruar / BLACKKKLANSMAN
Where: Sicily, Italy / late 1970’s Colorado, United States
How: The Cattaratto spent 20 days on its skins and then was aged in stainless steel for a year / Pure gumption. Ron Stallworth just picked up that phone and worked it!
Fun Fact: John David Washington (Ron Stallworth) is Denzel Washington’s son; in 1992 Denzel starred in the title role of Malcolm X in another Spike Lee film.
What It Tastes Like: Smooth tannins, quince, gingerbread, and is filled with as much nervy tension as watching the unlikely duo of Flip Zimmerman and Ron Stallworth infiltrate the Klan!
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY paired to…
2016 Hild Morio-Muskat Secco
Half of being a Rockstar is looking the part and winemaker Matthias Hild is definitely flaunting that aging musician vibe with his long ponytail, alert eyes, and cigarettes. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll see Hild jamming like Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody! Like the listener participant We Will Rock You (have you ever been able to listen to that song without clapping your hands or stomping your feet?!), Hild has done something unusual: he farms in the Upper Mosel and he grows Ebling. To him, this limestone filled region and unique grape together create a smash worthy of filling Wembley Stadium! Try Secco with its slight spritz and notes that are as outlandish and flirty as Freddie Mercury!
Who: Winemaker Matthias Hild / Actor Rami Malek (who steals the show!)
What: 2016 Hild Morio-Muskat Secco / BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Where: Mosel, Germany / 1970-1985 London and then the world!
How: Pure magic for both, dude
Fun Fact: In real life, Freddie meets Mary Austin when he was already the lead singer of Queen.
What It Tastes Like: Bold, zippy, tart lemon and lime notes with some spritz that will rock you!