Five Best Wine Tasting Scenes on Film

From the absurd to the sublime, wine so often plays the straight man in movies. Here are the five best wine tasting or wine related scenes on film.

1. Sardine Liqueur -- Alan Arkin and Peter Falk with Italian subtitles no less.





2. No F***in Merlot!

3. This is pretty much what happens during speed tasting at WBC. (Wine Bloggers Conference)

4. There’s always “the one” on a press trip. Or “the two"...




5. Inspector Jacques Clouseau: Master Sommelier!

Scenes from a Gen-Yine Road Trip

Shana and Ashley’s Most Excellent Adventure--

(A genuine parody)

Part 1 --Tampa to NOLA

S: Umm why are there no road signs anywhere?

A: I guess they haven’t had a chance to replace them yet since Katrina.

S: Okay, but it seems like we've been driving in circles for the last two hours. Are we lost?

A: No! We’re not lost. It’s just hard to navigate by landmarks when you are in a swamp. But wait what’s that? I think that’s the place we’re looking for!

Our heroines pull up in front of a dilapidated shack with the words “Gator Bait Bar” spray-painted across a board nailed to the tin roof. Inside a heavy pall of smoke hangs over the bar. Three seedy men that look like extras from the set Deliverance sit at a back table playing cards. The bartender is watching bass fishing on a TV above the bar.

S: OMG! There’s like smoking allowed in the bars here! I guess I’m not in California anymore.

A: Hey Everyone. We’re here for the Gen–Yine survey.

All the men turn to stare at Shana and Ashley

Bartender: I gots’ Genwine Miller Draft right here on the tap.

S: No not genuine–Gen-Wine!

Bartender: Gurl, that’s what ah said. What’s wrong wit yar hearing?

S: Um I mean generation Yine. We're looking for young people in NOLA to talk about their wine buying habits and take our survey.

Man #1 at table: They gots’ buyin habits all rat but it ain’t fo wine. My dang kid spends most his check on Benadryl and Robotusion! Then he cooks it up in the Geerage. He blew the door clear off last week.

Bartender: Girly, this here the swamplands of Nawlawins. Y’all wants wine go see that Dirty South boy up in 'lanta. I saw him on the Teevee and he gots him some powerful wine affliction or sumptin.

One of the men playing cards comes up next to Ashley—

Man #2: Dat sho is a purtty butterfly ya gots round yo neck dare. I’d like to put mah net round it. Har har har…

A: Umm Sahrayray .. Shana! Lets get outta here!

Man #3: Wait! Anit's ya gonna ask us some mo questions?

Bartender: Hay, I know who laks questions. Bo..go get the Gimp!

S: Ashleeyyyy!

Cue sound of dueling banjoes as our heroines tear off in a cloud of dust.

Well kids, lets hope things improve in Texas! Stay tuned.

But for the Real Deal on the Project Y-ine experiment and survey please go here and here and here to read all about it and follow along.

A Wet Day in Dry Creek

My big sister is in town, so today we did Home School Tuesday tasting (see April 28th post below) on Monday and spent a wet day in Dry Creek rambling about. After learning a Visa Signature card gets you complimentary tastings at certain wineries, (see list here) I built the day accordingly. 

Today's Itinerary:

Quivera 

Rosso & Bianca (Francis Ford Coppola Presents)

Trentadue

Hanna - Hwy 128 (visited Occidental tasting room last week)

I just love, love, love Quivera. From the gardens, to the chickens, to the design of the structures on the property and even the collateral materials. Everything seems in harmony here, just like their wines. Today I made my love affair with Quivera official and joined their Queue wine club. I guess you could say we're going steady now. 

From Quivera we went to Diavola for lunch and had panini's and pizza. I must be on a pig/boar jag since the logos at Quivera and Diavola both feature swine. Or maybe it's a subconscious reaction to the Swine flu (media flu, really). Whatever--swine, I fear you not. I embrace thee!

After lunch we drove over to Rosso & Bianco which was just around the corner. I think it took us longer to drive to the tasting room on the winery property than it did to get to the winery gates from Diavola. If you go, just keep following the red signs past all the construction. You'll find it eventually. 

The tasting room at Rosso & Bianco (soon to be re-named/branded Francis Ford Copppola Presents) is long and narrow with a dark slate poured concrete counter top and low key lighting. It's all about the visuals here. The hosts wear red and white Guayabera style shirts that resemble bowling league attire from the 50's. The shirts gave the place a theme restaurant feel, but it was also kinda cool. 

We tasted the Sonoma County flight of wines and also a new release, the Sofia Riesling. 

Behind the tasting bar was a display of Coppolas' Oscars, Golden Globe, Donatello (an Italian version of an Oscar), Palme d'Or and other awards of merit. Plus storyboards of scenes from The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Apocalypse Now is one of my all time favorite movies if not the favorite. I saw it about 30 times when it was first released and I was working part-time at a movie theater. I was riveted by it from the get go. I had just written a college paper on Joseph Conrad and The Heart of Darkness so it was beyond intriguing to me. I've since seen it another 20 times or so, I never tire of it. 

Off to the side of the bar at Rosso & Bianco was a rack of All-Story issues, the lit mag that Coppola publishes. I highly recommend All -Story to you readers out there. The design alone is worth the subscription price. Each issue is designed by a guest artist like Tom Waits, Wayne Thiebaud, Wim Wenders, Chip Kidd & most recently Guillermo del Toro.

I am always attracted to clever, well designed labels. The Coppola labels are very unique. The FC Reserve bottle feature the letters of the Coppola name scattered across the bottle. Apparently the letters were tossed in the air and then photographed as they landed.  The Directors Cut labels feature whimsical block cut figures that spiral around the bottle. The Votre Sante label is cut like a delicate piece of hand crocheted lace. Something anyone with an Italian grandmother is well acquainted with. 

From Coppola we drove back under the freeway over to Trentadue where we were greeted by a very happy wine dog that was part sharpei and boxer. I've had Trentadue Port, but this was the first time tasting their other offerings. There were many selections that stood out on the tasting menu, but my favorite was the Sangiovese. 

On the way home we stopped off at Hanna on Hwy 128. Originally Hanna was not on the list but we enjoyed their wines so much last week that we could not resist another taste.