Wine and Movie Pairing: Another Round of Champagne
“You must accept yourself as fallible in order to love others and life.”
Graduation parties have infiltrated every restaurant in the Bay Area, which means a graduation-centric wine and movie pairing is in order. But as with most thoughts of school and higher education, today’s movie has a lesson involved. It’s finally time to cover Another Round (2020), and you’re gonna want a bottle of Philipponnat’s Royale Reserve Brut Champagne to sip while you get into the movie.
Another Round (2020) is a parable on the power of alcohol and the human need to experience joy at all costs. Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) finds himself celebrating Nikolaj’s (Magnus Millang) 40th birthday with fellow professors Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen) and Peter (Lars Ranthe). As vintage Champagne is poured, Martin declines a glass and opts for water as the designated driver of the evening. The group of friends start to get into a conversation about Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skarderud’s theory that every human is born with a blood alcohol deficiency of 0.05% ABV, and quickly decide to participate in their own informal study to prove the theory. All four professors promise to sustain a BAC of 0.05% during the work day, stopping the imbibement at 8 PM, and not drinking at all on weekends. The experiment yields fascinating and life-changing results for the participants, their families, and their students (staying spoiler free is hard but necessary, so just watch the movie!).
IMDB has labeled the film as a psychological drama, but I find it to be a dark comedy. Director and co-writer Thomas Vinterberg initially envisioned the movie as a celebration of drink, and relied heavily on his daughter Ida Maria Vinterberg’s anecdotal stories of alcohol’s role in educational settings. Early drafts of the script focused on alcoholic beverages as a symbol of uninhibited joy and a general loosening of the buttons, and the final cut of the movie involves open bottles of champagne in the first and final scenes just to bring that point home. When Ida Maria was killed in a car accident four days into production for the film, Vinterberg changed the script to incorporate the true highs and lows that alcohol can bring - and the movie is better for it. Again, no spoilers here, but the third act of the film is incredibly sobering, a vital watch for anyone who’s reading this (especially beverage professionals).
As Martin, Mads Mikkelsen - every spy movie’s favorite villain - finds the humanity in a character struggling to see joy in his life. The film may revolve around four men and their drinking habits, but Mikkelsen anchors the movie with a world-weary smile. Martin’s character may be going through some low points in life, but Mikkelsen is at the top of his game here in a career-defining performance. Over the years, some details about a proposed English version of Another Round have emerged, with Chris Rock directing and Leonardo Di Caprio set to star as Martin. One can only hope that di Caprio will capture the constant battle of chiaroscuro that Mikkelsen finely tunes in his performance.
There’s a lot of (internal, self-imposed) pressure to absolutely nail the wine pairing for the movie. Alcohol is everywhere! Beer! Sazeracs! Smirnoff from the bottle! But there is one beverage that acts as the beguiling and consoling silent friend to the four “test subjects”: Champagne. It’s seen poured into Solo cups in the opening scene, it sets the tone for the initial conversation about the experiment, and it is sprayed and enjoyed in that glorious final scene. This is a job for a champagne with a recognizable name and a price point that’s accessible to recent university graduates, but also captures the high highs and the low lows that the movie preaches. This… is a job for Philipponnat, specifically the Royale Réserve Brut.
Champagne Philipponnat is one of the true classic houses to know. The house itself was established in 1522, and the Philipponnat family’s coat of arms (the same one that is seen on every bottle of champagne produced by the house) was installed in the Armorial de France in 1696. While the Mareuil-sur-Ay estate is large enough to be formally labeled as négociant-manipulant (the wine equivalent of a major film studio), it has the heart and soul of a grower champagne, or récoltant-manipulant, estate (indie filmmaker vibes). And with 16 generations of family winemakers helming everything, Philipponnat is still committed to making some delicious, crowd-pleasing champagnes from certified organic vineyards in the chalky terrain of Mareuil-sur-Ay.
It’s highly likely that a birthday party, especially a milestone birthday, would involve a vintage champagne like the one trotted out for Nikolaj’s 40th birthday (Philipponnat’s 2013 Clos de Goisses would be an excellent choice with its intense fruitiness, even after several years in bottle). But in order to capture the loose spirit of the movie, and perhaps inspire a jazz ballet of my own, I’ll be opting for the non vintage entry level offering from Philipponnat: the Royale Réserve Brut. Pinot Noir is the favored grape of the house, and it represents almost two thirds of blend here. Combined with less than one third Chardonnay and just a dash of Pinot Meunier, the final blend announces its presence with notes of Red Delicious apple skins, freshly baked croissants, rhubarb jam, and pink florals like azaleas and bougainvillea. The constant stream of bubbles subverts the intensity of the flavors, making this champagne light on its feet and easily approachable while still begging for a second, more meditative sip. Royale Réserve Brut is a bottle I’ve poured many times for those celebrating something momentous, and it’s something I would want in my glass if I happened to be dancing in the streets of Denmark while wearing a cap and gown.
The food pairings for the wine are plentiful, though there’s a special place for the traditional Danish smørrebrød (an open faced sandwich with dark rye bread and cold cuts). Truth be told, Royale Réserve Brut is beautiful on its own. If you’re celebrating a milestone birthday and coming up with midlife crisis experiments, try it with duck à l’orange. But if you’re celebrating your graduation, you can bring this for corkage at the fancy meal before finishing the bottle at home.
Philipponnat’s Royale Réserve Brut is now available at your local wine store. Check out WineSearcher to find it at a wine shop near you. Thank you for supporting your local independent wine store!
Another Round (2020) is now streaming on Hulu, Peacock, and Prime Video. It’s also available for purchase in physical formats as well as VOD services.
Such a great movie! I will have to try this pairing on the next rewatch!