Wine and Movie Pairing: Bend It Like Bacchus
“Anyone can cook aloo gobi, but who can bend a ball like Beckham?”
It’s that time - international football is hitting its stride, and millions of people are tuning in to their favorite teams as the European Championship and Copa America get underway. To celebrate, let’s examine the beloved football film Bend It Like Beckham (2002) with a uniquely British wine.
Bend It Like Beckham is a remarkable coming-of-age story with a wide appeal. The movie follows Jess (Parminder Nagra) as she navigates family life in a Punjabi Sikh household while juggling her love of football. Jess’ world is turned upside down when Jules (Keira Knightley) spots her playing football in the park and introduces her to Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), the coach of their local women’s team. Through the course of the movie, Jess is often forced to choose between her love of sport and being an ideal daughter and sister.
Director Gurinder Chadha, OBE specializes in films that narrate the British-Indian experience, especially for women who feel caught between traditional Indian and modern British ways of life. Bend It Like Beckham is a great example of Y2K culture through the British-Indian lens; the audience is privy to the public celebrations and the private quibbles that make community life a beautiful challenge. The film has been lauded for depicting a South Asian family relationship that is both supportive and critical - something that feels very real for a lot of modern South Asian families.
The screenplay never takes itself too seriously, but manages to handle some tough subjects with grace and charm. It’s refreshing to see a family comedy that celebrates culture and pokes fun at the aspects that may or may not work in an Anglo-centric community, and yet recognizes the problematic generational beliefs that can be swept under the rug in the name of a strong public appearance. I was also thrilled by how much the production design captured that Y2K vibe - the yellow-tinted sunglasses! A character named Pinky with the perfect shade of baby pink everything! The silver clubbing top that still ends up on TikTok mood boards! Bend It Like Beckham is a perfect feel-good family movie that will leave you singing “Move On Up” as the credits roll.
To pair a wine with Bend It Like Beckham, I wanted to find something that was perhaps slightly ahead of its time but still authentically British, and would be an ideal sipper with all the delicious Punjabi food in the movie. English sparkling wine may be taking over international markets right now, but I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce England’s signature grape to a wider audience. Beckham, meet Bacchus!
Bacchus is a white grape that was bred in a German lab in 1933. The grape is a cross between Müller-Thurgau and a Riesling x Silvaner cross, giving it complex aromatics with the potential to develop some residual sugar for sweet wines. When Bacchus was released for vineyard plantings in 1972, the grape took well to the clay and Devonian slate soils in England, and New Hall Vineyards was one of the first producers to plant the grape in Essex. Nowadays, Bacchus is gaining a reputation as England’s answer to Sauvignon Blanc - crisp and taut with a solid backbone of acidity, accompanied by floral and fresh citrus aromatics and a strong presence of elderflower (how British!).
New Hall is one of the oldest producers in Crouch Valley, an up-and-coming area for English wine. Established in 1969, they are widely regarded for their Bacchus plantings (both still and sparkling) as well as delicious, mineral-driven red and rosé wines made from Pinot Noir.
The 2022 New Hall Single Estate Bacchus is an award winner for a reason - with the elderflower perfectly balanced by nimble notes of grapefruit pith and nettle leaves, the acidity hits a happy medium between French and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is begging to be paired with a little spice! Try it with the aloo gobi recipe that was featured in the Bend It Like Beckham special features.
Since Bacchus can be hard to find in the United States, it might be good to have a backup option. I would recommend trying out Sauvignon Blanc from a New World region that you haven’t tried yet (I’ve had some fun Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and Bulgaria recently that would also fit the bill). And more importantly, if you’re planning to make the full Punjabi dinner from the movie, please invite me!
The 2022 New Hall Single Estate Bacchus is available directly through the producer’s website. You can also check WineSearcher.com or the New Hall website for details on stockists near you.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002) is available to stream on Disney+ or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. You can purchase the movie on Blu-Ray or DVD wherever movies are sold.
Further Reading
Almost 20 years after the film’s original release, The Athletic compiled some behind-the-scenes anecdotes and retrospective comments about Bend It Like Beckham’s impact on both women’s sports and pop culture. (Kieran Theivam/The Athletic)
Esteemed British wine journalist Andy Neather released a fantastic overview of the burgeoning fine wine culture happening in Crouch Valley, including New Hall Vineyards. (Andy Neather/The View From My Table)