Wine and Movie Pairing: Civil Wine for CIVIL WAR
"What kind of American are you?"
It’s been a week, to say the least. While there’s definitely been an uptick in comfort food and baby zoo animal TikTok consumption this week, one awards season movie has been heavy on my mind. The time has come to pair Civil War (2024) with an unexpectedly adroit American Pinot Gris.
Civil War is writer/director Alex Garland’s dystopian portrait of America in the throes of a second Civil War. California and Texas have seceded, and the rest of the country has been divided between Western Forces and Loyalist States. The President (Nick Offerman) is serving his third term in office, but has never given an interview from The White House. War photographer Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) and Reuters journalist Joel (Wagner Moura) plan to drive a circuitous 900 mile route from New York City to Washington, D.C. in the hopes of capturing the first presidential interview of the war. Their aging mentor, Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), overhears and asks for a ride to Charlottesville, Virginia; not too long afterwards, aspiring photojournalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) convinces a drunk Joel into letting her tag along in the press van. Together, the foursome make their way to D.C. and document their travels through the divided United States.
The movie has caused an uproar since its theatrical release in April for being “politically clueless”. I personally feel like the script leaves a lot of questions unanswered in order for the audience to fill in the blanks themselves. At the end of the day, the movie focuses on journalistic ethics and self-preservation while being exposed to unspeakable horror. By focusing on members of the media who represent one of the most neutral of news agencies, Garland presents a disturbing portrait that develops much like the images caught on film throughout the movie - slowly filling in the blanks and creating new meaning for every beholder.
While Civil War has been on people’s love-it-or-hate-it lists since this spring, it has understandably seen a surge of viewers in the past week. This works to the movie’s favor in terms of awards season acknowledgment, especially for its technical achievement in visual effects and sound design. There are some haunting images throughout the film, but it’s the presence of the constant gunfire and the use of silence in the sound design that feels real.
I was pleasantly surprised by Wagner Moura’s performance as Joel, and will be excited to see Narcos because of his nuanced and world-weary presence on screen here. In an uncredited role, Jesse Plemons steals the movie in one climactic scene that leaves the audience with mouths agape. In my mind, it’s one of my favorite acting performances of the year for its understated magnitude and pitch-perfect delivery.
While my first inclination was to pair this movie with something deeply intertwined in American history, I came away from Civil War learning more about the definition of neutral journalism than anything else. Since neutrality is in the eye of the beholder, I decided to pair Civil War with an American wine that embodies the same characteristic - the 2022 Lumen Pinot Gris from Santa Barbara.
Winemaker Lane Tanner, a mentee of Andre Tchelistcheff and the first independent female winemaker in Santa Barbara, has been farming the famous Sierra Madre vineyard since 2012. When Tanner started collaborating with Will Henry at Lumen in 2013, the label was mostly focused on Pinot Noir - Lane’s favorite grape. The sandy loam soils that constitute Sierra Madre make for excellent young Pinot Noir, but it is the vineyard’s Pinot Gris that has started to make a statement all its own. The 2022 Pinot Gris specifically drinks young and fresh as the newest release of this wine, but it also marks the year that Civil War started principal photography, making it an extra special vintage to pair with the movie.
Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio have a bad reputation as fairly neutral grapes, especially on the nose. In lesser hands, these grapes can lack depth or perspective, but when they’re treated with a lot of TLC, the possibilities are endless. The Lumen Pinot Gris is one of those spectacular examples that stands on the shoulders of its coastal California terroir. The nose is anything but muted - tart green apple plays with clementine zest and some limestone notes, practically jumping out the glass with excitement (like a young professional starting to hone their craft). On the palate, the wine relaxes and matures, with pronounced tropical fruit, ripe cantaloupe, and a pleasant creaminess from malolactic fermentation. This Pinot Gris never loses its edge, though, staying pointedly acidic through the finish. A kaleidoscopic wine befitting of a movie that welcomes a variety of interpretations.
In an ideal world, Lumen’s Pinot Gris would be appropriate with just about any food (it’s versatile and food friendly that way). However, we’re dealing with a dystopian America here, so I’m playing into the vibe of the movie and going with shelf-stable comfort foods that are generally ready to eat anywhere the press van goes. Think Kraft mac and cheese with hot dogs, Hamburger Helper, and the last package of Lunchables in the refrigerated section of the gas station.
Further Reading
wrote this entertaining (spoiler free) piece inspired by CIVIL WAR, complete with wine pairing! Since this is a movie that can have so many interpretations - and so many potential wine pairings - it would be fun to get together a few close friends and both of the wines mentioned for a watch party and more Socratic discussion. 
The 2022 vintage of Lumen Pinot Gris is available direct to consumers through the Lumen website. You can also check WineSearcher for details on stockists near you. Thank you for shopping at your local independent wine store!
Civil War (2024) is now available to stream on Max. You can also rent or stream the movie with a premium subscription to Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube, or Sling TV.