Wine and Movie Pairing: Mi Camino con Mi Vino
“I was entitled to another life, a life of my own.”
How do you pair a wine with a genre-defying Spanish language musical made in France that has been racking up awards and nominations left and right? Trust your friendly neighborhood sommelier. Today’s wine and movie pairing brings together Emilia Pérez (2024) and a bold Mencía from famed winemaker Raúl Pérez.
The title character of Emilia Pérez is based on an underdeveloped character from Boris Razon’s 2018 novel Écoute, a friend of director/screenwriter Jacques Audiard. In Audiard’s own words to W Magazine, he says, “Halfway through, there is a character who is a drug kingpin who wants to transition to become a woman… The author, who is a friend of mine, did not develop this character. I asked for the right to expand the character myself”.
And that’s where the story starts.
Emilia Pérez follows a Mexican drug kingpin (Manitas, played by Karla Sofía Gascón) who mysteriously solicits the help of frustrated power attorney Rita Mora Castro ( Zoe Saldaña) to aid in his physical transition to a more authentic life as a woman. But the price of happiness is high - in order to live the life Manitas has always wanted, he chooses to give up his thriving business with the cartel and his relationship with his wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), and children. How can Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) live her most authentic life as she mourns previous relationships and wrestles with the pain she has brought to so many people?
Oh! I forgot to mention one tiny detail. It’s a musical!
Love it or hate it (and there is truly no neutral opinion when it comes to this movie), Emilia Pérez is an audacious directorial effort with bold choices. There’s a lot to chew on when it comes to the character development of Emilia (GLAAD has publicly stated that the movie recycles clichéd and hurtful stereotypes of trans people), but Karla Sofía Gascón proves that she is a leading lady with a lot of charisma and depth that is not afraid of a challenge. Zoe Saldaña is riveting as Rita, using her dance background to bring truckloads of kinetic energy to the screen. As Manitas’ wife, Selena Gomez is perfectly cast as the apathetic Jessi, who realizes the consequences of her permanent detachment too late (her song, “Mi Camino”, is a bop that shows off what she can do as an actress and a singer). All three women, plus Adriana Paz, received the Best Actress award at Cannes this year, which is a strong indication of support for future awards.
A movie this dynamic needs a comparable wine, and Spanish winemaker Raúl Pérez happens to specialize in dynamic and unexpected Mencía-based wines. “Ultreia Saint Jacques” might be the label that appears on the wine lists of every hip restaurant, but “El Rapolao” is an elegant and complex Spanish wine that takes style notes from Burgundy.
Raúl Pérez became “wine kid famous” when his rough and rustic Mencías started popping up on wine lists everywhere. While most wine lovers are familiar with entry level offerings from the Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez label, La Vizcaína is the Raúl Pérez project that specializes in old vine Mencía. The wines from La Vizcaína, and especially this Mencía from El Rapolao vineyard, remain elegant and dynamic in the glass, unveiling something new with every sip. Mencía can be a compelling grape, with the body and herbaceous qualities often found in Cabernet Franc combined with the rustic grip associated with young Cabernet Sauvignon. I find that Raúl Pérez’s interpretations of Mencía have a firm sense of time and place as well, making the high elevation fruit from “El Rapolao” stand on its own - like Catherine Deneuve taking center stage in her own story.
Unfined, unfiltered, and packed with flavor, “El Rapolao” invokes different reactions from everyone who drinks it. Expect to smell some ripe black plum, a little leafy greens, and dried black currant, but prepare for an explosion of ripe raspberries, black cherries, and some eucalyptus and sage notes supported by soaring acidity and grounded earthiness. There’s a warmth from baking spices that typically appears in wines aged in French oak barrels, nodding to some Burgundy winemaking traditions as well.
For some people, “El Rapolao” needs time in the cellar to develop additional secondary characteristics. For others, it’s powerful but accessible right now (it’s me, I’m others). Any way you choose to drink it, make sure to pair it with some delicious food - try it with a carnitas or grilled veggie burrito slathered in mole.
The 2021 vintage of La Vizcaína’s “El Rapolao” is available at your local independent wine store. You can also check WineSearcher for details on stockists near you. Thank you for supporting small businesses!
Emilia Pérez (2024) is now streaming on Netflix.