Wine and Movie Pairing: Pink Drinks and Poor Things
Of course the horniest movie of the season gets paired with the "Post Flirtation" wine.
The Wine and Movie Pairing this week is a fun one! Shake a leg, and let’s take a look at Poor Things with the Martha Stoumen “Post Flirtation” Rosé No. 2.
Based on a 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things is an updated, comedic take on Frankenstein and Pygmalion. Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is the subject of invention: an adult woman who is reincarnated with the brain of an infant. Her caretaker/Henry Higgins? Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), a talented surgeon who has a habit of reassembling animals and other humans. As Bella advances in mental age, she rapidly learns about the world around her, and discovers that her greatest strength is her will.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos has carefully curated a kooky, colorful version of a Victorian English setting that constantly reinforces the idea that the audience is walking with Bella through her coming-of-age. Fish eye lenses give the feel of “peeping in” on scenes, while the costumes tell their own stories (Bella never wears a corset, but her clandestine lover is always in restrictive underpinnings). Jerskin Fendrix’s score is bombastic and grinding, yes, but also glorious in its supplemental storytelling. I particularly loved the triumphant organ material at the end of the movie.
The real highlight for me, however, remains Emma Stone. Long touted as one of the best actors of her generation, Emma Stone proves that her comedic skills and constant listening presence put her in a class of her own. Bella Baxter is a showy but demanding role, requiring the actor to both have a complex understanding of how large physical movement reads on camera and mentally unlearn a lot of habits and technique in the name of vulnerability. Emma Stone handles all of this with aplomb, and manages to do so without judging the character she plays, even at Bella’s lowest moments. The professional reviews have touted Bella Baxter as Emma Stone’s career best work, and I am inclined to agree.
Instead of opting for an “engineered” wine with a lot of fillers and preservatives, I wanted to find a wine pairing that represented the height of creativity while representing the efforts of a female winemaker known for their playful wines. Enter Martha Stoumen, a longtime darling of the natural wine world who has learned the craft of winemaking directly from some of the best names in the business (Giusto Occhipinti, Reinhard Löwenstein, and Chris Brockway, just to name a few).
The wines in the Post Flirtation series from Martha Stoumen (a white, a red, and a rosé) are meant to serve as lighthearted, gluggable wines for just about everyone to enjoy. The Rosé No. 2 is a non-vintage co-ferment of almost equal parts Carignan and Colombard from the famed Ricetti vineyard in Redwood Valley. The old vine Carignan (a red grape) brings depth and an herbal brightness to the finished product, while Colombard (a white grape known for its blendability) adds fullness and a fruity quality. This is a natural winemaker’s dream: the use of ambient yeasts, unfined and unfiltered bottling, and clocking in at 12% alcohol? Frankenstein’s monster has never been so cute, or so easy to drink!
Martha Stoumen’s wines are always fun and light enough to drink on their own, but if you wanted to make a meal with Poor Things and the Post Flirtation No. 2? I’d serve this with brunch! Portuguese egg tarts are a must (IYKYK), but try it with a bacon and herb quiche. This would also be fantastic with boquerones and a salad with feta cheese. If you do decide to eat something apple-based with the wine… maybe wash the apple first?
The NV Martha Stoumen “Post Flirtation” Rose No. 2 can be ordered directly from the Martha Stoumen website for $30 (before tax and shipping). You can also check the Martha Stoumen website for details on stockists near you.
Poor Things is in theaters now.
Further Reading
Rebecca Keegan at The Hollywood Reporter examines the making of Poor Things and the bizarre, surrealist world that Bella Baxter calls home.
This in-depth interview of Martha Stoumen for The Fizz is one of the best things I’ve ever read on Substack. Thank you for your journalism and your thought-provoking questions, Margot.