Wine and Movie Pairing: The Undead Pinot Pairing
“Does evil come from within us, or beyond?”
The time has come to succumb to the darkness… Nosferatu (2024) is getting its wine and movie pairing today! Nothing says classic style with modern flair quite like a solid German Pinot Noir, except maybe this new take on the Dracula tale.
Nosferatu (2024) is a 21st Century version of the classic Dracula tale by Bram Stoker. In 1830’s Germany, Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) has been haunted by disturbing dreams of marrying a demon since she was a young girl. As she settles into married life with her new husband, real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), he is sent on a six week trip across the Carpathian Alps to meet with an aging count intent on buying a decrepit castle in Wisbourg. Ellen begs him not to go, recounting the same nightmares she’s had since childhood, but Thomas brings Ellen to stay with his friends Friedrich and Anna Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin) while he sojourns to Transylvania. Thomas realizes too late that his dealings with the old count are dealings with the very demon that has been pursuing Ellen. The rest, as they say, is history repeating.
Considering that the recent years have seen a great renaissance for horror films (both in terms of audience enthusiasm and technical achievement), it’s been a while since we’ve seen a classic horror flick remade for modern audiences. Nosferatu (2024) fits that bill in many ways. Very little liberties have been taken with the script, and there are some shots that feel ripped out of the earliest days of cinema. Director Robert Eggers is known for his scrupulous attention to period details, and the film does feel very grounded in 19th Century German Romanticism throughout. I was initially expecting the cinematography to be completely black and white, and while the moments of color were initially surprising, they do contribute to telling the story with the color saturation (the image of Professor von Franz dancing in the flames in the third act is one of my favorites of the season).
For all its technical achievements, however, I struggle to get past the director’s use of his actors. There’s an old saying in the fashion world that models are supposed to be human hangers - beautiful frames for someone else’s ideas. Eggers takes this idea to film by using a solid cast of actors as mere set pieces, practically void of emotion. I’m a fan of Nicholas Hoult and Emma Corrin’s previous work, and was very surprised to see them underutilized in such a stylish piece. Aaron Taylor-Johnson pulls off a mutton chop very well (like, surprisingly well), but he also digs into the inherent camp of a monster movie more than anyone else.
As for Lily-Rose Depp? This is my first time seeing her in action, and I think I need to see more of what she can do before coming back to her clips in Nosferatu. I have a feeling there’s more to her than a period-authentic haircut that disappears under a hat, but uneven directing from the rest of the ensemble leads me to believe that she’s a fine actress who wasn’t given a lot of direction on set.
The movie looks pretty, though! Nosferatu has been shortlisted by the Academy in Makeup & Hairstyling and Original Score. I’d like to see an Oscar nomination for its precise Production Design, and cinematographer Jarin Blascke stands a good chance at a nomination as well.
In thinking about the movie’s solid technical elements that honor the classic story as much as possible, I wanted to pair the movie with a technically beautiful wine with classic structure and German roots. Enter Spätburgunder - the German name for Pinot Noir - from a house that’s been making dry red wines since before it became popular in Germany.
Weingut Meyer-Näkel began in the 1950s when Paula Meyer and Willibald Näkel married and combined their pub and winery as a result of the marriage. From the very beginning of Meyer-Näkel’s founding, the mission was to create dry, terroir-driven Spätburgunder that could hold its own with French counterparts. At a time when Liebfraumilch was all the rage, this was no small feat. Paula and Willibald’s son, Werner, took over the family-run estate in 1982, and started bringing barriques back from his travels to Burgundy in order to age the family’s Pinot Noirs. Today, third generation sisters Meike and Dörte Näkel are running the show, each of them armed with years of formal viticultural training and a lifetime running through the vines.
The Estate Pinot Noir is a solid performer, crafted for Pinot Noir lovers and neophytes alike. Burgundy lovers (like me!) who find themselves with Gollum-like protection issues around their collectible bottles will appreciate this wine as a “cellar defender” while the prized Chambolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin bottles are aging. Expect tons of ripe and juicy red fruits - red raspberries, Red Delicious apple, bing cherry - intermingling with alpine herbs, notes of button mushrooms, and just a little bit of those warm spices imparted from French oak. Classic, well made, and ready to drink right now, this is a Pinot Noir lover’s wine (and a horror movie lover’s wine, too).
Lots of public appreciation came out for Nosferatu immediately upon its Christmas 2024 release date, and there is a scene or two in the movie that alludes to a Christmastide or winter setting. In the spirit of a new holiday classic for people who don’t want to see Miracle on 34th Street, pair the wine and the movie with a Christmas goose, bratwurst, or some strudel. If it’s German and it’s hearty, it will fit the bill nicely.
The 2022 vintage of Weingut Meyer-Näkel’s Estate Pinot Noir 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!
Nosferatu (2024) is now playing in theaters.