Wine and Movie Pairing: Vino for La Strada
“You may not believe it, but everything in this world has a purpose. Even this pebble.”
In light of Pope Francis’ passing earlier this week, I wanted to feature a movie that he often cited as his all-time favorite. Pope Francis was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but his parents both had Piemontese lineage. It’s no surprise, then, to see that the late Pope was a big fan of Italian cinema, especially Fellini. Let’s pair a delicious Italian table wine with La Strada (1954).
La Strada (1954) is one of Federico Fellini’s most beloved films, and the winner of the first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (now known as the Best International Feature Film award). Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) finds herself daydreaming on the beach when the strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) appears at her family home looking for her. It’s revealed that Gelsomina’s sister, Rosa, left with Zampanò a year ago, and has just died. In a desperate move to feed her four remaining children, Gelsomina’s mother sells her to Zampanò for 10,000 lire (the equivalent of $5 USD today) and some food, and Gelsomina leaves her family home with the clothes on her back to live as Zampanò’s “wife”.
On the road, Gelsomina learns to play the trumpet and the drums, and plays a clown in Zampanò’s strongman act. Zampanò proves to be physically and emotionally abusive towards Gelsomina, and strangers on the road attempt to help Gelsomina extract herself from the situation by offering her shelter or a plan to escape. But when The Fool (Richard Basehart), a tightrope walker and Zampanò’s archenemy, meets Gelsomina and encourages her talents, will Gelsomina finally get her chance to shine?
La Strada (English: The Road) is a fascinating detour into Italian neorealism for a director who is more widely recognized for his more theatrical work later in his career. It’s often cited as a favorite film by notable filmmakers, including Spike Lee and Akira Kurosawa, but the themes of humility, love, suffering, and finding purpose in life resonated with Pope Francis.
“As a child, I saw many films by Fellini, but La Strada always stayed in my heart. The film that begins with tears and ends with tears, begins on the seashore and ends on the seashore, but what stayed with me most was the scene with The Fool and the pebble in which he gives meaning to the life of the girl.” - Pope Francis
The combination of the luminous cinematography by Otello Martelli and the casting of Giulietta Masina as Gelsomina highlight these themes as well. Gelsomina is introduced as a poor waif who comes from a very poor family, and yet Masina’s wide-eyed optimism and natural curiosity for the world around her tells the story of a character who yearns to see goodness in a world that constantly tries to push her down. The balance of chiaroscuro (light and dark) throughout the film highlights the struggle of finding light in the darkest of times, but there always seems to be an incandescent glow (perhaps an saintly halo?) surrounding Gelsomina, even when she is abandoned on a dark street.
While the movie can be a tough watch, it’s made me think more about the deeper moral lessons that could be more apparent on a second or third watch. La Strada is a movie I would like to return to at some point, perhaps after going through more of Fellini’s popular favorites later this summer.
I would love to say I got my hands on a fantastic Grignolino (Pope Francis’ favorite wine!) to pair with the movie, but alas. Here’s a fantastic piece by Jason Wilson should you want to venture down the Grignolino path.
I’m still gonna lean towards the lighter bodied Piemontese red side of things, but eschew the traditional Langhe Nebbiolo for a delicious table red blend that is perfect for all occasions: Tenuta La Pergola’s Monferrato Rosso.
The story of how Tenuta La Pergola came to be imported by Kermit Lynch is a fun one. Kermit was driving through the Piemontese countryside looking for a nice, chuggable table blend for his portfolio. Though roadside vino da tavola is not always high quality, something compelled him to try the house white at a random trattoria on the road - an Arneis from a local producer that wasn’t just serviceable, but bright and energetic and a bargain for the price. The search for the producer behind that spectacular Arneis brough Kermit Lynch to the doorstep of Alessandra Bodda in Cisterna d’Asti, the head of Tenuta La Pergola. The house is still family owned and operated (Bodda’s great grandfather started the label in 1903, and her children Emanuele and Martina now work on the 30 acre property), and is dedicated to farming indigenous Piemontese grapes with sustainable farming techniques and reasonable prices.
2009 was the first vintage of the “Monferrato Rosso”, selected by Kermit Lynch. It’s been a popular table wine both in Italy and the United States since its release, and though each vintage’s exact blend differs, the wine is deeply satisfying and flavorful year after year without breaking the $20 price point per bottle. Barbera is the star of the show here, and the supporting cast is filled out with varying percentages of Dolcetto, Bonarda, Freisa, and Croatina. The 2023 vintage of Tenuta La Pergola’s Monferrato Rosso blend is exciting, ever so slightly grippy, and simply delicious. Think just ripe strawberries, dried oregano, blood orange zest, and that special earthy forest floor thing that recalls the image of truffle hunting dogs.
The 2023 vintage of Tenuta La Pergola’s Monferrato Rosso is sold out (I know, I’m sorry, I drank it all). Click here for more information about the wine, and get notified when the new vintage comes through Kermit Lynch.
La Strada (1954) is available as part of The Essential Fellini box set in The Criterion Collection. It is also available to stream on Max and The Criterion Channel. Thank you for buying physical media and supporting your local bookstores and video stores!