Wine and Movie Pairing: Wines on the Verge of a Major Breakthrough
“I thought this only happened in the movies.”
A Quick Editorial Note
Hello everyone! Brunello Bombshell just hit over 100 subscribers, and I’m so thrilled to see so many of you reading week to week. To commemorate this milestone, and to celebrate my birthday next week, I wanted to throw a little deal your way…
I’d love for up-and-coming Latino/a/é talent in wine and movies to see some financial support. There are two great charities that I’d like to shout out: The Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship, which provides college funds and mentorship for children of vineyard workers, and Latino Film Institute’s Youth Cinema Project, a school program for majority-Latino students to learn about filmmaking in a hands-on environment surrounded by film professionals.
If you make a donation to either the Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship or Youth Cinema Project during the month of September, I’ll comp a paid subscription to Brunello Bombshell. A $5-14 donation gives you 1 month free, $15-29 gives you 3 months free, $30-49 gives you 6 months free, and a $50 or larger donation gives you a free year of Brunello Bombshell. Send me a receipt of your donation to brunellobombshell@gmail.com and I’ll take care of the rest.
This is the best birthday gift I could ask to receive. Thank you for your generosity! Now on to the wine and movie pairing.
Mercury is out of retrograde, fall is starting to set in, and Pedro Almodóvar is celebrating a banner year of celebration. We are long overdue for a proper wine pairing for Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (1988), but today is your lucky day!
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) was the film that made Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar an international icon. Pepa Marcos (Carmen Maura) is an actress who suddenly and inexplicably gets dumped over voicemail by her lover, Iván (Fernando Guillén). As she tries to track him down to get an answer, Pepa runs into a cast of characters all facing existential crises - her friend Candela (María Barranco), is on the run after discovering her ex-boyfriend was a Shiite terrorist; Iván’s son, Carlos (Antonio Banderas), shows up on Pepa’s doorstep with his fiancee Marisa (Rossy de Palma) looking to rent Pepa’s apartment; and all of this happens before the cast of characters realize that Iván’s wife/Carlos’ mother, Lucía, has just been released after 20 years in a mental hospital, and is actively looking to seek revenge on Pepa.
Despite the complicated plot, this is a fun and funny black comedy that feels both a product of its post-Francoist setting in Spain 1988 and ahead of its time on its holistic, cheeky, and sensitive portrayal of women. Almodóvar has proven time and again that everything within a frame of a movie is intentional, and Women On The Verge… is filled with colorful, expertly crafted shots that take the viewer exactly where they need to go to find their way through a messy, wonderful story. The ensemble cast is phenomenal, each actor listening and responding to the next from the depths of their own hysteria. And, of course, Almodóvar proves yet again to be a secret foodie. An entire plot line dedicated to gazpacho? Not only does it look great on screen, but it makes for a hilarious will-they-won’t-they moment in the movie.
Like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown was adapted into a musical by composer David Yazbeck. The show had its premiere on Broadway in 2010 before landing on the West End in 2015, and both productions are worth a listen if you get the chance to hear the recordings.
In terms of wine pairing, a classic movie about the female mind deserves a classic wine from a female winemaker. The iconic López de Heredia has always been a family-run estate, but it is now in the hands of sisters María José and Mercedes López de Heredia. Yes, “Viña Tondonia” may have a better agent and more American oak usage, but the 2012 “Viña Bosconia” Rioja Reserva is expressive, spicy, and full of complexity - sounds a lot like an Almodóvar heroine to me.
López de Heredia was founded almost 150 years ago, and remains the most recognizable name in Rioja today. Old school winemaking techniques are the name of the game here. Hand harvesting grapes from 45-year-old vines and the use of an in-house cooperage(!) for West Virginian oak barrels ensure a personal touch for all of the López de Heredia wines. Rioja’s aging requirements are fairly lengthy based on quality levels, but López de Heredia always takes things a step further to create a beautiful product. Many of the Crianza level wines are aged to Reserva levels, the Reserva wines are aged at Gran Reserva counts, so on and so forth.
While many people wax poetic about “Viña Tondonia” as the premiere example of Rioja tinto, I’m more fond of “Viña Bosconia”. The grape breakdown is still textbook Rioja - 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho and 5% between Graciano and Mazuelo - but “Viña Bosconia” is earthy and terroir-driven where “Viña Tondonia” feels all about the American oak. The 2012 vintage of López de Heredia “Viña Bosconia” Rioja Reserva is defined by ripe red and black fruits (red cherries galore, with some black plum and hearty red apples), some toasted coconut, a little sultry leather on the nose, and both breadth and depth that make the wine enjoyable right now or 10 more years down the line.
If you find yourself staring down the barrel of a questionable batch of gazpacho that suddenly makes you feel sleepy, enjoy the ride with some “Viña Bosconia”? Gazpacho feels very summery, so for those of us who are launching into fall with epic sweaters and cozy foods, the wine will play nicely with grilled meats, mushroom skewers, and the last tomato and burrata salad of the season.
The 2012 vintage of López de Heredia “Viña Bosconia” Rioja Reserva is available at your local independent wine store. You can also check WineSearcher for details on stockists near you.
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (1988) is currently available to rent on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango At Home. You can purchase the Criterion Collection version of the Blu-Ray or DVD, which includes a bevy of special features and an Almodóvar-approved 2K restoration, wherever physical media is sold.