We wanted to make an event to bring people together before they are off to their summer destinations and give them advice on wines worth tasting this summer
Written by Blanka Jurak
A glass of wine, some movie magic and good company can easily turn an ordinary summer evening in the capital into a special one. Some fifty participants of the workshop Wine&Movies Powered by WOW had to opportunity to experience this on the terrace of the Sherry’s Wines & Bites wine bar in Zagreb’s Ilica Street, with the support of the Women on Wine association, prepared by two of its members – Martina Bek and Jelena Bulum.
“Wine and movies are my two loves and I have always wanted to attend a wine workshop where I would be able to hear something about film too. SO I decided to make one for myself, but also all others who have similar interests. The response was great already after the first one and that encouraged me to continue,” said Jelena Bulum, author of the project Wine&Movies, and added she had the support of her WOW girls form the beginning. The evening was opened by association President Sanja Muzaferija, who presented the workshop authors.
Make Wine&Movies a reality at Sherry’s was aided by another WOW member, Martina Bek, whose WSET Level 3 diploma placed her in charge of the wine part. Her expert guidance led guests through a tasting of 5 summer labels par excellence and taught them why some wine are said to be summer or women wines. Although “women wines” was used until recently in a pejorative sense, for wines which were not serious, Martina explained that women have, due to their DNA and physiognomy, a much stronger and expressive sense of smell, so when speaking of women’s wines, this can be taken as a compliment.
Martina’s choice of summer wines was accompanied by Jelena with a choice of movie scenes fitting to the character of each wine. The evening began with the Decumanus sparkling from Pošip, by winemaker Dubravko Vukas from Ston and the Petrač Rosé sparkling Bregh from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, accompanied by the acting couple Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in the scene from the movie Something’s Gotta Give (2003). Just like this movie, these wines are flaunting, with high acids and tropical fruit with Pošip and pomegranate and cranberry as dominant aromas with Bregh. They are easy to drink even when in an urban rush, as they lead your senses into the tropics and sea areas.
For a summer escape to the Mediterranean, the Rosé sparkling Cardo from Plavac Mali will serve well, an exclusive that evening and one of the rare sparklings from this variety. Just like Vukas’ sparkling Pošip, this Plavac is also made from grapes grown in specific Dalmatian positions, whose quite unusual microclimate even for Dalmatia enable the grapes to collect high acids at full ripeness, making it excellent raw material for sparklings. Its counterpart on screen was the one and only Grace Kelly as Frances in the cult Hitchcock movie To Catch a Thief (1955).
Istrian winemaker Milenko Matić and his 2016 Malvazija was coupled with winemaker Jim Barret, owner of the Chateau Montelena winery and protagonist of the movie Bottle Shock (2008). The movie depicts the famous Paris Wine Judgement, a blind tasting from 1976 when California wines defeat the previously untouchable French wines. Matić’s Malvazija thrilled the participants with its abundant body and low alcohols, although other wines had their supporters.
The evening was completed with the French, the Rhine Riesling Hugel 2015 from the Alsace region, quite complex, the panache of the Hugel winery, sipped along with the scene from the French new wave movie Crazy Pete (1965) with the then biggest star Jean Paul Belmondo.
“We wanted to make an event to bring people together before they are off to their summer destinations and give them advice on wines worth tasting this summer, and have some fun in the process. Judging by the reactions, I feel we have succeeded,” concluded Martina Bek.
