What to drink with that movie? Red wine with ‘Jurassic,’ beer with ‘Fantastic Four’
After scanning the reviews and checking showtimes, you’ve decided which movie to see. You turn in your ticket and head for the concession counter.
Now comes another decision: a glass of wine sounds good. But which wine will go best with the movie? Or would it be better to have beer? Or a martini?
We are (somewhat) serious here.
Wine and beer are part of the drink options at several movie theaters in Orange County, and the trend is expanding. More theaters are installing full bars to offer a range of traditional and crafted cocktails. Others have kitchens for preparing meals. The old seats are being replaced with larger, more comfortable chairs and recliners with attached trays.
The idea behind all of this, according to theater managers, is enhancing the customer experience at the movies.
All well and good. But at any nice restaurant, the sommelier suggests wines to go with what you ordered for dinner. So why not get advice about what wine will go best with the movie you are seeing?
“I love movies,” said Fran Gitsham, a 15-year-member of the Orange County Wine Society and current member of its board of directors. “Movies feed my different emotions and passions, just as wine feeds other emotions and passions.”
We compiled a list of films, some in theaters now and others coming soon, and asked experts for pairing recommendations.
Gitsham shared our list with a group of 10 other wine experts and OCWS members. We also consulted Margot Pierrong, a bartender for nearly 30 years at an Orange County dinner theater.
Here is what they said (the movies not yet in theaters have release dates in parentheses):
“JURASSIC WORLD”
Fun, fast-paced adventure where some of the dinosaurs are heroes.
All our experts agree: Order a glass of red wine.
“We think the best choice would be a well-aged French wine, a Burgundy,” Gitsham said of the wine aficionados’ decision. The older the better, she added wryly. “Some wines are as old as the dinosaurs.”
If vintage Burgundy is not available, “try a heavy red wine, a syrah or a super (Italian) Tuscan,” Gitsham said.
Or take Pierrong’s advice: “A glass of very nice cabernet sauvignon would go well with dinosaurs.”
“SAN ANDREAS”
This absurd-but-entertaining movie shows the destruction of California in unimaginable 9.1 and stronger earthquakes.
The drink experts had a little fun with this one.
“Order a Blue Hawaiian,” Pierrong said, referring to a traditional drink of light rum, vodka, blue liqueur, pineapple juice and cream of coconut, according to one online recipe. Mix that up, and then pour some spiced rum to float on top.
“Then go home and start packing,” she added. “Move to Hawaii.”
If such strong earthquakes were going to destroy the state, Gitsham says, she would “drink the most expensive wine I can find. After all, I might not get another chance.”
Another option: a heavy red zinfandel.
“A good zin is a smooth, almost passionate red wine,” Gitsham said.
There’s also an Earthquake Zinfandel from Lodi-based Michael David Winery. Try it when “San Andreas” comes out on DVD.
“INSIDIOUS 3”
In two previous films, the poor Lambert family has had to cope with a comatose son, two haunted houses, bloody handprints and all kinds of frightening stuff. This film tells what happened before all that.
Experts suggest white wine.
“Whatever you drink, make sure it is white,” Gitsham said. “That’s so if you jump during the scary parts and spill the wine, it won’t stain your clothes.”
The same advice goes for other horror films, including “Amityville” (no release date yet), “The Vatican Tapes” (July 24) and “Exeter” (Aug. 14).
“THE GALLOWS” (July 10)
This paranormal film looks back at a small-town high school play that ended in tragedy. Students decide to reenact the play 20 years later. Bad idea.
Ease your jitters with a Zombie cocktail, also called a Skull Puncher, suggests Pierrong. There are various recipes for this classic tropical drink, but you can count on three types of rum, citrus juice, orange liqueur and sweet and sour mix.
“Make sure it is in a tall glass,” she added. It will give you something to hold on tight to during the scarier scenes.
“PITCH PERFECT 2”
College girls are in a national award-winning singing group. They work together to get into an international sing-off.
All the experts agreed to go light with white wine.
Pierrong suggests a glass of white zinfandel because it is often the first wine young people drink.
“A white zin is almost like drinking Kool-Aid,” she said. “It’s very mild.”
The wine group prefers a different grape.
“What would be perfect is to sip a wonderful oaky, buttery Chardonnay,” Gitsham said. “It will give you warm, fuzzy feelings. For dessert, have chocolate port.”
The same recommendations hold true for romantic comedies, such as “A Little Chaos” and “Trainwreck” (July 17).
“TED 2”
John helps his best friend, the talking teddy bear, start a family. Funny, but beware: It also is crude.
There is agreement among the experts on the grape family (pinot), but not the color.
“We pretty much agreed we’d drink something light, a rose or pinot noir, because you want to feel light and merry, and you want to laugh and have fun,” Gitsham said.
Another option: “Pinot grigio. It is a white wine that has a distinct crisp flavor and taste,” Pierrong said.
Take note. These recommendations also apply to “Spy” and “Vacation” (July 29).
“TERMINATOR GENISYS” (July 1)
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator determined to prevent Judgment Day — with Sarah Connors’ help, of course.
We need to go manly here.
Pierrong suggests an Old Fashioned, made with Maker’s Mark bourbon and mixed with bitters and a bit of sugar.
“I chose Maker’s Mark because it’s a manly type bourbon,” she said. “I thought it fitting for the manly type Terminator movie.”
The suggestion also holds for “Mad Max: Fury Road,” although the toughest cookie in that film is a woman.
“MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION” (July 31)
Tom Cruise stars in a movie with complicated spy stuff and amazing stunts.
The fact that Cruise is not that young anymore inspired our experts.
“There was a complete consensus on films like this,” Gitsham said of the wine group. “Drink something manly and bold, like a Napa Cabernet Sauvingon aged to perfection. If you drink a wine that is too young, you won’t get all the complexity of the cabernet.”
“ANT MAN” (JULY 17) and “THE FANTASTIC FOUR” (Aug. 7)
Superhero movies call for a Blue Moon beer, Pierrong said.
“It is a beer both men and women like,” she explains. “And both men and women like superhero movies.”
And the wine? Pinot Noir for red, or a New Zealand sauvignon blanc for white.
“These wines are light and happy,” Gitsham said. “They are perfect for cheering the hero as he beats the villain.”
“MAGIC MIKE XXL” (July 1)
Male strippers who had quit the business decide to put on one more wow performance in Myrtle Beach.
A girly drink is called for.
“A cosmopolitan or an appletini would work,” Pierrong said.
The main ingredient for both is vodka. Add cranberry juice for a cosmo, or apple-flavored schnapps for an appletini.
“Champagne is extravagant,” suggests Gitsham. “It would go with a movie like ‘Magic Mike,’ which is all about fantasizing.”
Gitsham explains that only the women in the wine group recommended the bubbly. What did the men say?
“All the men in our group said they would head to the closest bar outside the theater, because it is a movie they would definitely not go to see.”
ABOUT THE ORANGE COUNTY WINE SOCIETY
The Orange County Wine Society is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with 1,000 members now celebrating its 40th year.
The group is best known for organizing and judging the yearly commercial wine competition for the Orange County Fair, which opens July 17.
“We had 2,400 entries this year,” said board member Fran Gitsham.
The group runs The Courtyard at the fair, offering wine tastings and wine sold by the glass. Sales helps support the group’s activities and funds scholarships for the study of wine making, grape growing and the culinary arts.
For more information, email [email protected] or call (714) 708-1636.