Of all the cinema's, in all the towns, in all the world, you had to walk into mine .. and we're so pleased you did!
Read on for details on all the wines from the evening, our gallery of photos, and bunch of trivia.
Of all the wines in the all the world, you tasted these ones:
Cremant de Limoux, Languedoc, France - Waitrose £13.99
The bendictine Monks of Limoux taught Dom Perignon how to make sparkling wine. He returned to the village of Champagne, which only made red wine at the time, and created the region's first 'Champagne'. 'Come Quickly' he told his fellow Monks upon tasting his first cuvee, 'I am tasting the stars'.
Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, just like Champagne, this also includes 20% Chenin Blanc grapes and no Pinot Meunier. Rich, biscuity and bursting with citrus notes.
Terrarum Single Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile
Majestic £12.99 per bottle or £9.99 as part of a mixed case of six
They are likely to be drinking imported French Wine from the country’s most famous regions in Morocco; Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire and the Rhone . . but how about a wine that's actually from Casablanca?? We're cheating a bit here, it's from Casablanca in Chile not Morocco and the most popular wine of the evening!
This Sauvignon offers grassy, green apple and citrus aromas with refreshing green apple, citrus, gooseberry and passion fruit on the palate with a fresh zingy finish.
Espirit de Buganay, Côtes de Provence, France - Waitrose £14.99
A blend of Cinsaut, Syrah and Grenache from the classic southern French region of Provence – known for its wonderful rosés. Filled with red berry fruit flavours and light, subtle spices on the finish.
Jean Bon Merlot, Languedoc, France - Majestic £8.99 per bottle or £8.49 as part of a mixed case of six
Merlot from Bordeaux is typically blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to soften a Bordeaux blend but these Merlot grapes are grown in the South of France, benefitting from a warmer climate and offering a juicier, jammier Merlot wine offering notes of raspberry, blackberry and black pepper.
Remy Ferbras Cotes du Rhone Villages, Rhone Valley, France - Majestic £11.99 per bottle or £9.99 as part of a mixed case of six
A blend of grenache, syrah and mourdevre grapes from only the top cru villages within the Rhone Valley, help make this deliciously silky and juicy red wine.
Here's looking at you kid ..
Hear it again Sam, our movie trivia from the show
Some highlights from our movie trivia ...
Casablanca – the place
*Known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda literally House of White – the name comes from a large white washed structure that was a landmark to sailors, it was believed the Portuguese called it Casa Branca which became Casa Blanca when the Spanish took over trade in the area. *Largest city in Morocco and its most important port (relevant to the movie) and name.
*Major supplier of wool to Britain, Britain traded it for tea.
*French control of Casablanca formalised in 1912 until independence in 1956.
*Rick’s Café Americain was modelled after the Hotel El Minzah in Tangier Morocco
*Many of the actors who played Nazis were German jews who escaped Germany. During the scene where La Marseillaise is sung over Die Watch am Rhein, the cast had genuine tears. This is a song that was sung by French prisoners in German POW camps
*After 2015 Paris terrorist attacks the clip was shared widely on social and sung by evacuees from Stade de France.
*On 7 Dec 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, and the US entered WW2. Timing was ideal to get the movie made and the next day a Warner Bros exec began to evaluate a script called Everybody Comes to Ricks
*They paid a then record $20k, most ever at the time for an unproduced play
*The movie was eventually released Germany, in 1952. It was 30 mins shorter, with no Nazi references
*Anyone that has been on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disney World, will have seen the the crashed plane prop, it is the plane from this movie.
*Rick’s café was purpose built but everything else was recycled
*Rick never says Play it Again Sam
*There are six quotes in the American Film Institute top movie quotes:
#5 Here’s looking at you kid, #20 Louie, I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship, #28 Play it Sam, play as Time goes by, #32 Round up the Usual Suspects, #43 We’ll always have Paris, #67 of all the gin joints in all the world. Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz tied for second with 3 quotes each.
*Director Michael Curitz had a strong Hungarian accent, it caused much confusion, at one point all of the staff on set were looking for a Poodle, when he actually just needed a 'poodle' of water.
*To maximise profits from international markets, it was decided that any unpleasant non-Nazi characters should be from axis countries like Italy.
*Conrad Veidt, playing Major Strasser was the highest paid actor at $25k for 5 weeks on loan from MGM.
*His wife was Jewish and they too had fled Germany, he was guilty of anti Nazi activities and had an SS Death Squad after him.
*Orson Welles recounted conversation with Bogart who told him he was ‘in the worst picture I’ve ever been in’ at the time.
*Then wife of Bogart accused him of affair with Bergman, despite their on-screen chemistry, they rarely spoke to each other off set for this reason.
*Neither Bergman or Henreid wanted to be in the movie, Bergman said the script was ‘fluff’ and Henreid didn’t want to play 2nd banana to Bogart.
*Bogart was two inches shorter than Bergman, so often stood on various boxes to look bigger.
*The writers imagined Rick as Clark Gable, not the ‘common drunk’ Humphrey Bogart!
*Ronald Regan was rumoured to be playing Rick but Bogart was cast from start and it is thought that Regan's own team put this rumour out to stay relevant at the time.
*Sam’s piano was sold for $600k in December 2012, is a special piano, fitted with a two way hinge to hide the documents.
*Dooley Wilson, who plays Sam was actually a drummer faking the piano. The real pianist was playing behind a curtain in the same room and Dooley would mirror his actions.
*Claude Rains, Captain Renault is almost always seen smoking, as a non-smoker he would hold the smoke in his mouth and puff it out.
*The production team wanted Rick’s to look smoke filled but cigarettes from the cast couldn’t create enough so they pumped imore in.
Thank you for joining us and we hope to see you again, but if we don't, 'We'll always have Digbeth'.
We look forward to welcoming you back to another of our events very soon so why not check out our website or sign up to our monthly mailing list to find out about new events first:
Tony and the Wine Events Co Crew
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