Top Gun with Wine

Tony Elvin
5 days ago
6 min read

We felt the need, the need for wine! Thanks to everyone that joined us on a highway to the danger zone (USS Mockingbird, currently moored in the Digbeth canal).

Here's our event blog as promised.

We hope you enjoyed our high altitude wines from the cellars of the USS Mockingbird, presented by Tony 'Grapevine' Elvin. Read on for details on the wines, our Top Gun Top Trivia and the Top Gun gallery.

First up, here are our high altitude wines ..

High Altitude Wines

1) Morador Chardonnay / Pinot Noir, Mendoza, ARG - Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Range £13.00

This family owned winery Alta Vista in Andes Mountains, have been making wine for 250 years. On the nose, red fruits and biscuity notes, on the palate fresh citrus.

2) Waterkloof 'Seriously Cool' Chenin Blanc, Helderberg, Stellenbosch, SA - Online £12.50

30-40 year old bush vines in Helderberg, Stellenbosch, on the Coastal region of the Western Cape produce this fresh high altitude wine on the slopes of the Helderberg mountains. The grapes are grown between 260-620 metres above sea level. Cool oceanic breezes from False Bay keep the wine tasting fresh. Waterkloof is a traditional producer utilising low intervention production and these gnarly old vines produce just four tonnes of fruit per hectare, whereas a typical yield per hectare can be up to 30 tonnes. 260-620m.

On the nose stone fruit, white flowers and honey, on the palate, resh, crisp acidity and notes of lime.

3) Les Volets Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc, France - £10.50 online

The Haute Vallee de L’Aude in the Pyrenees mountains is some 200-600m above sea level. Separated from the Med by coastal mountains, very cold at night allowing for slow ripening. The high altitude is well suited for both Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. Grapes are carefully hand-picked with 20% of the wine aged in old oak for subtle influence.

Green apple and brioche on the nose. Full bodied, with a hazelnut twist to the apple palate.

4) Pablo Y Walter Malbec, Mendoza, ARG - Online £11.95

This is a really high altitude wine with grapes grown no lower 600m but up to 1,650m above sea level. This is also our second wine from Mendoza in Argentina. In this region increased UV light, cooler nights, and mineral-rich soils from the nearby Andes mountains combine to make unique wines.

The vines have some good age at 25 yr old, but the wines are matured in stainless steel to retain fruit, which is quite unusual.

Raspberry, blackcurrant and red apple on the nose, juicy bright red fruits on the palate with rich chocolate, cherry, graphite and blueberry notes.

5) Novas Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile - Online £12.95

This wine from organic and biodynamic producers Emiliana, features the planet's most planted grape but planted 400-800m above sea level.

The vineyard, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and Coastal Andes Mountains. Vivino users rate this wine among the top 9% in the world and the Maipo Valley. On the nose, cassis with notes of tobacco and vanilla from oak aging. On the palate rich black fruits, blueberry and chocolate.

27 Fun Facts about Top Gun 1986 (inc. some new stuff)

Top Gun was inspired by an article titled “Top Guns” by Ehud Yonay, published in California Magazine in May 1983. Wikipedia+2CBR+2
John Travolta was the original actor approached to play Maverick. Smooth+1
Tom Cruise initially turned down the role of Maverick. He eventually agreed after a ride-along with the Blue Angels. Viddy Well+2Smooth+2
Val Kilmer (Iceman) also didn’t want to be in the film at first, feeling the script was silly and generally disliking warmongering movies. Smooth+1
The rivalry between Maverick and Iceman wasn’t only fictional: Cruise and Kilmer kept their distance off-camera too; Kilmer has said he used method acting to intensify the tension. Smooth+1
The film uses real jets (F-14s, etc.) and real Navy aircraft carriers; much of the aerial footage was filmed live, since this was well before extensive CGI. Smooth+2Wikipedia+2
Paramount paid the U.S. Navy about US$1.8 million for use of aircraft, ships, and facilities, including aircraft fuel and flight hours. Smooth+1
Stunt pilot Art Scholl died during production. He was flying a camera-equipped aerobatic plane that failed to recover from a flat spin and crashed into the Pacific. Viddy Well+2IMDb+2
The film’s iconic song “Take My Breath Away” (Berlin) won the Oscar for Best Original Song. Smooth+2CBR+2
Danger Zone, the upbeat power-anthem from the movie, almost went to other acts — there were offers / talks with Toto, REO Speedwagon, and others. Smooth+1
Kelly McGillis (Charlie) is actually taller than Tom Cruise. To compensate, the filmmakers used camera tricks and had Cruise wear lifted cowboy boots; McGillis sometimes went shoeless in scenes with him. Viddy Well+1
The fictitious enemy aircraft “MiG-28” in the film doesn’t actually exist; the production used Northrop F-5s to portray them. Wikipedia
Filming began in Oceanside, California, in June 1985, then moved to Naval Air Station Miramar for many of the flight sequences. Wikipedia+1
The Navy provided squadrons VF-51 “Screaming Eagles” and VF-111 “Sundowners” for use in the film. Wikipedia
There is a detail in the filming logistics: aircraft used for some shots had external camera mounts (six external camera mounts built by Grumman) and internal cockpit cameras. Wikipedia
The film was shot in Super 35 format because anamorphic lenses were too big to fit inside the cockpits. Wikipedia
At advance screenings, the reception was somewhat lukewarm, making the producers worried—but the film went on to become a major box office hit. ALOT Living+2Wikipedia+2
It became the highest-grossing film of 1986. Smooth+1
The movie helped boost U.S. Navy recruitment. After its release, the Navy reportedly set up recruiting booths in theaters. Smooth+1
Top Gun cost around US$15 million to make and grossed about US$357 million globally.
“Viper” is based on a real person, who also appears in the film.Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Pete “Viper” Pettigrew was a technical consultant for Top Gun. He served as a TOPGUN instructor, and the film uses his callsign “Viper” (Tom Skerritt’s character Cmdr. Mike “Viper” Metcalf). Pettigrew also makes a cameo in the film as “Perry,” a friend of Charlene “Charlie” Blackwood. Wikipedia+4Wikipedia+4IMDb+4
“Charlie” (Charlotte Blackwood) was inspired by Christine Fox.The character of Charlie, played by Kelly McGillis, was loosely based on Christine Fox, a civilian analyst working with the U.S. Navy. She met with the filmmakers during a site visit at Naval Air Station Miramar. IMDb+2wamilitary.com+2
Art Scholl, stunt pilot and camera pilot, died during production.Art Scholl was flying a camera-equipped Pitts S-2 aerobatic plane and attempting a flat spin, but the plane failed to recover and crashed into the Pacific. IMDb+2IMDb+2
Iconic moments were partially ad-libbed.
- Val Kilmer (Iceman)’s reaction coughing and saying “bullsh*t” when Maverick describes giving the finger to enemy aircraft was improvised. The other actors’ reactions in that scene are reportedly genuine. wamilitary.com +2IMDb+2
- Tom Cruise reportedly improvised a kiss with Kelly McGillis after forgetting a line during a scene where Charlie critiques Maverick’s flying. The director (Tony Scott) liked it and kept it in. wamilitary.com +1
Goose’s dog tags don’t belong to Goose.In one scene, Maverick tosses the “dog tags” of Goose overboard. If you look carefully, the name on one of the tags is “Mike Metcalf,” which is actually Viper’s name, not Goose’s. This is a goof (or a mistake) visible in certain shots. IMDb
Charlie’s “older man” date at the Officer’s Club is actually Viper (Pete Pettigrew).The character “older man” who goes to the club with Charlie is the real-life “Viper” (Pete Pettigrew). IMDb+1
Filming and reshoots created continuity challenges.Kelly McGillis had simultaneously been working on another project (Made in Heaven) during the reshoots for Top Gun. Because in that project her hair was a different color (brown), the Top Gun makers had to hide her hair in certain reshoots—using a baseball cap in the elevator scene, etc. Wik