It’s Scary-Delicious! Invite Your Friends over for Horror Movie Night Cookbook written by Richard S. Sargent and Nevyana Dimitrova (Photographer).
Sixty deliciously deadly recipes inspired by iconic slashers, zombie films, psychological thrillers, sci fi spooks, and more.
The Horror Movie Night Cookbook on sale now
Horror Movie Night Cookbook can be found at any local bookstore or online Barnes Noble, Amazon. Follow the Horror Movie Night Cookbook Instagram.
Horror Movie Night Cookbook written by Richard S. Sargent
Author Richard S. Sargent joined me for a conversation about food, cooking, horror movies and Halloween. The below conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Find the full, un-edited conversation at our YouTube channel.
What inspired you as far as horror movies go? What’s your all time favorite horror?
Richard Sargent: Wow, that’s a tough one. Yeah, so I would say my all time favorite horror movie is Scream. It’s what got me into diving deeper into horror. My mother actually got me into horror when I was a kid, we would watch a bunch of the old ones after school and that sort of thing, but as I started to discover the newer ones on my own, Scream was the first one that really showed me that there’s more to horror than just blood and boobs.
You’re a filmmaker, an artist, an author, many things. Tell us a little bit about your journey
Richard Sargent: I went to school for theater and film and acting. As most people do New York or LA, I chose New York. I did that for a while. I did a couple of my own indie horror films as well. And then as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do.
As a side project, because you have to have a side project when you’re trying to break into that field. I thought I love cooking. I love experimenting. I love being creative. Let’s take some culinary classes. So I was gifted some culinary classes and it was really great. And I thought, okay, great. Now I’m going to go work in a kitchen. But the more I thought about that, I realized I would hate it if I had to do it as a day job. I would hate cooking. I put that on the back burner and focus more on the theater and film and all that.
And just kept plugging away at that. When I moved to the West Coast, I became artistic director of a couple of theater companies and had some plays published, that sort of thing.
So my writing and my directing was starting to take off a little bit. I had a little more free time to go back to the cooking thing that I was looking forward to doing. And the way this came together is that I was doing a play with some friends and we were chatting we actually were doing the play, The Woman in Black, and we were chatting about horror and horror films and they felt the way I felt about them initially, that they’re all just and I just couldn’t have that.
I’d seen so many great ones that have changed my life and had so many positive messages. Because horror movies are basically about the outcasts winning. I felt like I’ve been an outcast my whole life, so I could really connect to them. So I started showing them the ones that I thought were important.
I started with my favorites and then dug deeper into the ones that I felt. Told really great stories and had really great messages through these horror movie nights where I would pair an appetizer, a dinner and a dessert, each with its own movie and we would do three movies a night and we would do this every couple of weeks.
Can you talk a little bit about this book’s undertaking and 1-2 lessons that you learned from that process?
Richard Sargent: Absolutely. Yeah, it really was an undertaking. When I started these nights, these horror movie nights myself I just thought they were going to be fun. I just thought we were all going to have a good time.
Then about halfway through, maybe about five or six nights in, my friends were all like, what are you going to do with this? I’m like, what do you mean? We’re just having a good time. And they’re like, no, other people are going to want to do this. I’m thinking about what can I do with this?
Maybe I can start an event service and cater these nights myself? But ultimately I chose to do a book because it’s more accessible and it’s more fun. You get to do it in your own home and invite your friends over and it makes for a much more fun evening. Once I decided that it was going to be a book, it took about two years to compile it all into book format. Retake some pictures, that sort of thing, get it all ready for my copy. So I self published it two years ago and then it got picked up.
So the version that you have and that we’re talking about today is the version that Ulysses Press put out about another year or so later.
So it was about a five year process from the first horror movie night, all the way to the book that, that we’re talking about today.
If I have any tips for people, find what makes your idea stick out. What about your idea do people want to know, be authentic about it and just keep plugging away at it.
You’re going to get frustrated. Move on to another project, take a walk, do something else. And come back when the inspiration strikes, but never force anything. That’s my big thing. You can’t force inspiration or you’re not going to end up with the best product that you could possibly have.
From the five years ago first draft to Ulysses Press version now, how close is the finished product compared to your original vision?
Richard Sargent: It’s very close actually. A lot of things that were changed were just improvements on the pictures. Things are worded differently, more clear, more consistency throughout the book.
Ulysses was really great with the editing process. They kept a lot of what I wanted to do with the book and the whole spirit of the book.
There’s millions of horror movies out there. How did you go from a million down to 60?
Richard Sargent: It really had to just speak to me. It had to be bigger and better than the average horror film. Or at least I had to view it that way.
I studied horror and I studied film throughout my life. I can grasp the difference between your average horror film and something that’s trying to influence the viewer in some way. And those are the ones that I tried to put into the book. I know that 60 is not a lot and that’s why there will be more books hopefully.
I thought it would be a fun start to break newbies in. So rather than just hitting every classic that you can think of: Exorcist, Jaws, I picked a lot of classics and mixed them in with some newer things that had more up to date themes and up to date comments on society, like The Conjuring and The Descent, movies like that.
Not everyone seeing this is a huge horror movie fan. Can you give us any tips or ideas about what makes a really great horror movie?
Richard Sargent: I think it all starts with the characters which then reflects on the script. So if it’s a really well written script, it has characters that A) you care about and B) are telling a story within a story, basically, by living through their story, they’re telling us how we should be living our lives. Of course, we know that because of Scream and movies like that, we know the rules of horror.
Don’t don’t say “I’ll be right back” and all that kind of stuff.
But beyond that, there are things that make a horror film great. It’s a lot of really great being on the side of the outcasts. So if you think of movies like Frankenstein a lot of people will say that the monster is the monster, but the monster is not the monster. The society not accepting the monster Is the real monster.
That’s a film that tries to show us how to accept people who are not like us. Some people may say that science is the monster. I am not that kind of person. But, there’s the commentary in that film too, that maybe we shouldn’t do everything that we are able to do with science.
For queer culture and women’s rights we have films like Hereditary that dive into dealing with grief.
As long as your characters are doing something important, they’re not just playing with a Ouija board, or running into a shed full of chainsaws. As long as they’re making smart decisions,, I think it elevates it to the next level, movies like The Exorcist, obviously, more recently, I thought Barbarian just from last year was outstanding, just in that way of telling the story, that was creative to me.
Ones that stick with you forever. Jaws, a lot of people didn’t want to go in the water after that.
We have a very dinner party kind of an audience. Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget?
Richard Sargent: Yeah, so I had to cook these meals. There were actually some other recipes that I worked on too, for these films that I didn’t put in the book. Everything is trial and error in the kitchen. So I cooked several of these many times until I found the right measurements of everything.
It was a long process in the kitchen, but a fun one, of course.
Maybe it makes me basic, but my favorite kitchen gadget is the slow cooker because you can do so much with it and you can step away from it and work on other things while your main meal is sitting there for hours.
Are there 1-2 recipes in the cookbook that you want to point out?
Richard Sargent: As I like to start any meal, let’s start with dessert. I would say I’m super proud of the pavlova from Cabin Fever, if you’re familiar with the movie. The dish is called The Close Shave, and it is a pavlova with Chantilly cream inside and berries on top, berry compote on top, and it just drips through a bloody wound.
I’m pretty proud of that one, and I got a lot of great feedback. I still have my friends from that horror movie night talking about it all the time.
Another one I’m super proud of is the paella from Broken Lizard’s Club Dread, which is an overlooked horror comedy. Basically, Coconut Pete runs this party island and he has his own special paella, Coconut Pete’s paella, which I tried to recreate with his secret ingredients and I thought it came out pretty well, so I’m pretty pleased with that one as well.
Let me see, appetizers. One that was fun was just coming up with the popcorn for Scream. I tried a bunch of different flavors and a bunch of different ways of doing it and it’s one of the ones that I feel is a recipe, but also a hack. An easy way to pop bagged popcorn and put flavoring on it.
It’s a good one to show that anybody can do what’s in this book. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to be able to create what’s in this book, recreate it.
When the book first arrived, I was sitting in a room with teenagers and as old as people in their 70s, so it’s quite a range and we were all having fun with it.
As an author, as a creator, how does that make you feel? Was it designed to be a communal experience?
Richard Sargent: Putting things out there always makes me nervous. The feedback that I’ve been getting, hearing people, seeing pictures from people doing their own horror movie nights or just recreating the recipes or just on podcasts and things talking about the clever titles and all that kind of stuff it just makes me feel so good because I was worried that maybe this is just a “me” thing, like I’m just this weirdo super into horror and food. It’s good to know that I’m not. The whole horror community, the whole film community is into something like this.
They they can entertain, they can bring their own friends over. They can be the star of their own show. It speaks to everybody.
Since you are the Horror Movie Night Cookbook expert, can you give us some tips and advice for our next movie night?
Richard Sargent: I’ve done horror film nights where we just all get together and we eat the food and we watch the movies.
I’ve done one’s where we play extra games other than the drinking games. We have costume contests. It’s really how far you want to go into it.
But I would say start early if you’re going to use some of the recipes in this book, start early because there are many things that could go wrong especially if you’re not used to cooking and there are things that could go wrong, things that could burn things that might not set the way you want them to.
Have extra ingredients on hand.
If you don’t like a movie that the recipe is paired with, think about how that recipe could go with another more you like more?
Have fun with it and try it all.
How can we elevate the experience to a Superbowl Sunday level?
Richard Sargent: Definitely add costumes. Decorate. Fog machines are always fun. Pick the ones that pick the recipes that can make it a more social evening. Maybe ones where you add your own stuff to them. Like the one for Cujo is like a burrito bowl, essentially, so that people can add their own ingredients to it. That gets people up and mingling and having a good time, definitely play the drinking games, but be careful because the drinks are strong.
It’s Halloween season right now. When is the best time of year for the Horror Movie Night Cookbook?
Richard Sargent: All year. There’s no set time. Horror has so many stories to tell. A lot of them are very important that you can watch them all year round.
Get in that spirit all year round. I think that people don’t give horror the credit that it deserves. There are a lot of great films out there that even people that don’t love horror will like. Those are the ones I think we should be talking about. Horror should always be part of the conversation.
A lot of horror films are set throughout the year, so if you wanted to do a horror movie night for Valentine’s Day, you’ve got plenty to choose from, It’s not just for those of us that like to get dressed up one day a year. It’s all year round.
As we wrap up, any final message you want foodies or movie lovers to know about you or this book?
Richard Sargent: I would just want them to know that I really did put a lot of thought and heart into everything that they see in this book. I really didn’t just say, Oh, wow, let’s come up with some gimmicky-looking cookie or something. These aren’t decorations. This is real food and real thoughtful recipes that are inspired by things that happen in the film, things that they eat, things that they do, places they go. For example, in The Descent, they are supposed to be spelunking in the Appalachian mountains. So I used a local dish from the Appalachias as that recipe. These are not just Halloween decorations. These are actual recipes that you can enjoy any time of year. But watch the movie too. So yeah, I would just want people to know that don’t expect cutesy little Pinterest ghost cookies. That’s not what you’re going to get. You’re going to get real recipes like you would in any cookbook. This just has the horror edge to it as well.
Where can we learn more about you? Tell us the website, the social media
Richard Sargent: The book can be found at any local bookstore or online Barnes Noble, Amazon.
If you want to learn more about me, or just maybe get bonus recipes every now and then on my Instagram you can follow the Horror Movie Night Cookbook Instagram, or my own personal one, @rsargent83.
Tell me what you like. And if you host your own, tag me in that sort of stuff. I’d love to see how your recipes come out, what you would change. I’d love feedback. If you do try any of this, please contact me online and let me know what you liked and what you didn’t.
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Ingredients
1 loaf St. Pierre Brioche Bread
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, just the leaves
1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 small apple (granny smith works well), peeled and diced
Salt and pepper
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut brioche bread into 1” cubes and bake for about 10-15 minutes until toasted.
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Meanwhile, into a pot over medium high heat add butter until melted. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook until everything starts to soften, about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Into a bowl whisk together the eggs, herbs, apples, mushrooms, and salt and pepper. Add your cooked vegetables and mix to combine.
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Pour mixture on top of toasted bread and stir to combine. Bake stuffing for about 45 minutes. If your stuffing starts to get too brown, cover until finished baking. Enjoy!
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Are NYers falling in love with New Wine? Dancing Wines from Cynthia Russell, Lauren Russell
Are NYers falling in love with New Wine? Dancing Wines from Cynthia Russell, Lauren Russell in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County.
The team at Dancing Wines is developing a collection of sensory brands that celebrate life through taste, touch and aroma – inspiring you to find your inner dance and show the world what truly moves you.
Dancing Wines’ red wine trio includes Old Vine, Duo and Estate — three limited-release wines made from hand-picked grapes that showcase the full breadth of the Dancing estate.
Lauren Russell (L) and Cynthia Russell (R) from Dancing Wines Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Today’s conversation with the dynamic Mother / Daughter team Cynthia and Lauren Russell from Dancing Wines ha been edited for length and clarity.
For the full, un-edited conversation, visit our YouTube channel here.
Joe Winger: What is the most important message you’d like to share today?
Lauren Russell: I think one of them is dancing is art and art is life.
Another is love needs no explanation. I think really the thread between those is we’re trying to create a product and an experience that brings people together and invites them to find their inner dance, which is something we say a lot.
So we want to encourage people to find their unique rhythms. And wine is also really lovely because it is a vehicle that brings people together to enjoy a moment and diverse people together.
I think my Mom [Cynthia] can speak to this as well, but one of the things we thought about when first exploring wine was just how daunting the whole atmosphere is around the consumption of it and the buying and using all the right adjectives.
Especially for my generation I feel like there’s a bit of a learning curve. So I think one thing we really want people to take away from the brand is just like, just enjoy it. Love needs no explanation and you can’t drink wine when your mouth is full of adjectives. We’ve created a great wine just for you to be able to enjoy and to describe however you want and enjoy whenever you want.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Cynthia: Yeah, I think the measures we created we have a beautiful heritage property that the soil and the climate create this great wine. And me being of an older generation where wine was very intimidating, even though I know a lot about it.
And drinking it for a very long time. I’ve lived in France. I’ve lived in California. It’s still when you order in a restaurant, you’re scared. Do I know enough? I’m going to be embarrassed. Is this the right pairing? And what the good news is that wine making in the world has become so sophisticated that if you are buying wine from a place that is special, including all.
Sonoma or France or Italy, the wines are good, they’re really good and all you have to do is be comfortable with yourself and enjoying it. And so that’s what we’re trying to do is take a product that has thousands of years of history as being a part of our culture and make you comfortable with just having fun, enjoying it and celebrating what wine can do to bring people together.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Joe Winger: You have a really unique story that you restored a vineyard up in Dry Creek. Can you talk about experience and what you learned from the restoration?
Cynthia: We lucked out. It was a Covid purchase. We spent a lot of time as a family together in very small confined spaces drinking a lot of wine.
We [thought we] might end up needing a place where we have more outdoor space and can be together. So we bought this property more as a farm and then discovered that it was a unique part of the world.
Zinfandel grapes have been growing in this small region for over 150 years.
It was called America’s grape back in the time I think [the] 1850s. Okay, we have these vineyards. They’re really old.
There was one owner at this property for 60 years, an older Italian gentleman. And a lot of the area is multi generation, fourth generation Italian families who came over and cultivated this grape.
We never intended to make wine and yet we were scared to let this history and heritage die.
So we took classes and tried to figure out, can we make wine?
It’d be such a shame to let this history go in this special place.
We made a great discovery, which was that you don’t have to be an expert on wine. You just have to have great soil and a great climate.
Then we launched from there.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Lauren: We’re always towing the line between the respective tradition and traditional winemaking and the land and all of the old vines and creating something new.
She [Mom, Cynthia] always brings a lens of respect for the older generation and ways of life and what wine has meant to her throughout her life.
I’m always pushing the other direction. We always land somewhere in the middle.
You’ll see that in the brands, it has really playful branding and packaging. But, our winemaking is a bit more traditional. We’re a sustainable vineyard but we have old vines and we respect what the land has to offer and what it’s been offering in that region for a long time.
It creates a better product and brand for us because we get to cater to both audiences.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: You have a collection of sensory brands. Can you talk about what that collection is, what inspired the idea, and what we should be looking for?
Lauren: All of the products have been and will be inspired by the backdrop of the vineyard.
When we talk about wine, we talk about this kind of multi sensory experience, whether that’s aroma or where you’re having it, who you’re enjoying it with.
We came into wine knowing that it was going to be not just about taste or smell, but about the holistic experience of what wine could do for someone.
Sort of the thread between all of our products are taste, touch and smell. Again, like finding your inner dance and allowing you to express your personality.
We’re launching a trio of fragrances, which are loosely inspired by the terroir and the vineyard.
Cynthia: We have a fresh perspective on Sonoma. Every time we arrive, we have this nose full of these incredible senses:, the smell of moss, crushed grapes, barrel, fire and oak.
Yeah. So we’re like, wow. Every time we arrive, we’re like, wow, this is really cool.
This is so distinct and unique and just elevates your experience of being there.
We are going to bring more experiences to the brand when we can, like having an artist in residence, creating visually beautiful contributions.
We have an art collection there that inspired us to bring art to the brand. It’s largely from a diverse group of artists from the West Coast who are very colorful and young and also push boundaries. So our idea with the senses is like we’re trying to This is a brand that you enter into our world and you get to experience people and life in a way that’s very unique and bold and
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: What are both of your backgrounds outside of wine?
Lauren: I was raised in Connecticut and went to Dartmouth for undergrad, was a creative non-fiction writer, so always had that storytelling bent.
After school, I worked at a lot of businesses in marketing. Uber Eats, Refinery29, right before the pandemic, I worked for AB and Bev that was my first kind of foray into alcohol.
Then during COVID, I got my MBA at Columbia. We all got this massive reset of our priorities. I come from an entrepreneurial family. This opportunity arose
Cynthia: We’re a family who really believes in experiences. I have dabbled in many different areas. I went to Scripps college. I actually was a dance major until I was not. I became an international relations major. I lived in France for a while. Then moved to New York City and worked for JP Morgan trading stock, money market securities.
I didn’t find that was my passion, so I went to Harvard Business School and I got a master’s in business. Then I worked for American Express where I started a weekend travel program. It was a little startup within the travel segment of American Express. I got my “sea legs” of starting a business.
I quit that business because I had kids, then I started my own mail order company then I decided again, that maybe I needed a little more education.
I went back and got a doctorate at Columbia in organizational leadership.
I have a consulting firm on the side where I consult leaders and organizations about how to handle complex challenges in a complex world.
So my daughter [Lauren] gets through business school and we decide to marry all these wonderful experiences together and create something really new and unique.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: Let’s talk about your wines.
Lauren: We launched with our rosé which is really beautiful. It’s an intentional rosé. From our Primitivo grapes and we harvested them early and intentionally for rosé.
It has this really beautiful distinct, watermelon, almost Jolly Rancher aroma, and it’s really playful and full, but also dry. And it’s been a really big hit so that was a fun debut for us.
We just launched our trio of reds, and what makes them unique goes into the story about the restoration of the vineyard.
We’re still learning our land and learning from it.
We chose to harvest from different blocks and treat the wines in a similar fashion and bottle them separately to see what personalities they expressed.
One is the Old Vine Zinfandel, which is from our oldest head trained vines which is the deepest, moodiest, richest wine. It’s really lovely.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Then we have an estate wine, which is actually from Primitivo, a different word for Zinfandel. That one is a bit lighter.
Then we have a third, a duo which is a blend of both. And so it’s really helped us to understand. And they are quite different.
They’re obviously all Zinfandels in their expressions, but they’re all quite different.
People say Zinfandel is like a map of the land and I think that’s really true here. Which is super cool.
But we have two forthcoming sparkling wines because I think it really speaks to our ethos about being playful and to my generation.
Cynthia: It’s really fun for us because being on the East coast, Zinfandel is a really unknown varietal and we think it’s underrated. Californians know it’s been around for a long time. It has a lot of possibilities with food. And so what we’re trying to do is bring to light this really good wine and do it in a slightly different way.
We pick ours earlier, trying to have it be less jammy, juicy, heavy; lighter, less alcoholic than some of the more traditional Zinfandels that are on our street.
That’s really trying to address the changes consumer changes.
Our wines are chillable, super easy to eat with most any food, especially ethnic food, spicy food.
2022 was our first vintage. 2023 is already in barrels and we’ll be bottling that in probably in March. But it’s going to be a little different because the climate was different that year.
The rosé was just a fluke. Our winemaker wanted to try a Zinfandel rosé. Most people love it. It’s so distinct and unique.
Our 24 Rosé will come out in March. The reds will come out in the early summer. We’re going to bottle the sparkling in January, but that will be at least a year until you’ll see that. The pétillant naturel will probably be launching at about the same time as the rosé
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Lauren: What’s fun about having both an early release sparkling and a [second, additional] later release [sparkling wine] one is going to be lighter, more effervescent, maybe geared towards the younger generation and the other will have that toastier champagne flavor.
Joe Winger: Do you have a favorite wine and food pairing?
Lauren: This one’s so hard. Rosé and oysters or any seafood is just awesome. Sparkling wine and a burger is one of my favorites.
In terms of red, when I think of Zinfandel, it’s Thanksgiving foods. It speaks to the hominess in our story. Bringing everyone around the table. Kind of experiential pairing.
Cynthia: Yeah, that resonates with me.
We have a lot of ethnic food, so it holds up really well to spice, to sweet and sour, salty and sweet. So it’s great with Indian food, Mexican food. Apples in your pork chops.
A burgundy is usually killed instantly by those kinds of flavors. It’s too fragile.
[Ours] is not fragile, but it still has so many nice aromas and flavors to enhance whatever you’re eating.
Lauren: It’s great with pizza. Pizza and a nice glass of Zinfandel
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Joe Winger: What’s something magical about Sonoma that you learned through this journey?
Lauren: True of both Zinfandel and Sonoma it always has this underdog energy to Napa. One of the hidden gems, we wake up really early and drive to the Redwood forest to watch the sun rise through the trees.
We eat a burrito because we have terrible burritos in New York.
There’s an amazing food community, 3 Michelin star restaurant, chefs, farm to table.
Cynthia: The distinct part of Sonoma is how important nature is to everyone there. It’s not just about wine. It’s incredible nature.
We both traveled a lot, lived in a lot of places. I’ve never seen such natural beauty in such a small area.
Lauren: That’s what the idea of our products is too. We have to bring people here in some way, differently than just having them taste the wine.
So as many dimensions as we can bring people into that realm to experience [00:29:00] that it’s like definitely the dream.
Joe Winger: Whether it’s social media, website, or other ways, what are the best ways for our audience to find and follow Dancing Wine?
Lauren: We have our website, which is wearedancing.com. We also are on Instagram, which is at DancingSonoma.
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Eve Bushman Writes From A Wine Lover’s Bucket List: A Week in Chateauneuf du Pape
From A Wine Lover’s Bucket List: Eve Bushman spends a week touring and tasting in Chateauneuf du Pape
What’s on your Bucket List?
While a normal person wants to check off going to Mars, driving a racecar or meeting a president, wine writers have lists that almost always include visiting wineries in far off places. Having Shiraz in Australia, Tempranillo in Spain, Chianti Classico in Italy and Malbec in Argentina are on our lists, but top of the list for me has always been France. I had two days in Bordeaux years ago and a week in the Garda DOC in Italy that just wet my whistle for more, so when a small group of wine writers was being put together, to visit Chateauneuf du Pape for arguably the best Rhone wines in the world, I poised my pencil over my list and made a huge mark – YES, please, take me!
Quick travel tips: Bottles are priced much less at the source, even with shipping costs; we saved in buying a case to have sent home. If you can’t get winery appointments, or don’t have the time, we found several tasting rooms in town – as well as several places for meals. None of us in our party spoke fluent French, and though it would have helped, we were fine communicating in English. You can drive your own car, on the right side of the street, but there are many roundabouts, toll roads and narrow roadways.
Eddie Bushman at Pegau
Eve Bushman visits Domaine Pegau
Our first day in France began with a sunrise at our friend’s Villa in Monoblet. From there we traveled 90 minutes for a tour and tasting at Chateau (wines labeled from the Cote du Rhone area) and Domaine (Chateauneuf du Pape area in Rhone) from Pegau. We have a few Domaine Pegau wines in our cellar and really looked forward to visiting the real deal.
From our host we learned that there are five towns in Chateauneuf du Pape that produced 95% red and 5% white wine grapes. They use 13 grape varieties and any given bottle only has to use one grape. Pegau – properly pronounced as “Pay-Go” – uses all 13, including blending white with red grapes. For their Cote du Rhone property Pegau makes 44% red wine and one Rose wine.
We learned that they are an old school winery, as far as winemaking techniques. When finished wine is ordered only then is a bottling truck ordered and labels created. (There are different laws for different labeling around the world, so that is the reason they have to wait to print the labels.)
Only old oak is used for aging and some barrels are 90 years old. Stainless steel tanks are only used for their white wines; some high-end whites also spend time in wood barrels and concrete eggs. They do not de-stem any of the wines, which for me meant that the terroir would show earthiness and tannins.
Now, onto the tasting!
We sampled two Chateau Pegau Vallee du Rhone and two Domaine Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape, a white and red in each category, aged between 2019 and 2021. My personal preference on these leaned more toward the Chateauneuf du Pape wines and of particular note was the 2019 Cuvee Reservee that used all 13 Rhone grapes and 80% of that was Grenache. These wines were priced between 10 and 45 euros – which is pretty close to the same in American dollars.
Instagram: @Domaine_Du_Pegau
Website: https://pegau.com/
Roger Sabon Wine glass
Eve Bushman tastes at Domaine Roger Sabon
Next up we visited Chateauneuf du Pape’s (CDP’s) Domaine Roger Sabon for a tasting.
Our host explained that this past summer they experienced drier weather producing smaller berries over 18 hectares. Sabon, like Pegau, has both a Domaine for the CDP wine area and a Cotes du Rhone label. Five percent of their appellations are producing white wines. They blend before aging, have four different soil types and also have a distillery. All of their wines are at least 70% Grenache and are aged in large barrels.
For the tasting they offered us new and older wines, including wines from the Lirac appellation – not in Chateauneuf du Pape – with amazing aromatics and flavors.
My favorites were a 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve that had just been bottled in March and contained 80% Grenache and the remaining 20% was made of Syrah and Mourvedre – the classic GSM blend. I noted delicate fruit aromas and subtle fruit flavors – red to blue fruits – as well as a pepperiness.
My second favorite was the Prestige label, a 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape that was all black fruit, cracked pepper and earth that had a nice sweet spot. That blend was also a GSM.
My ultimate favorite of the day was the final wine we tasted: the 2012 Prestige that had huge aromatics with earth, mint, dark fruit and an extra long finish. It was a real treat to be treated to an older vintage as it showed how well these wines did after a decade of aging.
Instagram: @Roger.Sabon
Website: http://www.domainerogersabon.com/en/
Domaine de la Mordoree
The next day we went to Domaine de la Mordoree for an extensive vineyard tour – with the most amazing rocky and sandy soil that walking on it was difficult. The idea of the roots below, struggling for water that made them strong, left a huge impression on me. I had never seen this kind of large rocky terrain in a vineyard before. And the sandy sections were so pure and soft, it was quite a difference. The vines are between 40 and 60 years old.
Farming in the Domaine was certified organic in 2013 and is now also biodynamic. There are 30 workers brought in for nighttime harvests every year. The father and head of the household had died, and the mother and daughter “continue in a masculine world” according to our guide.
After the tour we had a tasting of their new white, rose and red wines. My first favorite was the 2019 La Dame Rousse – Lirac, also known as “The Red Lady” on their website, which was 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. Very dark berries, forest floor, tannin, dry and spicy and with a price tag of only 14.50 Euros. My second favorite was their 2020 La Reine de bois Chateauneuf du Pape that was rich, velvety, smooth and balanced. Top notch indeed and 56 Euros.
Instagram: @Domaine_Mordoree
Website: https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/?lang=en
Domaine Andre Brunel and le Clos du Caillou with Eve Bushman
Our next day in Chateauneuf du Pape was spent at Domaine Andre Brunel and le Clos du Caillou! At Andre Brunel we learned that the namesake had passed away in February and his son Fabrice, Andre’s longtime apprentice, then took over as winemaker. Some of the Grenache vineyards are 135 years old. One other interesting fact is that in a recent blind tasting of a 1959 Andre Brunel vintage the wine was thought to have been a Burgundy instead of a Rhone!
We tasted in the winery, during a day of noisy pressing, but it didn’t keep us from enjoying several wines. Along with their Chateauneuf du Pape label we also sampled blends from their Cotes du Rhone Villages. My favorite was a 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Cailloux that was a 60% Grenache blend with Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. The wine had been aged in a Burgundy barrel.
Onto le Clos du Caillou where some of their wines are grown within the CDP boundaries and some are outside of it in Cotes du Rhone territory. The Cailloux area, mentioned above in a wine from Andre Brunel, is just outside of CDP but has the same soil and terroir. Some of their vineyards have sandy soils and some are pebbly.
Their Grand Reserve wine is their most famous and comes from pure sandy soils, which for the winery means:
“elegance, fine tannins and aging potential.”
le Clos du Caillou bottless and quartz
Their new winery, Domaine de Panisse, began in 2020 and the wines have all sold out. In 2007 they went organic and were certified as so in 2010. They are also biodynamic but are not yet certified for that distinction. Grenache is their number one produced grape, followed by Syrah, Mourvedre and other Rhônes. They only work with used barrels.
We tasted seven wines and the most memorable one for me was the Les Quartz Rouge – Chateauneuf du Pape 2020 for its fresh red fruit, richness and smooth balance. The grapes used – 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah – came from the vineyard that just happened to be just outside of the Chateauneuf du Pape region. Our host said the wine had a 20-year aging potential. The wine was priced at 55 Euros.
Instagram: @Domaine_AndreBrunel @ClosDuCaillou
Websites: https://domaine-andre-brunel.fr/
https://www.closducaillou.com/
La Barroche winery
Domaine la Barroche and Château Mont Redon PLUS The Terroir and Castles
Next up we visited Domaine la Barroche where the sandy soil with quartz stones took over the vineyards. The same 12 people do the harvest every year; and the group also sorts the grapes in buckets by hand for the 2,000 cases of wine they produce a year. During the de-stemming process they discard any too-dry berries. Then, later, the winemaking process is “like slow cooking at low temperatures” according to our host.
We tasted wines from their Liberty (stones), Julien Barrot (signature) and Fiancée labels. Every wine I tasted I noted as distinguished: the 2020, 2019 and 2016 Julien Barrot Chateauneuf du Pape, 2020 Liberty blend and the 2020 Fiancée Chateauneuf du Pape.
Chateau Mont- Redon
Before our tasting at Mont-Redon I took a few moments to look over their colorful brochure and large maps.
I read,
“The secret of our skill is hidden in the poor soils in which the vines grow.
Originally the Alps, Chateauneuf du Pape, round puddings stones are what make our wines special.
Our Lirac and Cotes du Rhone are at their best on the plains, also stony, neighboring those of Chateauneuf du Pape.”
Château Mont Redon will be celebrating their 100-year anniversary next year, with the same family at the helm since 1923!
We tasted a 2021 Roussanne Viognier Reserve Cotes du Rhone, 2020 Oratoire St. Domaine Martin Rhone Valley, 2020 Lirac GSM, 2018 Reserve Gigondas and a 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape. Learned that they don’t export their wines until they are at least five years old – as the U.S. consumer is not known for aging their wines – and we should be buying the 2019s now.
Terroir tour Day Courtesy A 2 Pas des Vignes Hebergements and Spa
Next up was a fabulous tour of the different rocks – including beautiful quartz – and different soils all throughout the Cote Du Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape with Nicolas of “A 2 Pas des Vignes Hebergements and Spa”! (He and his wife Emilie own four homes to rent, and a spa on the premises.) Castles – all minutes away – include the Pope’s Palace, Chateau de Vaudieu, Chateau La Nerthe and Hostellerie du Château that also has a lovely restaurant. I highly recommend a stay at 2 Pas as the pricing is more than reasonable as well as being in the center of Chateauneuf du Pape. Nicolas offered us the tour, though he is not a tour guide, but I also suggest a tour so that you can get more of a sense of the terroir and history.
Nicolas from A 2 Pas des Vignes Hebergements and Spa
Instagram: @DomaineLaBarroche @ChateauMontRedon
Websites: https://www.domainelabarroche.com/
https://www.chateaumontredon.com/
Instagram: @a2pasdesvignes
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/a2pasdesvignes
Domaine du Grand Tinel bottle shot
Domaine du Grand Tinel, Domaine Saint Prefert Et Domaine Isabel Ferrando and Vieux Telegraphe
My final installment from my time in Chateauneuf du Pape is a visit and tour at Domaine du Grand Tinel that’s been making wine for 7 generations! (My husband Eddie covered me for another day – see his coverage from Domaine Saint Prefert Et Domaine Isabel Ferrando and Vieux Telegraphe below.)
Lucien Jeune, born in 1904, is known for two things, first he passed a law forbidding UFOs from landing in the vineyards – making the area more appealing to inquisitive tourists – and he was also mayor for 25 years. Grand Tinel began in 1972, combining estates owned by Lucien Jeune and Georges Establet, when their children married in 1968.
Domaine du Grand Tinel wine glass
To this day harvest is all done by hand, the have two wineries from two different terroirs: Domaine du Grand Tinel and Domaine de Saint Paul. They don’t make all of the white Rhone varieties, and they focus on the three major reds: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Some of their vines are over 100 years old. They only use new oak barrels for the whites and used for the reds. Wine is sold through Negotiants, mostly to the private sector of French buyers. Bottling and labeling is done in house.
These were my favorites from the tasting: The 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc, the 2020 Cuvee Cotes du Rhone (Roussanne based), Domaine Saint Paul 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape (Grenache and Syrah based, 70 year old vines), 2018 L’insolite (100% Syrah) and 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Heres (100% Grenache).
Eddie and friends (I was back at the Villa with a cold) visited Domaine Saint Prefert Et Domaine Isabel Ferrando and Vieux Telegraphe…these are his memories of the day:
Eddie’s Telegraph
My day began at Domaine Saint Prefert and with an introduction and discussion with owner Isabel Fernando, and a tasting of the latest vintages. The 2021 Blanc Famille Isabel Fernando Chateauneuf du Pape was a great sample of their wines. The 2020 Colombis from Chateauneuf du Pape was outstanding as well.
Saint Prefert Isabel Ferrando
The afternoon brought us to Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe. Vieux Telegraphe has been a family run winery since 1891. The sixth generation of the Brunier family is continuing the tradition of making excellent wines. Daniel Brunier gave us a wonderful tour and explanation of their winemaking style. The tour included a walk through their newly constructed caves for wine aging and storage.
The tasting began with Clos Roquete, a very approachable wine made from 33% Roussanne, 33% Clairette, and 34% Grenache Blanc. This wine was so good, we bought a bottle for dinner that night. The 2020 Blanc was outstanding as well. We tasted the entire flight ending with the 2019 Rouge Chateauneuf du Pape made from 65% Grenache Noir, 15% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah, with Cinsault, Clairette and others at 5%. As a special treat, Daniel opened their 2010 rouge Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape. This wine was truly a standout in all the wines tasted on the trip so far. The wine had aged well and still had the ability go age a couple of dozen more years. Many Vieux Telegraphe wines were included in the case we had shipped home.
Instagrams: @DomaineDuGrandTinel @isabelferrando_stprefert @VieuxTelegraphe
Websites: https://www.domainegrandtinel.fr/en/#historique
https://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
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NYC: “First Lady of Wine” Heidi Barrett recognized in New Winemaker Series for Gelson’s Markets
“First Lady of Wine” Heidi Barrett recognized in New Winemaker Series for Gelson’s Markets.
Gelson’s wines have always earned high praise from customers and critics alike including notable recognition from Wine Enthusiast for their private brand wine.
The launch of their new “Winemaker Series” is expected to be no different. The first winemaker in this series is renowned “First Lady of Wine” Heidi Barrett.
Barrett is highly regarded for the exceptional finesse and quality of wine she has crafted over the years. She played a pivotal role in the creation of Screaming Eagle wine from 1992, which earned two 100-point scores from prominent wine critics.
Heidi Barrett ‘s new Red Blend
For Gelson’s, she has created a rich, ripe delicious Red Blend that is a carefully balanced combination of Syrah, Petit Sirah, and Cabernet Franc and yields distinctive aromatics as well as dense berry and plum
“When Gelson’s approached me to collaborate with them
for their new Winemaker Series I did not hesitate.
Our shared high standards of excellence and commitment to delivering only the best quality
products are perfectly aligned,”
Heidi Barrett
“We have created a beautiful wine for elegant and enjoyable drinking.”
Find Heidi Barrett new wine at Gelson’s
“We are truly proud of this collaboration with Heidi Barrett reflecting the attention to detail and quality that Gelson’s prides itself on,”
President and CEO John Bagan.
“Working with Heidi is just the beginning. We look forward to expanding the series with other renowned winemakers.”
The select wine will be available in all stores or online on shop.gelsons.com on February 7.
Gelson’s is a collection of premium food and beverage markets throughout Southern California
Gelson’s is a collection of premium food and beverage markets with 28 locations throughout Southern California featuring the amenities of a traditional grocer with the personalized service and tailored offerings of a neighborhood shop.
Each store offers a wide range of carefully selected produce, meat, seafood, bakery, floral and chef-crafted recipes from Gelson’s Kitchen, including deli to-go and catering. Shoppers can enjoy the best quality local, specialty, and organic products, along with favorite national brands. Gelson’s has earned recognition for its selection of top-quality private brand products, virtual educational tasting events, and charitable community partnerships.
Founded in 1951 as an extraordinary food shopping experience for discerning consumers, Gelson’s is committed to the highest standards for quality, value, and freshness; unsurpassed service; and attention to detail in a welcoming atmosphere.Find out why Life Tastes Better Here® at https://gelsons.com and follow @gelsonsmarkets on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
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High Line Art Annc’s 2022 High Line Channels Featuring works by Kevin Jerome Everson, Ilana Harris-Babou, Jasmina Cibic, Cheng Ran
High Line Art announces 2022 season of exhibitions for High Line Channels Featuring works by Kevin Jerome Everson, Ilana Harris-Babou, Jasmina Cibic, Cheng Ran
High Line Art announces the 2022 season of exhibitions for High Line Channels—an ongoing series of video projections in the semi-enclosed passageway on the High Line at 14th Street.
High Line Channels is the only video program in a New York City park available 365 days a year, and features emerging and established artists from around the world.
Rotating every two months, this year’s program includes solo presentations by Kevin Jerome Everson, Ilana Harris-Babou, Jasmina Cibic, and Cheng Ran, as well as a thematic group exhibition, Spiritual Technology.
The films and videos presented by these artists explore a broad range of themes:
birds and our relationship to wilderness with Kevin Jerome Everson;
self-improvement and wellness culture with Ilana Harris-Babou;
how governments assert power and values through architecture with Jasmina Cibic;
the poetics of daily life in China with Cheng Ran in a US premiere, and the relationship between techno-utopias and psychic connections to the earth in Spiritual Technology.
In addition to these five exhibitions, a sixth program, the next High Line Originals commissioned film, will be announced in the coming months.
High Line Channels is organized by Melanie Kress, High Line Art associate curator.
Kevin Jerome Everson State Bird January 6–March 16, 2022 Kevin Jerome Everson (b. 1965, Mansfield, Ohio) is an artist based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Professor of Art at the University of Virginia.
Everson, whose practice encompasses printmaking, photography, sculpture, and film, makes work that reflects gestures or tasks caused by certain conditions in the lives of working class African Americans and other people of African descent. Everson’s sculptures are often casts of everyday objects made in the factories in his Ohio hometown.
For the High Line, Everson presents four films: Brown Thrasher (2020), Mockingbird, (2020), Cardinal (2019); and The Foothills of the Allegheny Plateau (2019). The films begin with a pair of binoculars made in the Mansfield Ohio Westinghouse factory during WWII (where the artist was briefly employed) that Everson cast in bronze and rubber, rendering them useless. Everson staged the films in Georgia, Mississippi, and Ohio (the first three films are named for those places’ state birds), inviting family members to “look” for birds with the props. Everson limits these films to the extreme foreground, denying viewers any clarity as to the exact place of filming. Presented on the High Line from winter into early spring, the exhibition brings brightness to winter days in the park and ushers us into the season when the birds start to sing again in New York and the park comes alive.
Ilana Harris-Babou Help Yourself March 17–May 11, 2022 Ilana Harris-Babou (b. 1991, Brooklyn, New York) is an artist living and working in Brooklyn. Harris-Babou is known for her videos that parody reality television tropes such as cooking and home-improvement shows, and star her and her mother, Sheila Harris. Across her videos and sculptures, she focuses on “self-improvement” and how aspirations for health and wellness become framed as moral decisions in contemporary culture. Especially in Harris-Babou’s most recent work, she shifts her frame to question how inequality in the US is presented as a failure of personal decision-making and commitments to wellness.
For the High Line, Harris-Babou shares four films: In Cooking with the Erotic (2016), the artist and her mother use real food, art materials, and construction materials to offer tutorials for absurd concoctions. Finishing a Raw Basement (2017) is filled with home-improvement buzzwords like “modern,” “transitional,” and “classic” alongside Harris’s calls for reparations. In Fine Lines (2020), Harris performs her beauty routine tutorial for a meeting with a real estate developer who is trying to buy her Brooklyn home. For Leaf of Life (2021) Harris-Babou interviewed her sister about her experience working as a disillusioned health-care professional, as well as diet and wellness practices following the popular health guru, herbalist, and healer Dr. Sebi.
Jasmina Cibic Halls of Power July 7–September 14, 2022 Jasmina Cibic (b. 1979, Slovenia) works in film, sculpture, performance, and installation to explore “soft power” and the ways that governments use state-sanctioned culture—dance, music, painting, and architecture—to communicate certain principles and aspirations. She begins her projects in archives, researching moments in history through what she calls “historical readymades”: speeches, government meeting minutes, architectural plans, or even dances or songs that reflect government values. Her artworks often focus on how Modernist architecture has been used to establish various state identities, particularly during moments of ideological and political crises.
On the High Line, Cibic shares three films. In The Pavilion (2015), five dancers assemble an architectural model that merges two buildings created to house patriarchal desire: the pavilion the Kingdom of Yugoslavia built for the 1929 Barcelona EXPO and the unrealized house for iconic performer Josephine Baker designed by Austrian architect Adolf Loos. Nada: Act II (2017) restages famed Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s 1924 pantomime ballet The Miraculous Mandarin, as selected by Yugoslavia to represent its new political and aesthetic direction at the 1958 Brussels EXPO. State of Illusion (2018) posits the disappearing act of a nation state— former socialist Yugoslavia—as a magician’s illusion. Taking place on the High Line, a relic of infrastructure that has become a civic monument for industrial reuse, this exhibition invites us to think about the ways that the buildings and structures around us reflect the values of those who build them.
Cheng Ran Chung Kuo (Ck2k2x) September 15–November 9, 2022 Cheng Ran (b. 1981, Inner Mongolia, China) lives and works in Hangzhou, China. He is best known for his poetic films and videos that describe specific places and the experience of living in them. Cheng staged some of his earliest video works in his apartment, on the streets of Amsterdam, on a car ride through Iceland, telling grand truths through the mundane poetry of everyday life. His works have since expanded to immersive multi-channel installations and epic films that contrast historical sagas and rapid modernization. For the High Line, Cheng presents the US premiere of his feature-length film Chung Kuo (Ck2k2k) (2017–2022). The film revisits famed Italian filmmaker Michaelangelo Antonioni’s controversial documentary portrait Chung Kuno—Cina (1972). Anotioni filmed the work at the invitation of the Chinese government, but focused on the people presumed to have been at the edges of his official tour.
The final film sparked outrage among Chinese cultural critics and the general public for its failure to show an accurate portrait of the country. Cheng’s film offers a new portrait of contemporary China, opening with the question “Is this another dream?” The film comprises 100 short documentary-style videos, each ranging from a few seconds to almost one hour. Taking place among skyscrapers, farmland, and wilderness, some of the clips are staged while others are filmed from life. With this work, the artist records the present and imagines future ghosts of modernization. ART Spiritual Technology November 10, 2022–January 4, 2023 Spiritual Technology features three artists exploring how relations between spirituality and technology shift over time, including links between science, myth, belief systems, and our connection to the planet. Science fiction holds up a mirror to our potential futures and to our present. The works in this exhibition tease apart tensions between techno-utopian promises and intuitive connections to the biological world. Cannupa Hanska Luger’s (b. 1979, Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota) We Live Future Ancestral Technologies Entry Log (2019) is an Indigenous science fiction film wherein two figures perform land-based rituals, wearing regalia that mutes the senses. The film describes a mass exodus from earth by those who destroyed much of it, and those remaining behind to repair it. Ursula Mayer’s (b. 1970, Ried im Innkreis, Austria) Atom Spirit (2016) is also set in the near future, one of increasing biomedical innovation. Made with individuals from the LGBT community in Trinidad and Tobago, the work follows a group of evolutionary geneticists creating a cryogenically frozen arc of DNA from all forms of life on the islands. In Suzanne Treister’s (b. 1958, London, England) HFT The Gardener (2015), Hillel Fisher Traumberg is a stock trader who experiences hallucinogenic states while observing high-frequency trading graph patterns.
Deep research into psychoactive drugs converts Traumberg into a technoshamanic outsider artist, connecting psychoactive plant names with companies in the Financial Times Global 500 in a search for the true nature of consciousness.
ABOUT HIGH LINE ART
Founded in 2009, High Line Art commissions and produces a wide array of artwork, including site-specific commissions, exhibitions, performances, video programs, and a series of billboard interventions. Led by Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, and presented by the High Line, the art program invites artists to think of creative ways to engage with the unique architecture, history, and design of the park, and to foster a productive dialogue with the surrounding neighborhood and urban landscape. For more information about High Line Art, please visit thehighline.org/art.
ABOUT THE HIGH LINE
The High Line is both a nonprofit organization and a public park on the West Side of Manhattan. Through our work with communities on and off the High Line, we’re devoted to reimagining public spaces to create connected, healthy neighborhoods and cities. Built on a historic, elevated rail line, the High Line was always intended to be more than a park. You can walk through gardens, view art, experience a performance, enjoy food and beverage, or connect with friends and neighbors—all while enjoying a unique perspective of New York City. Nearly 100% of our annual budget comes through donations. The High Line is owned by the City of New York and we operate under a license agreement with NYC Parks.
