Pairing Wine with Oscar Party Snacks and Movies

On Global’s Morning Show yesterday, we paired wines with Oscar-worthy snacks from Cibo Wine Bar as well as former winners of the Best Picture Award.

Here are my Top 20 Oscar Wines showing your which liquor stores have them in stock now … enjoy!

Titantic 1997

Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne

Grilled whole calamari, mixed greens, diced tomatoes extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice

The Sting

The Entertainer Red Belnd

Americana Pizza Tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushroom, green peppers

The Godfather

Castello di Gabbiano Chianti

Chianti braised short ribs, 10 oz. porcini crusted beef short ribs, gorgonzola polenta, crispy onions

Silence of the Lambs

Estancia Pinot Grigio

Trota Alla Griglia, grilled local trout, lemon caper sauce, baby squash, fava bean ragu

Lord of the Rings

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir

Fried baby squid rings, garlic mayo + spicy marinara dips

With Chef Saverio Macri of Cibo Wine Bar in Toronto

Pairing Wine with Oscar Party Snacks and Movies

Jeff: Now you’re hosting a big party or simply curling up in couch in your PJs, The Oscars, of course, is a perfect place to settle yourself in with wine.

Natalie: Let’s get the party started. As you we’re saying …

Liza: Good to have you at the party, Natalie.

Jeff: I want you to know, though, I have got to see that back later. I didn’t flinch, okay I didn’t flinch.

Natalie: No. Calm and still.

Jeff: Nice to see Natalie MacLean here.

Natalie: Alright… yeah!

Liza: Canada’s largest wine review site and so these are all representing films – Academy Award films and we’re pairing some wines.

Natalie: Oscar-worthy snacks from Cibo Wine Bar here in Toronto and I’ve got a wine, a food and a movie pairing. So, we’re going to start with Moet & Chandon, a beautiful champagne to go with the Titanic movie. I can’t believe it’s been almost twenty years, 1997. Okay, Talk but pour.

Jeff: Two things at once, please.

Natalie: If you remember in Titanic, they had lots of champagne flowing. Now, interestingly Titanic, the real ship in the real life was never christened with champagne; never hit over the hull with champagne. They say it’s a bad omen.

Jeff: Right!

Natalie: And they did find the champagne, though, at the bottom of the ocean. It’s the only thing that survived.

Natalie, Jeff and Liza: Cheers!

Jeff: (Inaudible) with Natalie.

Liza: So that would go with the Calamari?

Natalie: The Calamari.

Jeff: Right.

Natalie: And then we’re going to go to The Sting, if you remember the movie, “The Sting”.

Jeff: Of course, great one!

Natalie: And the song from that was?

Jeff: The Entertainer.

Natalie: Yes! Alright, there is a wine for that.

Jeff: Okay.

Natalie: This one is from Australia called the Entertainer; it’s a Wolf Blass wine.

Liza: Okay.

Natalie: They named it “The Entertainer” because this guy was a real live wire and he still is. He’s alive and he’s a real person. He’s not like Betty Crocker. There is a Wolf Blass.

So he will do things like getting into first class, flying and hold a captive audience for a wine tasting with his wines. He’s had himself paged at airports so that if you’re in the duty free store, you’re hearing “Wolf Blass! Wolf Blass!”

Liza: That’s amazing!

Natalie: He’s a great guy! He always has the hustle going, just like The Sting. Let’s try this and I don’t know if you can reach that beautiful food but either now or after the segment, one of these ways, we are going to get to it.

Liza: I know! (inaudible).

Natalie: It’s so beautiful!

Liza: And this is?

Natalie: This is the Gabbiano … so we’re moving right along here.

Liza: Okay.

Natalie: What we’ve got here is Chianti Braised Short Ribs.

Jeff: Here’s what I think, sorry to interrupt, here. You and I should alternate movies because by the time we get to the end.

Natalie: Yes.

Liza: Get to the end …

Jeff: We have the whole show to go.

Liza: I know exactly!

Natalie: That’s why I’m moving right along, here. I’ve paired it with The Godfather.

Liza: That was amazing!

Natalie: If you remember they always had the tumblers of Chianti, real Italian muscular Chianti. Isn’t that beautiful?

Jeff: That’s a full-body Italian right there?

Natalie: Yes. It’s gorgeous. And speaking of Chianti, the next one is for Silence of the Lambs.

Jeff: Of course.

Natalie: Now if you remember, there was that pairing, by Hannibal Lecter, of Chianti and fava beans.

Liza: Yes!

Natalie: For me personally, that was the most barbaric part of the movie.

That was just uncivilized.

Liza: Yes.

Natalie: With fava beans, you’ve got that lime leaf, that green … you want a Pinot Grigio like Estancia from California. It’s going to be gorgeous with that kind of a pairing.

Jeff: Alright! Well, that’s to go with the Crostini’s there in front, right?

Natalie: Right, the Crostini’s.

Jeff: Yes.

Natalie: With fava beans? Pecorino?

Liza: I’m gonna try this. These all look so beautiful.

Natalie: So beautiful! Yes, we will descend on them after.

Liza: This is one of my very favourites.

Natalie: Cloudy Bay is from New Zealand. I paired it with Lord of the Rings. The movie Lord of the Rings, as you may know, was filmed in New Zealand … beautiful landscape … beautiful wines. So this one is crisp and fresh. For Lord of the Rings we have baby squid rings.

Jeff: Okay, that makes sense.

Natalie: So you see how we are working together, right?

Liza: Oh, I see what are you doing, there, Natalie MacLean.

Natalie: The movie, the food, the wine. Alright, we can keep going.

Jeff: Moving along, look at this platter we have.

Natalie: Isn’t that beautiful, prosciutto.

Liza: How happy are you if you roll into an Oscar party with these?

Natalie: I know, look at that, prosciutto and formaggio … lots of rich taste. I’ve paired that with the movie, Out of Africa.

Jeff: Right!

Natalie: She said I had a farm in Africa, well we have a wine from Africa and so I will not do anymore accent. Just no reaction

Natalie: So, this is a Cathedral Cellar Shiraz. We often think of Australia for it’s Shiraz. South Africa is brilliant at Shiraz … beautiful and often lower priced.

Jeff: Okay.

Natalie: So, what’s the pairing here?

Jeff: We’ve got Calzones over here.

Natalie: We’ve got Calzones with spicy sausage. I’ve paired it with Trapiche Extravaganza which sounds like a billboard for a boxing match with Rocky, of course Sylvester Stallone. I know, that’s a little bit of the stretch.

Liza: That’s alright.

Natalie: Okay

Jeff: Rocky Calzone.

Jeff and Natalie: Yes!

Liza: Yeah Rocky Calzone, pink!

Natalie: And so you need a full-bodied big red to go with spicy sausage. Of course Sylvester Stallone is back in this year’s nominees with Creed.

Liza: Yes!

Jeff: That’s right.

Natalie: So we’re starting to tie it into this year.

Liza: Right.

Natalie: But I think you’ll find the pairing very nice and the last one is definitely a paring for this year. So, we have The Revenant.

I don’t know if you have seen it. I saw it recently but …

Liza: I know there’s a tangle with the bear.

Natalie: That’s all; it’s all about the bear.

Liza: Yes!

Natalie: Look at this label, see the tie in?

Jeff: Very good.

Natalie: We’ve got beef carpaccio, not bear, a very spicy beef carpaccio and a big California red blend from Toasted Head Winery. I just think it will work beautifully.

Jeff: Very good

Liza: So great!

Natalie: There you go!

Liza: Natalie MacLean, thank you so much. Those are great suggestions. Also thanks to Cibo here in Toronto for all this beautiful food.

Natalie: Absolutely, my pleasure. Cheers to us?

Liza: Nice to see you.

Jeff: Cheers, Good afternoon!

Liza: To the Oscars!