life with a side of coffee wine and movie pairing 3

This week's Wine and Movie Pairing is a few days late but still in time for Wine Wednesday! I kind of failed with the pairing again this week but the movie and the wine were both incredible on their own. I guess my planning was not up to par for this particular round. I picked really great wines and my aunt and I picked really great movies but I did an awful job of pairing them up. We needed two reds and one rose for this round instead of one of each color. But anyway, today I feel like many of you won't know the second film in this round dedicated to Robin Williams. I sure didn't until my aunt introduced me. It's called What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr.

What Dreams May Come is a really intuitive movie that follows a man after his death. I won't lie, it's incredibly heartbreaking at times because him and his wife lose so much. Their children are killed in a car crash and Robin's character, Christopher, ends up getting killed in one as well leaving his wife, Annie, alone. My aunt warned me when she suggested this movie that it was sad but it's a different side to Robin Williams that I haven't gotten the chance to see. The more serious side. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays an old friend of Christopher's that died years ago and is put in charge of helping Christopher come to accept his fate and move on to the next step, heaven. Annie, too distraught to handle the death of her children and, four years later, her husband ends up committing suicide. When Christopher finds out she is literally in her own hell, he goes on a mission to find her but not before reuniting with his children. It might sound morbid with all of the death but try to look away from it because death is not the center of this movie. It's just a step we all must take at some point to get to a better place, or for some, a not so good place. It's a film about hope. No one is more hopeful then Christopher. He's told he cannot possibly bring Annie back from the hell she put herself in but he goes on a mission to find her anyway. He held it together after his children died because he had hope it would be better one day. In short, this isn't a walk in the park to watch, it's an emotional roller coaster. However, it's a fantastic film. The acting is phenomenal. Robin Williams was such a talented actor and that really showed in this movie. The storyline was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. It was a change of pace and a change from the norm and that was really refreshing. I'd definitely recommend this movie, just make sure to have a box of tissues handy.

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Let's get to the wine, shall we? The 2014 Ruza White Zinfandel comes from Lodi, California and has a signature scent that consists of whipped cream and strawberries, watermelon and roses. ClubW says, "What started as a joke, became a mission between two best friends; to represent the new face of White Zinfandel and change the perception of this American classic. Sugary sweet, and often served as a spritzer, poor White Zin has always had an image problem. The pink juice relished in its 80s heydays, but since then, has become best known as grandma's bevvy of choice. That is until now. You see, Zinfandel is not a naturally cloying grape. Marked for it's jammy, berry fruits, the "white" version (when done right) can be lean, dry and crisp...perhaps rivaling the world's best roses. Winemakers Brian Smith and Aaron Foreman love the pink stuff. Brian has been making rose in Provence for the past 5 years, and Aaron has been pouring it in his restaurants for years. Taking a craft approach to the love-to-hate grape, Zinfandel fruit was harvested specifically to create a rose wine. After a light basket-press, the result is fruity and strawberry-licious...but with that lovely, crisp finish we all adore."

I loved this wine. There's not much else to say. It has a sweet taste as soon as it hits the tongue but lingers dry. I definitely get the strawberry essence, not sure where they get cream from. If you're not crazy about sweet wines, this isn't as "sugary sweet" as they mention in the description. Yes, it's sweet but it has a nice dry balance in the finish. It's crisp and light making it perfect for summertime. This would be paired really well with strawberry shortcake which is the recipe they paired it with on the little card it comes with. I can't get the picture of it out of my head. I'll have to make it this weekend. So far, this box of ClubW is going really well for me. With that said, What Dreams May Come is a pretty heavy film. I would recommend it be paired with a really dark red wine instead of a light rose but they were both fantastic on their own.

So what do you think? Is this a wine you think you'd enjoy? Is this a movie you'd like to see or have you seen it already?

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Make sure you check out my other Wine & Movie Pairing posts!

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