Behind the Couch

This month’s Hellraiser marathon was brought to you with (a lot) of Rioja Reserva Cepa Alegro, 2007. Not only is it currently on offer in Sainsbury’s, it’s been described as a good quality Rioja for a meaty dinner table. The perfect accompaniment then, to all those visceral, wet scenes of meat, flayed flesh, red-raw body-modification and blood in  Hellraiser . A medium bodied, spicy, and acidic wine, it boasts blood-red berry aromas, a smidgen of tobacco, woody tannins and a long, hint-of-vanilla finish. Tannin-tastic reds such as this go really well with rare meat. Meat is high in protein you see, especially the blood in rare meat, and protein softens tannins. A match made in bloody heaven. Or hell. It’s also great with meaty dishes such as roast lamb or game; its acidity cuts through the fat as efficiently as Pinhead skinning a doomed pleasure-seeker. A ‘modern’ Rioja, whatever that means, it proves complimentary with Manchego cheese too, so it should complement the a...

I realise it’s been a while since I featured a wine of the month. That’s not to say that I haven’t been enjoying any nice wines of late; I’ve probably just been too drunk to formulate a coherent recommendation. Anyhow. As I’ve been watching the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series this month, I thought I should stay sober long enough to recommend Raso de la Cruz, a fruity Tempranillo-Cabernet, expertly blended by Marks & Spencer (I'm not fussy, really). And at £6.99 a bottle, it’s cheap and cheerful, too. A deep-red and fragrant wine, Raso de la Cruz is packed with flavours of morello cherry, crushed black pepper and wild Mediterranean herbs. The distinctly fresh acidity is matched by fine tannins and a lightly spicy finish. In the parched climate of Cariñena, old vines have adapted to survive by digging deep into the soil to reach natural reserves of water. The resulting fruit is highly concentrated, giving vibrant wines which are intensely fruity. Raso de la Cruz is ...

“Wine is bottled poetry” - Robert Louis Stevenson. Okay, so while all of this month has been dedicated to watching the Halloween films, my intentions to try some pumpkin wine for October’s featured bottle were put on hold when I heard there was a new addition to the Crystal Lake Wine series… Plus, the suburban sprawl of Haddonfield made me long for the greenery of Crystal Lake. Survivor’s Syrah is a smooth and inviting red with hints of toasted coconut followed by notes of poached Anjou pear, strawberry jam and dried blueberries. The perfect weapon in a bottle for those trying midweek times. To promote the latest addition to the Crystal Lake Wine range, filmmaker, avid Friday the 13th fanatic and fine wine connoisseur Curtis Pew has filmed Back To The Lake II , an eight-minute short and the second instalment of the Back To The Lake commercial series. It stars Adrienne King, Dallas Bobbitt and Nicholas Matthew Walker. Check it out here . Crystal Lake Wine is produ...

" When the wine goes in, strange things come out " - Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, The Piccolomini, 1799. That is certainly true here at Behind the Couch. When the wine goes in, strange things end up in my DVD player – and I don’t mean beer mats. Sometimes the wine you’re savouring dictates what films you crave to watch, and vice versa. Ensuring the wine you’re drinking matches the tone and content of the film you’re about to watch, can make all the difference.  A recent trip to Granada, Spain, has ensured that many of the films I’ve been watching recently have been accompanied by a beauteous bottle (or two) of Campo Viejo’s Gran Reserva Rioja. I’m a big fan of the Campo Viejo range (yes, I have expensive taste, but wine in Spain is cheap, so I stocked up). Made from Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo grapes, and a carefully controlled vinification process, this exquisite biddy spends two years in two-thirds French oak casks and the rest in American oak c...

This month’s reviews were brought to you courtesy of Caliza (‘barrel aged’), a lush cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo blend from Spanish wine company, Viña Albali. A smooth and medium bodied wine made from selected cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo grapes from the Castile La Mancha region, Caliza displays a mild strawberry with a hint of cherry flavour, which has been aged in oak for several months, adding a lovely, well, ‘oaky’ finish. Established in 1952, Félix Solís (the parent company of the Viña Albali brand) grow their grapes in harsh climatic conditions (up to 40C in summer and as low as -15C in winter). If it’s simple and mildly flavoured accompaniment with my movie watching last night is anything to go by, it works quite well with dark and moody David Fincher thrillers like Se7en (the oaky, tannin finish is wonderfully complemented by Morgan Freeman’s dulcet tones and the washed-out colour palette) and, providing your housemate doesn’t make you flick over halfway...

Last December Crystal Lake Wine was Wine of the Month here at Behind the Couch . The wine is produced by the Valley View Winery in Southern Oregon and is available in a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon – described as having ' the classic cab flavours of black current, plum, herbs, and peppers, perfectly balanced with a touch of vanilla oak and moderately firm tannins ', and a classic Chardonnay, ' loaded with flavours of pear, pineapple, and has a wonderful crisp finish. This is a perfect wine for your summer picnic! ' Or lakeside summer camp massacre. The artwork adorning the labels was created by none other than Adrienne King – Alice from the original Friday the 13th and its sequel. To celebrate Crystal Lake Wine, filmmakers Curtis and Dallas of DCWorldHome , have teamed up with director Victor Bonacore of Chainsaw Kiss Productions , and Adrienne King to make a commercial titled " Back to the Lake .” "Back to the Lake" was shot at the same ...

"Drink wine! You will achieve eternal life, Wine is the only drink that Will return to you your youth. Divine season of wine and Roses, of good friends! Enjoy the fleeting moment That is your life!" Omar Khayyam 1073 – 1125 Okay, Omar. I don’t need to be told twice! With a brilliant cherry red centre, garnet and tawny rim and medium-to-high depth, Faustino VII - a deep red rioja - also boasts an intense and complex aroma full of spices, wood, vanilla and erm, leather. Yes. Leather. A powerful, knee-weakening and well finished palate develops into elegant meatiness, meaning this month’s wine of the month goes down well with stewed meats, sautéed seasonal vegetables and a moody Jaume Balagueró movie. Alternatively, try serving this with a Paul Naschy 'Hombre Lobo' flick. It won't disappoint.  Waldemar want refill!

Another month, another Rioja to accompany your horror film viewings. Vega Roja is a cheap and cheerful ruby-red wine. As well as being irresistibly inexpensive (less than £5) it also contains all of the familiar characteristics of a typical Rioja: slightly spicy and smooth finish with hints of dark fruit. This wine does come with an allergy warning though: like all wine it contains sulphur dioxide in various forms, collectively known as sulphites. Even unsulphured wine may contain up to 10 milligrams per litre. Red wine does not need any added sulphur dioxide because it naturally contains anti-oxidants from the skins and stems of the grapes. Commercial winemakers add some anyway. So be careful. This is the perfect accompaniment to wafting forlornly around your crumbling garret whilst listening to the latest Philip Glass or watching a stately Boris Karloff chiller… *sigh* Vital stats for quaffers: * This wine is produced in the Rioja region of Spain * The vintage is, e...

This month's reviews are brought to you, once again, courtesy of Campo Viejo Rioja Crianza (which means barrel aged, apparently). Campo Viejo is perhaps the largest producer of Rioja (named after the region where the grapes are grown in Spain) and is based on the outskirts of Logro no. Made up of Tempranillo - Spain's best known red wine grape, this lovely red is aged in bottles for 6 months after its statutory year spent in barrels, before it is released to retailers and then appreciatively guzzled by the likes of your good self and I. With a distinct spicy, oaky and really quite smooth palette, this wine is best enjoyed with something sophisticated, preferably an Edgar Allan Poe adaptation starring Vincent Price - the oaky depths also ensure it is best enjoyed while watching any number of Hammer's velvety, resplendently Gothic and alluring vampire flicks. 

Given that this month has been dedicated to watching all the Friday the 13th movies (what was I thinking!?), I thought it most appropriate that the wine of the month to accompany my movie marathon should be none other than Crystal Lake Wine! As a fan of horror movies, I’m quite partial to a splash of the red stuff. No, the other red stuff. As such, I’m happy to report that Crystal Lake Wine is available in the form of a rich, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon – described as having 'the classic cab flavours of black current, plum, herbs, and peppers, perfectly balanced with a touch of vanilla oak and moderately firm tannins .' Crystal Lake Wine also produces a beauteous Chardonnay (if that just happens to be your bag), 'loaded with flavours of pear, pineapple, and has a wonderful crisp finish. This is a perfect wine for your summer picnic! ' Or lakeside summer camp massacre. Your call. Crystal Lake Wine is produced and bottled by one of the oldest wineries in Sout...

Another month, another recommendation of fine wine to guzzle whilst watching horror films. Whereas before, I'd always have a little 'wine of the month' piece on the sidebar of this here blog, that kind of fell by the wayside and I would generally forget to update it. OK, sometimes I’d over indulge and just forget to tell you about the wine, but rest assured I was always heavily ensconced in research… Hey, it’s important to be able to pair wine with horror films. Certain wines go hand in hand with certain horror movies. This month’s batch of film reviews were lovingly brought to you in association with a 2008 vintage merlot from Gato Negro – a delicious, medium bodied wine from Chile. With a bright red ruby colour and an aroma swirling with ripe, red berry fruits, this bottle goes down rather nicely with something directed by Mario Bava. The juicy flavour is reminiscent of jammy fruit in springtime. Gato Negro is apparently one of the oldest brands from Chile and is p...

As Count Dracula , Bela Lugosi was no stranger to guzzling the red stuff. The actor himself, however, was also something of a connoisseur when it came to the red stuff. No, the other red stuff. Although Count Dracula never drank 'wine', Bela Lugosi, the actor, had impeccable taste in wines. With the creation of the Bela Lugosi brand wines, the Lugosi family pays tribute to their patriarch, a man of distinction, while acknowledging the icon that will forever be - Dracula. Continuing the family’s enthusiasm for wine inspired by Bela Lugosi, Lugosi Wines will seek varietals sourced from superior wine-growing regions. Winemakers will create exceptional wines from distinct appellations to assemble a portfolio of the Bela Lugosi brand wines that will celebrate the best varietals from around the world. With each new release added to Lugosi Wines’ offerings, the Bela Lugosi collection will exemplify the distinct qualities of Bela Lugosi, the man, in a unique compilation of outstand...