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Summary
‘My wife suggested we make wine. I think in the hope of cutting down our wine bill…’
It’s classic John Malkovich. The wit as dry as his Provençal Pinot Noir rosé (yes, you read that right).
In this epic episode, we get to know John Malkovich the famous actor of stage and screen – but also John Malkovich the fashion designer, the theatre director, and most importantly John Malkovich the wine producer.
This truly is a man for all seasons. But Malkovich seldom abides by convention – and his wine venture in the south of France, Les Quelles de La Coste, typifies this approach. He’s planted atypical wine grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere – and (whisper it) Pinot Noir. He’s even blending them together…
For the wine classicists, this is nothing short of vinous heresy.
So the big questions are: Is this just another cookie-cutter celeb wine project, or is it different? What are the wines actually like? Come to that, what’s John Malkovich actually like?
Join us as we pose the tricky questions, hear from the man himself and give our verdict on the wines.
Along the way, John advises wine producers how best to launder money, defines what talent is, explains why he doesn’t ‘do’ pride, identifies the greatest honour of his working life and tells a horror story of how he lost his ‘spectacular’ 2017 Cabernet.
We also touch on topics as diverse as the Marquis de Sade, fabric collecting, beer chugging, ‘boom boom’ wines, the importance of details, and how making wine can break your heart.
As the man says: ‘I don’t consider anything I do particularly provocative. It’s just what I do. Which just seems to provoke people…’
Foot note: This episode, and the entire Season Five of Wine Blast, is dedicated to the memory of Phil Tuck MW.
Starring
- John Malkovich
- Susie & Peter
Photos
The official photography from the Institute of Masters of Wine Symposium is credit: Arne Landwehr.
Wines
Here are the wines we taste in this episode. Jeroboams stock these wines in the UK – an importer is currently being sought for the US:
- Les Quelles de La Coste Pinot Noir rosé 2021, IGP Vaucluse, 13% (£16.50, Jeroboams)
- Les Quelles de La Coste Pinot Noir 2021, IGP Vaucluse, 13% (£15.95, NB: 2018 vintage at Jeroboams)
- Les Quelles de La Coste Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, IGP Vaucluse, 14% (£27.95, Jeroboams)
- Les Quelles de La Coste, Les 14 Quelles 2018, IGP Vaucluse, 14% (£49.50, Jeroboams)
- Les Quelles de La Coste Carmenere 2020, IGP Vaucluse, 13%
Links
- You can find our podcast on all major audio players: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon and beyond. The button below will redirect you automatically to this episode on an audio platform on your device.
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