The Drafthouse Cinemas, a chain of movie theaters that serve food and wine, have occasionally commissioned special movie-related wines which they pair up with the appropriate meals and serve at their unique cinemas. The special movie-themed wines are beautifully designed and packaged with labels and branding by the Austin based creative firm Helms Workshop.
SILENCE OF THE LAMB WINES
Their latest offering is a Chianti and Pinot Grigio inspired by the movie Silence Of The Lambs
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“The Cannibal Chianti” is a DOCG-wine from a vineyard situated between Florence and Sienna. It is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, balanced with smaller contributions of Canaiolo and Malvasia del Chianti. The nose is loaded with dark berry fruit with bass notes of allspice and baked quince. Its mouth feel is medium-bodied and well balanced, with savory plum and tobacco leaf notes leading to a slight sandalwood finish.
“Suit Yourself Pinot Grigio” is a 2012 vintage with a mixture of fruit from California’s Central Coast and inland vineyards. It offers a lush bouquet of tangerine and orange blossom. The palate starts with a crisp entry and a velvety mouth feel that bursts into flavors of tropical peach and Mexican limes with just a hint of honey, leading to a zesty, citrus-laced finish.
A limited number of packaged wine sets will be available for purchase online only. “The Cannibal Chianti” set comes with a leather red dragon bag of fava beans with a recipe for their preparation by Alamo Chef Trish Eichelberger. The “Suit Yourself Pinot Grigio” set features a burlap bag containing a bottle of Buffalo Bill lotion.
above: The four-course menu, created by Alamo Drafthouse Austin Market Chef Trish Eichelberger served at their various locations, along with the wines and movie.
To develop the bottle and package design of these wines, Alamo Drafthouse again turned to local Austin creative firm Helms Workshop. The subtle yet intricate designs unfold like a puzzle for fans of the movie, with tiny details referencing the film and its central characters of Buffalo Bill, Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling.
“Suit Yourself Pinot Grigio” and “The Cannibal Chianti” will only be available for one year. Both of these covetable wines will be available at all Alamo Drafthouse locations for $8 a glass and $32 a bottle (prices may vary).
Retail bottles are available for purchase here and at select Alamo Drafthouse locations where local laws permit.
PRINCESS BRIDE WINES
Hello. My Name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
UPDATE: The Princess Bride Wines ARE still available for purchase, only without the box or extra goodies. You can buy them here.
Their previous offering, launched last year on Valentine's Day, was also beautifully designed by Helms Workshop. The movie-themed wines featured a Cabernet and a White inspired by the cult classic The Princess Bride
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As fans will recognize, “The Bottle Of Wits,” is derived from the iconic “battle of wits” scene when Westley first rescues Princess Buttercup from Vizzini and his henchmen.
The custom wine line includes two varietals: “Inconceivable Cab” and “As You Wish White”.
The As You Wish White:
The Inconceivable Cab:
Wine charms: A six-fingered man. A Sicilian. The Dread Pirate Roberts. Princess Buttercup:
The menu that accompanied the Princess bride Wines and movie showing :
The folks over at Helms Workshop in Austin had this to say about the project:
"When you leave design school and look for work with your portfolio of fictitious student projects, half of your interviewers pause to tell you that, in the “real world,” you’ll never have the opportunity to design wine packaging. Much less, packaging themed after one of your favorite movies. Those folks never had the chance to work with Tim League and the team at Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas.
In looking at developing an identity for Alamo’s in-house branded wines, we quickly decided that it would be impossible to sum up everything that makes the Alamo unique in a single packaging system. Why not redesign the wine each year, based on a film that aligns with the brand? Alamo’s 2012 offering became two wines inspired by The Princess Bride, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the film."
“The “Battle of Wits” sequence between Cary Elwes and Wallace Shawn easily stands toe-to-toe with “the Sideways Spit Bucket” and “The Silence of the Lambs Chianti slurp” as wine’s shining moment in film,” said Alamo CEO and Founder Tim League. Workshop worked to pack the full scope and wonder of the film experience into the packaging.
Buy the Princess Bride wines (bottles only) here.
All photos of Silence of the Lambs Wines courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse
All Princess bride Wine photos with streamer backgrounds by Annie Ray
other photos courtesy of Helms Workshop