Barliman Butterbur hosted a rather fantastic Prancing Pony Pop-Up for The Mockingbird Cinema this week thanks to the magic of Gandalf. More accustomed to serving ale and mead than wine, the Barliman really pushed the boat out for his Elven guests (who probably wouldn't be seen dead in the town of Bree).
All the wines were from somewhere that Gandalf says looks just like Middle-Earth, New Zealand.
Wines served to the fair Elven folk on the evening were:
Wine 1 - Villa Maria Sparkling, Hawkes Bay / Gisbourne, £14 from the cellars of Sainsy-berry - blending the Champagne grapes of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir offers zesty citrus and ripe stone fruits.
Wine 2 - NED Sauvignon Blanc from Waihopai River, Marlborough £12 from the cellars of Waitey-Rose (NED - No Elves Died in the production of this wine) - Aromas of freshly cut herbs, blackcurrant leaf and goosey-berry this Marlborough Sauvignon offers luscious lime, lemon and guava in the mouth.
Wine 3 - Forrest Wines Pinot Gris, Marlborough from the Majestic Elves £9.99 or £14.99 as part of a mixed case six - the same grape as Pinot Grigio but usually left on the vine to ripen for a bit longer. That extra ripeness offers orange blossom, peach and honeysuckle, much like the Miruvor of Rivendell I might guess.
Wine 4 - Lidl Winemakers Selection Pinot Noir, Marlborough, from the thrify Lidl elves £7.99 - I thought little elves were hobbits, haha. I'm joking of course but not about this wine, a seriously fancy wine at a not so fancy price. Cranberry and spiced orange on the nose, stewed strawberry and ripe fruits in the mouth with a touch of smoke from the old oak barrels of Mirkwood as they float down to Lake Town.
Wine 5 - Villa Maria Merlot, Hawkes Bay, £12.99 from the Waitey-Rose, it was frankly Mordor bringing this wine to you from the volcanic slopes of Mount Doom but worth every moment to see the smiles on your faces when you tasted it. Typical Merlot offering ripe plum and berries on the nose with red fruits on the palate.
Our fancy gallery of a night at the Prancing Pony:
Will appear soon by the magic of Gandalf ..
A brief musical interlude ..
Ho! Ho! Ho! to the bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
And many miles be still to go,
But under a tall tree I will lie,
And let the clouds go sailing by.
A pocketful of trivia:
Nicholas Cage and Daniel Day Lewis were both asked to play the part of Aragorn, Day Lewis turned down multiple times.
Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for Frodo, Liam Neeson turned down the role of Boromir (Sauron special set of skills and I will find you). Bruce Willis wanted to play Boromir.
Lucy Lawless's pregnancy meant that the role of Galadriel went to Cate Blanchett
Uma Thurman lost out on the role of Arwen to Liv Tyler.
The franchise fight choreographer said Viggo Mortensen was the best swordsman he had ever trained, other actors used aluminium rubber swords but Viggo insisted on steel.
Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf but even 15% of the box office couldn't convince him, he said the script didn't make sense.
Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood never actually filmed a scene together in person despite appearing on screen together countless times.
Two Bag End sets were created, one for normal actors and one for Gandalf that was a third smaller to make him look bigger. When he bangs his head it’s an accident but they leave it in the movie to reinforce the scale difference.
The tallest actor in the Fellowship was John Rhys-Davis, who played Gimli the dwarf.
Thank you for joining us, I hope you enjoyed safe passage back to Lothlórien (Sutton Coldfield), Rivendell (Bromsgrove), the Woodland Realm (Cannock), and the Grey Havens (Solihull).
Barliman, Gandalf and the Wine Events Elves
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