Tastemakers: Movie popcorn/ L. Mawby Blanc De Noir

Movie Popcorn

At a recent lunch with Express staffers, Michael Moore, the award winning documentary filmmaker and Traverse City Film Festival founder, spoke with pride about how movie theaters had survived all of their “death scares” over the years. TV, videos and several other modern advances in technology were all predicated to be the “death of the movie theater.” Moore believes that “going to the movies” has survived because people enjoy watching films together on a big screen. He is probably right, but I think the real secret is the “movie popcorn.”
The bottom line is that no matter how hard anyone tries, you just can’t reproduce “movie popcorn” at home. Funny thing is, popcorn wasn’t always welcome at the movies. As “movie houses” began popping up in the 1920s, theater owners felt popcorn was too messy and didn’t like the fact that popcorn street vendors set up outside. Moviegoers, on the other hand, did like the snack and bought popcorn before entering the theater. Eventually, profit-oriented theater owners invited the street vendors into the lobby and split the profits before realizing they didn’t need the vendor and the movie snack bar was invented.
It seems that popcorn has been a part of human culture forever. Archeologists have theorized that a couple of caveman 6,000 years ago were roasting corn and it began to pop - hence popcorn was born. It is believed that Native Americans brought bags of popcorn to the first “Thanksgiving.” French explorers to the Great Lakes region in the 1700s enjoyed meals of popcorn soup and popcorn beer prepared by their hosts. Regardless of the future of movies on the “big screen,” popcorn has proved the test time and is here to stay.
Americans eat 17 billion quarts of popcorn annually (averaging 70 quarts per person). The bottom line is that a good bucket of popcorn is the key to any movie experience. So while enjoying the Film Festival, don’t forget the popcorn. For great popcorn recipes, visit popcorn.org



L Mawby Blanc de Noir

Pairing wines with movies is not as challenging as one thinks. This week the Traverse City Film Festival will play host to several parties -- some official and some “unofficial.” Local wines will abound at most of these parties. So if you are hitting the town for dinner before or after a film or attending one of the parties, look for bubbly wines from L Mawby.
Noir is a key film term, which makes Noir wines perfect pairings for this week. A month ago Larry Mawby, the “Maestro of Fizz,” released his Blanc de Noir. Made from hand-picked Leelanau Peninsula Pinot Noir grapes, Mawby’s Blanc de Noir is a brut (dry) sparkler that has plenty of the fruit flavors and aromas one has come to expect from grapes grown on the Leelanau Peninsula.
This bubbly is a perfect picnic wine (Mawby has a picnic series at his Suttons Bay winery every summer; a few places remain for the August 12 affair, catered by Samuel’s and featuring five courses and six wines) and pairs well with any goodies in that basket. Enjoy with grilled foods, especially salmon. This wine is so good it is being served to the VIPs this week at their private parties. But if you don’t have an invitation, no worries: Mawby’s winery is just 15 minutes from Traverse City, and his tasting room is open daily during the summer months. Look for Blanc de Noir around town at wine shops and local eateries. For additional information on the Film Fest parties where local wines will be served, check out www.traversecityfilmfest.org. To learn more about L Mawby and his world-class sparkling wines, visit www.lmawby.org View On Our Website