“Come on, gentlemen, now really! You have a nice, pleasant little cheap wine here. You haven’t gotten the presumption to compare it to a Stradivarius violin.” – Orson Welles during the shooting of a Paul Masson commercial.
By RAY KELLY
Forty years after Orson Welles was a pitchman for that “pleasant little cheap wine,” there is a fine California merlot worthy of his name for film and wine lovers to relish.
The TCM Wine Club is the exclusive home of Orson Welles Merlot, whose packaging was approved by the Welles estate.
“The idea is to pair great wines with classic film viewing. Welles is one of the first ‘branded’ wines to be created due in large part to his stature in the industry and beloved place amongst true film lovers,” said David Reeder of Reeder Brand Management, which represents the estate on the project. “After the exclusivity period through TCM’s wine club, our partners will look to take this product to retailers. We hope this will be one of many Welles branded wines.”
The label, selected by Welles’ youngest daughter, Beatrice, makes reference to Citizen Kane. The back label reads, in part, “A toast to love on my terms. Those are the only terms anybody ever knows – his own.”