FELLINI'S CASANOVA + Venetian Wine Tasting

Casanova (dir. Federico Fellini, 1976). Wine tasting begins at 7:30- Film starts shortly after 8pm.

$25. V.I.P. Tickets include a self-paced tasting before the film of premium wines from the Venetian/Veneto Region

curated by Rob Forman featuring Prosecco, Soave Classico, Valpolicella... and other surprises!

About the film:

"Aside from being full of visually unforgettable, jaw-droppingly surreal vignettes and maximalist set designs (as are all of Fellini's films), I find that one of the most exceptional and radical things about this underseen treasure is in it's unique depiction of Giacomo Casanova as an arrogant, self-absorbed and emotionally hollow person whose compulsive and mechanical sexual conquests reveal his deep insecurities about social status and fear of death. Ultimately Fellini uses the figure of one of history's most famous womanizers to expose the construct of masculinity as a prison, including his own." -Epsilon Spires Programming Director, Jamie Mohr.

Curious to learn more? Here is an excellent 1977 piece in the New York Times about the production of the film:  "Fellini's Unlovable Casanova" 

-Enjoy this excellent article in Dangerous Minds with some fascinating background about the film, which once finished, Fellini considered his “most complete, expressive, courageous film.” DONALD SUTHERLAND AS ‘A SPERM-FILLED WAXWORK WITH THE EYES OF A MASTURBATOR’ IN FELLINI’S ‘CASANOVA’

Venetian/Veneto Region WIne Backround:

The northeastern Italian region of the Veneto (home to Venice, Verona and Casanova of course) has a long history of organized wine production both bulk/commercial but also of quality, especially over the past 20-30 years.  Due to both its proximity to the Gulf of Venice of Adriatic Sea and the foothills of the Alps to the north the large region has a wide variety of terrain, climate and grape types both native and imported and is suited to both large scale production along the the flat lands and more artisanal in the pre-Alps mountains of the Alps. Many of the most well known wines and appellations straddle both (Prosecco, Soave, Valpolicella for example) and one can experience truly mundane examples of these wines as well as some of most profound versions that rank amongst the finest in the world for their price and type. Our tasting will only feature the latter ;-) from elite producers such as ADAMI (6 generations of quality Prosecco), INAMA (remarkable whites wines from the volcanic hillsides of Soave Classico), and SANT'ANTONIO (four brothers who make delicious and balanced estate red wines in the Valpolicella DOC).

About Sommelier Rob Forman:

Starting in the wine industry in 1988 in specialty retail in Austin, Texas, Rob’s Italian wine obsession began in the early 1990s. Relocating to Connecticut he worked in both distribution and imports before joining Dalla Terra in 2002, a nationally recognized and leading importer/agent of Italian wines. Rob has been nurturing both producer and distributor business in various roles over the years deriving success by being grounded, consistent and conscientious, while also educating through context and clarity. Rob has a predilection for wines with opacity, acidity and finesse.

Parallel to work, Rob’s other activities revolve around music in the forms of his unending and expanding music collection, non-commercial radio activity, running the experimental label Sedimental Records and small event curation in unique settings. Raised in Texas (with mid-west roots) Rob has had stints in the Northeast, Texas and returned to the Northeast again in 2019, settling in Western, MA with his family.