This week’s “Cogill Wine & Film, A Perfect Pairing” Podcast on reVolver Podcasts we toast the difficult, though provoking film “Sicario: Day of Soldado” and pair the difficult film with some of the lively, luscious wines of Mexico produced in Baja California. More on the wines and film below.

Listen to the show here, or via iTunes, Spotify, I Heart Radio, or your favorite spot to listen to podcasts. The end of the show we also toast a few summer red wines. I will have more details on the wines discussed, and more, in my next post on D Magazine/DSideDish. Details to come.

The Film: “Sicario: Day of Soldado”

The original “Sicario” was easily one of the best films of 2015. Visceral, thrilling, difficult, violent, internal, and thought provoking.

“Sicario: Day Of The Soldado” still holds some of the same cinematic attributes but it’s overall effect results in a much darker, more cynical view of the border war with cartels and human trafficking on the Texas/ Mexico border.

Josh Brolin (Sicario, No Country For Old Men) continues to impress as the US Federal agent more interested in starting a border war with the cartels than saving lives. Again, he brings in the mysterious hitman played with compelling melancholy by Benicio del Toro (Sicario, Traffic) to break bodies, laws, and any sense of ethics.

That includes kidnapping a Cartel kingpins daughter, and a terrifying journey along a human trafficking chain that treats suffering humans as disposable contraband.

What’s missing this time around is a sense of everyman decency, provided in the first film by the presence of, Emily Blunt. Without the presence of an outsider looking in, the film travels only in amoral scenarios of death and despair.

There are no winners in “Sicario: Day Of The Soldado,” only victims on both sides. It’s a cruel, well-crafted, well-written, adequately directed film that never pretends to be your friend.

I admire the film in many ways, but I also wanted to take a shower after viewing, or spend some time watching the food network, giving my mind a rest and getting me as far away as possible.

The Wines: Mexico

The Mexican wine industry has been on a steady clime for years, with three areas in Mexico where wine grapes are grown. The North, including the regions of Baja California and Sonora is just  90 minutes from San Diego, arriving on Valle de Guadelupe. The region is incredibly beautiful, reminicent of Napa, yet without the tourism aspect that much of California wine country has given way to.

This is a quiet hidden gem in the Mexican countryside as the locals want to keep the serentity of their region quiet. The wine and culinary destination is home to dozens of wineries, graciously welcoming visitors without all the hype of many American wine country destinations.

If you can’t make it, a few wines to keep an eye out for include Casa Magoni Manaz Blanco blend of Fiano and Viognier or
L. A. Cetto ‘Reserva Privada’ Nebbiolo.