Wine and Movie Pairing: THE HERRICANES (2024)
The untold story of the first women's American football league, paired with a Texan wine embodying the spirit of courageous women.
"That's one of the most beautiful things about football. It is the one sport that does not work if it's not diverse. It does not work if everybody looks the same. I don't care what football player it is. You can pick any one. Tell me how good your team would be if you replicated that guy 11 times over."
The passing of Title IX back in 1972 opened the door for an explosion of professional female sports in America. (Not that this just “happened”, mind you - do not doubt that every team, every league, every dollar of funding and institutional support for women in any sport was hard fought and hard won!) Yet American football is STILL the final frontier where women have yet to be embraced by the American public. Nevertheless, there was, in fact, a league that made a significant stab at accomplishing just this, many decades ago.
THE HERRICANES is a work many years in the making by director/cinematographer Olivia Kuan1, whose mother was a founding team member of the "Houston Herricanes" team. This groegously constructed documentary is a timely look at women in sports, and the forgotten story of how they almost broke through the American football barrier back in the 1970's, blazing the trail for the current burgeoning NWFL.
The movie starts, naturally, with Olivia’s mother, but soon reaches out and finds the surviving members of the team, and from there surviving members of additional teams. The women came from all walks of life - white, black, middle class, poor, mothers, wives, singles, you name it. But all of them were called to the idea of playing a sport that demands a culturally masculine level of toughness, roughness, strength, and the willingness to dish out and recieve physical pain.
We see the slow rise of different teams in different States, the rise of a nascent "league", and how completely ill-prepared and unsupported the women were, both individually and as teams. The games often held more players than spectators. The male coaches often didn't know how to coach women - there is a memorable moment where one of the Herricanes relates how she wasn't going to let a male coach manhandle her by grabbing her helmet and pulling her to him. She recognized that this is what they do with men, but she was having none of it, interestingly setting up how women weren't as ready to simply be playthings of their coaches the way men often allow.
We follow the evolution of the Herricanes and their rivalry with the largely undefeated Oklahoma Dolls. Their struggles to raise money just to afford uniforms and basic equipment. And then the ultimate showdown between the two teams, followed by the fizzling out of the league as a whole.
The Herricanes themselves are wonderful characters, and listening to them recall their own story, what it meant to them, and what it still means, followed by their first reunion with one another in over 40 years, is an absolute emotional roller coaster. I DARE anyone not to tear up, at least a little bit, in the final moments.
Coming out of Superbowl Sunday this past weekend, where America once again broke viewership records watching men play the most American of all sports, I urge everyone to rent or buy a copy of THE HERRICANES in support of this incredible story, and to support the possible future still to come - the dream of an American National Women's Football League that gains national broadcast viewership.
A Texan Wine, Embodying the Spirit of Courageous Women
2021 La Valentía Dolcetto, Wine For the People, Texas
Rae Wilson is one of few female winemakers in Texas, a former food & wine industry veteran based in the Texas Hill Country. Her journey from sommelier to winemaker took her from Napa Valley to Portugal before she founded "Wine For the People" in 2010. She released her flagship vintage of Dandy Rosé in 2014, and expanded with “La Valentía” wines in 2019.
“Utilizing sustainable farming, and minimal intervention winemaking, Wine For the People is dedicated to exploring true Texas terroir.”
Her "La Valentía" label is inspired by her grandmother, and “embodies the spirit of courageous women.” The label explores the rich and diverse terroir of Texas through elegant, limited-production wines with label designs from Austin artist, Katy Schmader.
I chose the Valentía Dolcetto because the grape's name means "little sweet one" (due to its ability to ripen with high sugar levels) yet it makes for a robust dry red wine with significant aging potential - a similar dichotomy of women as we percieve them and nickname them vs. what they can actually offer.
"The concentration in this wine shows very traditional character. I limited the barrel aging to 12 months, then in the bottle for another 6 months. This kept the youthful energy and structure that will benefit its aging potential."
This wine has plum, boysenberry, and bark-like notes of sarsaparilla/root beer. Fine tannins and bright acidity accompany a lingering finish, much like the legacy of the Herricanes themselves.
BROWSE WINE FOR THE PEOPLE’S WEBSITE
Full disclosure: I’ve had the pleasure of working with Olivia as a cinematographer in the past on the short film EXTRA SCHOOL staring Bruce Dern and Robert Picardo, also the SXSW award-winning short KISS KISS FINGERBANG starring Anton Yelchin (RIP!) and Kate Lyn Shiel. I also gave to her online fundrasing to make this documentary, I’m don’t even remember how many years ago - indie docs take a long time! So support the effort!
Insightful piece, Dave. First of all, the Herricanes really hit home because my 9-year-old daughter, a determined tomboy, plays football three times a week and dreams of going pro. But even at her age, she struggles with the physical challenges of competing against boys. Stories like this remind me how much perseverance it takes to break barriers. So, very impressive!!
Likewise, I’ve never tasted wines from Texas, but your writing has me intrigued soooo much with connection with the story of Herricanes. Appreciate the great read! If you enjoy exploring wine through culture and tradition, I’d love to connect over at Grape and Rice as well!
Dave, Thank you for choosing Texan Rae Wilson as your featured winemaker! She is gifted.
Lots of great things happening in Texas Wine!