How far would you go to land the perfect client and get back at your heartless former boss? For fictional L.A. wine executive Lola Alvarez, played by former Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice in Netflix's A Perfect Pairing, the answer is Australia.
Determined to launch her own wine importing company, Lola thinks she’s found the perfect client Down Under. But when single working woman Lola realizes that her sales skills alone won’t cut it in the Outback, she vows to prove her dedication by, logically, going to work as a ranch hand for the winery’s attractive single neighbor Max (played by Adam Demos who also stars in Netflix's Sex/Life). Spoiler alert: Romance ahead!
Shot at Sirromet winery and resort, home to 250 acres of vineyards in Queensland's Granite Belt region, A Perfect Pairing (not to be confused with Hallmark Channel’s The Perfect Pairing, also released this year, about a wine critic who gets amnesia and falls in love with a winemaker she’d previously panned) is the third Netflix title from writing duo Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy (Falling Inn Love; Love, Guaranteed). Avid wine lovers, Hackett and Galanoy enjoy brainstorming over glasses of Justin Sauvignon Blanc and Whispering Angel rosé, and they’re weekend regulars at some of their local Santa Ynez Valley wineries.
Hackett says they drew inspiration for the film from Galanoy's sister, Holly, who has worked in the wine business for 20 years. "The wine business is alluring, worldly and glamorous, but we also know it's hard work and very competitive," Hackett told Wine Spectator. "We wanted Lola to be a creative, ambitious person, and we like the challenges that a profession in wine offers. As for Lola's experiences in Australia, the connection we feel to her is a shared passion for our careers. Like Lola, we understand going the extra mile to make something happen for yourself and your future, even when it feels like an impossible dream."
While still a real-life wine novice, Justice says she gained an appreciation for wine when she visited Napa Valley a few years ago. Demos, on the other hand, fell in love with wine while touring wineries in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.
A Perfect Pairing, which starts streaming May 19 on Netflix, is less about wine than love, but viewers will catch viticultural cameos from Australia's Yarra Valley and even Wine Spectator. "I think that the way we use Australia and the wine industry as a backdrop, we do it proud and romanticize it, which is really cool," said Demos. "The wine lovers out there won't be disappointed."
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