We watch a lot of the Hallmark Channel here at the Johnson house. I always have to bite my lip to not give away the plot by saying something like, “I predict that they will live happily ever after.” My wife hates it when I do that.
Truth be told, I don’t mind the movies all that much, even if the plots are amazingly similar. Interestingly, the person who got my wife into Hallmark movies is her father — a tough Vietnam War veteran who served in the U.S. Marines. Go figure.
This all comes to mind because, over the weekend, we watched a Hallmark movie that we had not seen before. It was titled “My Secret Valentine,” and starred two regulars on the channel, Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker.
The plot, as described online: “Chloe is upset her dad might sell their winery and ‘stress snacks’ with a cute guy who turns out to be Seth, the wine rep. They spar until she goes to the cabin, rundown since her mom died. There she finds a note offering help from Handyman and she thanks him, signing In Need of Repairs.”
Okay, it may be a stretch to call this a “wine movie,” but if there are grapevines and/or a tasting room involved, we’re all in. And “My Secret Valentine” had plenty of vineyard and tasting room scenes.
Other Hallmark movies we’ve seen that are much more “wine intensive” include “Autumn in the Vineyard,” “Summer in the Vineyard” and “Valentine in the Vineyard,” all starring Frankie Baldwin and Nate DeLuca at various stages of their relationship.
Important: Even though it may seem illogical based on the titles, watch these movies in the order we’ve listed them. If you watch “Autumn in the Vineyard” last, you won’t know what the heck is going on.
Finally, there’s our favorite Hallmark wine movie: “Uncorked.” In it, Johnetta “Johnny” Prentice (played by Julie Benz) explores a world outside her high-powered profession, and discovers a passion that isn’t centered just around earning a paycheck — in California wine country.
There are lots of the usual Hallmark movie plot twists, but I can tell you that Johnny lived happily ever after.
Just don’t tell my wife I told you so.
