It is funny how you want a total involvement and association with something and in some cases get obsessed with that item/idea once you fall in love with it. Wine lovers are not any different. Wine lovers just don’t want to taste the wine varietals in the market but also want to know everything about their favorite wine drink. Filmmakers and the entertainment industry as a whole understand this concept so well that they try to give the oenophiles out here something they can relate to and fall in love with, get entertained and stay informed.
So, for the wine lovers out there, here are a few movies you should consider as you wish to cuddle up on your couch sipping your favorite glass of wine. Below are the pick of movies that best celebrate the world of wine.
1. Wine Masters (Year 2018)
Wine Masters documentary series, that has been prepared by the
best global winemakers and directed by Marc Waltman and produced in the
Netherlands, takes us through traditions, tastes and regions of French wine in France. Wine Masters documentary series takes you to five French wine regions in France to unveil the story behind some of the famous grape varietals in the region and their terroirs. In this documentary, you get to see and hear celebrated vine owners share their personal stories of how they manage their wine businesses and their fears regarding these businesses.
2. Sour Grapes
This is an American crime movie that tries to dispel
the notion surrounding quality and price in the wine industry. It narrates the
story of a fake wine operator who fools people into thinking they are paying
for quality rare wine. Though he is exposed in the end, it is an eye-opener and
definitely worth your time.
3. You Will Be My Son (Year 2011)
This France based drama narrates the story of two families (fathers and sons) who are in a family French wine business- one father as a business owner
and the other as an estate manager. The estate owner whose son desires to
inherit his father’s business has little confidence in his own son but feels that
his estate manager’s son can run the business and perfectly safeguard his
legacy. Watch this drama unfold from the comfort of your couch with a little
wine to go with.
4. Back to Burgundy
An emotional story of three siblings from Burgundy
whose father leaves behind a vineyard. They have lived through the history of
this place and their identity traces here. They are at the verge of making a
tough decision of either selling the vineyard and lose their identity or
retaining it to safeguard their identity. It is a tough decision, and that
makes this all the more thrilling to watch.
5. Somm: Into the bottle (Year 2015)
This one is for those who might have unanswered wine
questions. This documentary focuses on wineries, winemaking processes and some of the world’s great wines. In to the Bottle film is about expanding your wine knowledge and keep you glued to the screen.
Into The Bottle was released after the first series (Somm) Into the Bottle came out with a focus on the wines these sommeliers produce.
6. Bottle Shock (Year 2008)
Bottle Shock is based on a true story, the comical and dramatic bottle
shock is about a known blind-wine tasting competition between Californian and French wines in the 19th century in France where a wine shop dealer (Steven Spurrier) spearheaded the exercise just to drive a point home. He did so to teach the residents of the region that there can be found great quality wines outside their region (since the California wines won, an eventuality that was not anticipated). Bottle Shock served as an eye-opener and a turning point to oenophiles of the day.
7. Mondovino (Year 2004)
This film is not just entertaining but quite educational on matters of globalization and how the wine industry has been and still is a victim. It might have caused an uproar at first but what the filmmaker does not shy away from is the fact that the industry’s perceptions from the eyes of the highest-ranked billionaires to the ‘lowly’ migrants working in the vines and wineries are brought to light.
8. Red Obsession (Year 2013)
Right from the name, this documentary is all about wine. Written by two renowned writers (David Roach and Warwick Ross), it takes us to China where it interestingly brings to light the wine market how the cellars there work to meet the high wine demands of the people and the challenges they face in meeting these demands. Definitely worth a watch.
9. Jerez & The Mystery of the Palo Cortado
Though the film pays attention to one particular wine style- the Sherry wines- Jerezand the Mystery of the Palo Cortado is an extensively watched film that has seen Sherry wines gain popularity across the globe.
10. Cement Suitcase (Year 2013)
This drama narrates the tale of a man working in a tasting room in a winery. He lives a miserable life and doesn’t really think that anything good can come from it but then meets a friend who shows him how to live.
11. Corked (Year 2009)
This dramatic documentary paints a picture of what wineries go through just to stay ahead of the competition. The different wineries featured in this film are after not just after winning the heart of an important wine enthusiast in town but also ensure he gets a taste of their master wines first.
12. A Year in Port
If you want to understand more about the history of wines and get a tour of some vintage vines, then this is the movie for you. This is more of a historical film in which the writers (David Kennard and Martine Saunier) take you through one wine region (Douro Valley) in Portugal, to give you worthwhile watch.
13. Somm (2012)
This documentary is not just here to entertain you. It is here to enlighten you on just what some people go through to be what we see them as, and how their passion drives them to get to the top. Here, four sommeliers prepare for the prestigious Master Sommelier (MS) exam to emerge the best Sommeliers around. See how their upbringing and work experience influence their outcome. What is the outcome? Will they make it? Watch this amazing documentary to get the answers.
14. Sideways (2004)
This award-winning film (won an Oscar for its incredible screenplay) talks about two male friends who decide to embark on a journey through the wine country of California just before one of them walks down the aisle. It paints a clear picture of life, the dangers of overindulgence, friendships and the mid-life crises that often hit so hard. Before we spoil the broth, grab a glass of wine and enjoy this film yourself. You will love it.
15. A Year in Champagne (2014)
In this documentary, stories of diverse six champagne
states are told, ranging from the small family-owned producers to the
well-established champagne producers. This film just takes you to the Champagne wine region in France and allows you to have a wide understanding of champagne or better still the sparkling wine making process and a realization of all you might have never thought was there to know. It is one of those behind-the-scenes sort of movies incredibly screen played.
16. A Walk in the Cloud (1995)
It might be a last century movie, but it definitely is worth your consideration and time. Full of romance and drama, the writer gives us a narration of a man and a woman who meet in a commuter bus as the lady is headed home to her vineyard-owning father. She is pregnant and unmarried at the time and is worried about her father’s probable reaction. Paul (who is the man in the picture) offers to pose as the husband and father to the unborn child. They then face the old man and before they know it, they are in love and so they decide to go against all odds to be together.
17. Boom Varietal: The rise of Argentine Malbec
This is probably a great film for anyone in the wine industry or anyone interested in joining the industry as it cuts across a lot of subjects. The Malbec, which is Argentina’s grape varietal is the focus of this film. You will know about its cultivation, the growers themselves, harvesting, its market distribution, and even the consumers.
18. Decanted (2016)
Directed by Nick Kovacic, decanted takes us to Napa Valley to focus on the ups and the hard times a certain Italian winegrower goes through to genuinely establish and create a great sought-after wines in America.
19. A Good Year (2006)
This movie, directed by Ridley Scott, takes us through the life of a British workaholic banker who has inherited a French winery from his uncle and wishes to sell it out as soon as possible. Until he sets to renovate this possession in Provence estate, city life is all he fancies. Then, he encounters the beauty of the place and interacts with people his life is about to change. Watch this to see the fate of this British banker.
You don’t necessarily have to be a wine lover and you might know little about wines, but there is no harm in bracing yourself for a good watch. These movies right here will not just entertain you but are also quite informative.