Movies / Videos

There are a number of good movies regarding wine education and the wine lifestyle.  There are also a number of good video channels on wine education via YouTube, even though I must admit that I have not perused many of them yet.  If you have further ideas about wine movies, channels or individual wine related videos, please contact me to let me know and if suitable, I will add them to the site!

Movies:

Note:  All movie links are to versions of the movies as listed in the US Amazon.com and may be limited to Region 1 DVD format and Region A for Blu-ray, so you should verify you are buying a version that supports your DVD or Blu-ray player.  Additionally all descriptions are as defined in the US Amazon. com website.  There a many sources for purchasing movies, so make sure to check around so you are getting the best price and correct regional support.

  • Sideways – In this intoxicating, intelligent comedy, director Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt) serves up “one of the best movies of the year” (Entertainment Weekly) about the ups, downs and sideways journeys of life. A wine-tasting road trip through California’s famed Central Coast takes an unexpected detour as Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) hit the gas en route to their mid-life crisis. The comically mismatched pair soon find themselves drowning in wine, women… and laughter!
  • Bottle Shock – “Bottle shock” describes what can happen to wine as it travels from place to place. Set in 1976, Randall Miller’s widescreen docudrama concerns the real-life showdown between California’s wineries and their French counterparts. Napa Valley’s Jim Barrett (Lost Highway‘s Bill Pullman) has been plugging away for years with minimal success. A former attorney, Barrett runs Chateau Montelena with his wayward son, Bo (Chris Pine, the Star Trek prequel’s Captain Kirk), who would rather do anything than assist his stern father. Bo’s co-workers include Gustavo (Six Feet Under‘s Freddy Rodríguez) and Sam (Transformers‘ Rachael Taylor), who long to produce the perfect chardonnay. Naturally, the young men compete for the favors of the beautiful blonde (the movie’s least interesting angle). Across the Atlantic, Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) struggles to keep his Parisian wine shop going (cheapskate American Dennis Farina is his only regular customer). Then Spurrier conceives a contest to attract customers; surely, his beloved French growers will put those upstart Yanks in their place. He flies to Napa to look around, and persuades the Barretts to compete. Miller and his wife, screenwriter Jody Savin, previously worked with Pullman and Rickman on Nobel Son, but decided to release Bottle Shock first. Though comparisons to Sideways will be inevitable, the filmmakers take more of a historical look at California wine country. The “Judgment of Paris” changed the face of the business forever, and they’ve found a lively way to recount the tale. –Kathleen C. Fennessy
  • Mondovino (the movie) – MONDOVINO was shot on three continents, in five languages, over a three-year period. Juxtaposing artisanal wine growers with multi-national conglomerates, and peasants with billionaires, Jonathan Nossiter weaves together multiple family and multi-generational sagas, and uncovers a complex tapestry of rivalries, alliances, and conspiracies-all stemming from the production, distribution, and consumption of one of the oldest, most respected luxuries remaining. MONDOVINO gives voice to those who create, critique, and do commerce in wine, offering up a surprisingly prismatic, varied, and sometimes controversial glimpse into a product so many enjoy but so few truly understand.
  • Mondvino (the complete series) – Epic in scope, this multi-generation, globe-trotting saga covers not only the entire gamut of wine making, but wine’s place in a treacherously globalized and hyper-marketed world. From the billionaire power brokers of Napa Valley, to the aristocratic rivalries of competing Florentine dynasties, to the efforts of three generations of a Burgundian family fighting to preserve their few acres of land, MONDOVINO: THE SERIES brings to life the human drama (and comedy) of wine making. Shot over several years and in five different languages, the series features numerous intimate encounters with the wine world’s most iconic and controversial figures, including the übercritic Robert Parker, legendary wine mogul Robert Mondavi, zany art collector Jan Schrem, and the noble proprietor of the mythical Romanée Conti vineyard. From Florence to Burgundy, New York to Argentina, each hour-long episode stands alone as a passionate and hilarious piece of documentary filmmaking.
  • Somm – SOMM takes the viewer on a humorous, emotional and illuminating look into the mysterious world of the Court of Master Sommeliers and their massively intimidating Master Sommelier Exam.  The Court of Master Sommeliers is one of the world’s most prestigious, secretive, and exclusive organizations. Since its inception, fewer than 200 candidates have reached the exalted Master level. The exam covers literally every nuance of the world of wine. Those who have passed have put their sanity at risk to pull it off. Shrouded in secrecy, access to the Court has always been strictly regulated, and cameras have never been allowed anywhere near the exam, until now. How much do you think you know about wine?
  • Red Obsession – A film about power, passion and the fine wine game. Something unprecedented is happening to the fine wine market and that something is China. While the dragon economy could bring untold wealth to the revered wine-making region, the terms of engagement are different from any other customer in the past. This market is young, voracious and unpredictable. Demand is massively outstripping supply. The product is finite and this new client wants it all. For better or worse, Bordeaux is hitching itself to this new, infinitely wealthy client. RED OBSESSION sets out to explore this phenomenon and the link between China and Bordeaux.
  • Wine for the Confused – Wine is confusing…overwhelming even. So where do you start if you want to learn more about it? Join John Cleese on an entertaining and personal look at the world of winemaking and discover: how to find wines that taste good to you, how to make sure you get the best value and how to keep and serve wine at home.
  • Grapes of Wrath – This remarkable film version of Steinbeck?s novel was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including for Best Picture, Actor (Henry Fonda), Film Editing, Sound and Writing. John Ford won the Best Director Oscar® and actress Jane Darwell won Best Actress for her portrayal of Ma Joad, the matriarch of the struggling migrant farmer family. Following a prison term he served for manslaughter, Tom Joad returns to find his family homestead overwhelmed by weather and the greed of the banking industry. With little work potential on the horizon of the Oklahoma dust bowls, the entire family packs up and heads for the promised land ? California. But the arduous trip and harsh living conditions they encounter offer little hope, and family unity proves as daunting a challenge as any other they face.

YouTube Channels and Videos:

(YouTube channels and videos yet to be populated.)

 

If you have further ideas about wine movies, channels or individual wine related videos, please contact me to let me know and if suitable, I will add them to the site!

 

 

 

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