THE CURIOUS QUAFFER
WINE FILMS
W L
THE CURIOUS QUAFFER
WINE FILMS
Many great quotes , involving wine , have come from many a great film . Perhaps one of the most memorable came from the mouth of Anthony Hopkins ( playing Hannibal Lecter in the Silence of the Lambs ): " A census taker once tried to test me . I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti ." Or perhaps some of you will remember this line from the film French Kiss ( this time from the mouth of Kevin Kline ): " Wine is like people . The wine takes all the influences in life all around it , it absorbs them , and it gets its personality ."
The fact is , though , that these films are not about wine at all . In truth there are very few films that actually deal with wine and the wine world . But there are some ! So , this month , let ’ s look at what there is , to watch , for those that are , or may be , interested with wine and the wine world . Some of the following are purely fictitious films . Some are documentaries ( and well worth a watch ).
Sour Grapes ( 2016 ) You could do much worse than starting with this documentary . It centres on the exploits of one Rudy Kurniawan . For those of you who don ’ t know , he was an Indonesian fraudster who sold a seemingly endless quantity of rare fake wines in the early 2000 ’ s . For nearly a decade he duped many of the world ’ s most prolific wine collectors , producing faultless counterfeit bottles that even the experts failed to spot . He specialised in rare Bordeaux and Burgundy vintages , and champagnes . In 2006 alone he netted over US $ 35 million at auction . Experts estimate he faked more than US $ 500 million worth of wine during his criminal career .
In 2009 , he was sued by Bill Koch , a billionaire wine collector ( one of the few collector ’ s wealthy and committed enough to risk devaluing his own collection to reveal the fraud ). Then , in 2012 , FBI investigators searched Kurniawan ’ s house and found an array of items , including corks , stamps , labels , empty bottles and other counterfeiting tools , that ultimately led to his downfall . In 2014 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison . He served six years before being released and deported in late 2020 . This is a great watch and a true story . Currently available on Amazon Prime Video and on DVD .
Sideways ( 2004 ) This film was something of a smash hit back in its day and remains , for many , something of a cult movie . It is probably the best-known wine film there is and stars the likes of Paul Giamatti , Thomas Haden Church , Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen . It received widespread acclaim from critics and won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 77th Academy Awards . It was also nominated for Best Picture , Best Director , Best Supporting Actor ( Haden Church ) and Best Supporting Actress ( Madsen ).
This comedy drama movie follows two very different men in their forties . One is Miles Raymond ( Giamatti ), a depressed teacher , an unsuccessful writer and a wine connoisseur . The other is Jack Cole ( Haden Church ), a fading actor and a bit of a Jack the lad sort of character . The film centres around their weeklong road trip , ahead of Jack ’ s forthcoming wedding , to the Santa Barbara County wine region in California . Whilst , in part , it is a comedy ( and there are many funny moments ) the film also has a serious side to it when exploring male friendships , midlife crises , depression and love . A great watch . Currently available on Amazon Prime Video and on DVD .
Wine Country ( 2019 ) This 2019 American comedy follows a group of long-time female friends who re unite and take a trip to Napa Valley , in California , as a 50th birthday getaway for one of their number .
The trip is planned by control freak Abby who tries to seize control of the whole trip . She plans the trip meticulously and wants the rest of the group , rather being able to relax and drink , to adhere to a strict schedule . Unsurprisingly this causes tensions to rise . Unbeknown to the others , she has recently lost her job . Others in the groups also have issues too and are struggling with problems of their own . Birthday girl Rebecca , who only wanted a low-key celebration , is in denial that her husband is inattentive , and her friends hate him ; Naomi is afraid of receiving test results from her doctor ; successful businesswoman Catherine feels they are cutting her out and is struggling to detach herself from work ; Val is looking for love and Jenny , a depressed writer , is simply miserable and anxious . Very much midlife crisis sort of stuff …… and wine . The film is currently available on Netflix .
Somm ( 2012 ) Back to fact , and away from fiction , again . Somm is a documentary that follows four hopeful sommeliers who attempt to pass the Master Sommelier Diploma . For those of you who don ’ t know , this is a formal and difficult wine degree to obtain . Becoming a Master Sommelier is very hard . The documentary describes it as ‘ the hardest exam you ’ ve never heard of ’.
As we discover there is a lot more to corking a bottle of wine and simply pouring it into a glass . Being a sommelier takes serious craft , care and huge skill . Since its founding in 1969 there are only 172 professionals who have earned the title of Master Sommelier . Of those , 144 are men and 28 are women . This documentary is well worth a watch if you are interested in learning more about wine and provides an amazing insight into the enormity of the task facing those who attempt to succeed . Well worth a watch and free to those who have an Amazon Prime account .
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