Red Obsession ( 2013 ) Red Obsession is an award-winning Australian documentary film which collects interviews with wine makers and wine lovers from across the globe . It is narrated by Russel Crowe and shows just how big the wine business really is .
The film in many ways involves two halves . Firstly , it takes an in-depth view of the wine world that is everything Bordeaux and what makes their top wines so special . Secondly it then moves on to look at China ’ s statusdriven obsession for Bordeaux wines and at wealthy Chinese consumers ' blossoming taste for top Bordeaux wines around 2009 / 2010 . It looks at the effect that this had on the prices of some of the wines from the region ( in particular Chateau Lafite which , around this time , achieved legendary status in China ). The love of , and demand for , wines from Bordeaux in China was extraordinary at around this time as it became a dominant player in the global wine industry . It is a fascinating watch and provides a great insight into the market forces that drive the price of some of the world ’ s greatest wines . The power of the brand , the power of one country and the power of luxury commodities all come together to tell a remarkable story . Currently , again , free to those who have an Amazon Prime account and also on DVD .
A Good Year ( 2006 ) Whilst with Russell Crowe ……. he has also appeared in a film about wine . This film was directed by Ridley Scott . Crowe plays Max Skinner , a hard nosed , arrogant British investment banker , who inherits his uncle ’ s winery in Provence where he had , as a child , spent happy times .
Skinner wants to sell the property as quickly as possible , so skips over to Provence to do just that . But , as he sets about renovating the estate , he sees a new beauty in the pace of life in Provence and in the people he meets . All of a sudden , this city slicker , and his lifestyle , doesn ’ t seem all that great or important . There is also the added complication of an American backpacker who arrives and claims the estate is hers . The story evolves from here and centres around the potential sale of the winery , anothers claim to entitlement of the estate and Skinner ’ s love life . A romantic comedy that is available on DVD and on Amazon Prime .
A Walk in the Clouds ( 1995 ) This 1995 romantic drama starring a fresh-faced , pre-Matrix , Keanu Reeves . The film is set in Napa Valley , California , shortly after the end of World War II and sees soldier , Paul Sutton ( Reeves ), return home to his wife whom he had impulsively married just before enlisting . After learning she is not what he imagined her to be , and with his marriage becoming increasingly strained , he sets off to Sacramento in search of work , only to meet Victoria , a graduate student whose family owns a vineyard in Napa County .
Learning that Victoria is pregnant by her university professor , who has abandoned her , Paul offers to pose as her husband in order to stave off her domineering , old-world , father ’ s anger . During his stay at the vineyard , they fall in love and face the angry rejection of her father together . I won ’ t spoil the rest of the film , but it involves love , romance and life on a Napa Valley vineyard . Again , available on Amazon Prime Video and on DVD .
Bottle Shock ( 2008 ) This comedy-drama involves the story of California wine-making in the 1970s . It is based on The Judgment of Paris and stars the great late , and sadly missed , Alan Rickman ( playing the late , great , wine expert and merchant , Steven Spurrier ).
For those of you that don ’ t know , the Judgement of Paris was a wine tasting competition in 1976 . It pitched Californian wines against some of the most esteemed French wines . California won , sending ruptures through the wine industry . The event arguably paved the way for today ’ s global wine market and opened up ‘ new world ’ wines to drinkers who would previously only consider French ones . It is a good watch , although many feel that the accuracy of the script is questionable ( including by Steven Spurrier himself ). Again , available on Amazon Prime Video and on DVD .
Somm : Into the Bottle ( 2015 ) This isn ’ t quite a sequel to Somm , but a few of the now-qualified Master Sommeliers reappear . This is much more of a documentary about making wine , than it is about making sommeliers . This is a really good watch and a good introduction to the industry and culture of wine .
This wine documentary tells the story and history of wine through ten different bottles , opened throughout the film in different chapters . The chapters include ‘ The Winemaker ’, ‘ The Vintage ’, ‘ The History ’, ‘ The Wars ’, ‘ The New World ’, ‘ The Cost ’, ‘ The Barrels ’, ‘ The Point Scores ’, ‘ The Sommelier ’, and ‘ The Memory ’. In doing so we are taken on a journey to many of the world ’ s most famous wines , wineries and winemakers . Included are iconic names such as Jean-Lous Chave , Aubert de Villaine and Jean Trimbach . Again , available on Amazon Prime video and on blue ray .
A Year in Burgundy ( 2013 ) Years are incredibly important when it comes to winemaking . From grape to bottle , anything can happen in any given year . Each year , each vintage , is a time capsule , a bottled piece of history which is governed by that year ’ s weather , that year ’ s crises in the vineyard and that year ’ s triumphs in the vineyard .
This documentary follows the fortunes of seven wine making families over the course of , you guessed it , a year . The documentary delves into the cultural and creative process of wine making and its ties to the land upon which the grapes , that make it , grow . It is split in four season-sections , and plays out against that backdrop : spring showers , drought , heat wave , hail and storms , harvest moons and the damp cold of winter . Another good , interesting , watch . Available on DVD or on Amazon Prime .
Barolo Boys – The Story of a Revolution ( 2014 ) This is another documentary film and is about the story of a group of young winemakers who , in the 1980s and 1990s , dramatically changed the world of Barolo wine . It subsequently won the DOC Wine Travel Food Prize 2014 for the best film on wine and food themes .
Today some Barolo wines are considered some of the best in the world . However , many of the wines from this region were unknown , and many unheralded , until the 1970s . As such this film depicts the last thirty years of technical innovations and changes in the story of Barolo . Such innovations and changes were , in part , due to the work of the Barolo Boys , or modernists , who introduced a series of technical innovations in the world of Italian wine . The film focuses on these innovations , and the contrasts that derived from these changes , but also depicts the friendship and spirit of the group behind these producers and their success . Another great watch . Available on DVD and Amazon Prime Video .
Whether you are looking for light hearted entertainment or something that provides an in depth look into the fascinating world of wine , there is something for everyone out there . One thing that all the above films do is to bring the wine world to life . In many of the films the cinematography is truly spectacular and brings some of the world ’ s most beautiful wine regions into your own home . Give them a watch .
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