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HOLLYWOOD & WINE
Movies about wine are relatively few, and good ones are as rare as a 1961 Hermitage La Chapelle. Here's an overview of a couple worth seeing, and some educational ones, too.
Bottle Shock  Bottle Shock, which was independently released in the United States in August of '08, is out on video. The movie is supposed to tell at least part of the story of "The Judgment of Paris," that game-changing event in 1976 when a Chardonnay from Napa's Chateau Montelena and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars beat some of the top French wines.In a blind taste test. In Paris. With some of France's top wine experts as judges. Mon Dieu! Problem is, lots of stuff shown in the movie just isn't true. Steven Spurrier's wine shop, the Academy du Vin, wasn't struggling at all but was a fairly successful business, teaching classes and catering to English and American expatriates living in France. There are a lot of made up characters, too - you know those composite people that Hollywood loves to invent when the real ones aren't compelling enough. And let's not forget the gratuitous beauties that pop up: Eliza Dushku as a local tavern owner and Rachel Taylor as a cellar rat/intern and love interest. There's a lot of unnecessary melodrama which actually detracts from the real story - a classic underdog tale and one that is ultimately satisfying, even if we know all along who's going to win. And there's one huge hole in the movie: Warren Winniarski, the proprietor of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, is entirely left out along with his award-winning Cabernet. So is his winemaker at the time, Mike Grgich, one of the first employees of the Robert Mondavi winery and today the proprietor of his own, famous, and award-winning winery. Oh, rent the movie anyway. The scenery is gorgeous, the American wines actually did win, the indignation of the French was real, and this single event helped launch the modern and very successful American wine business. Sideways  You probably know by now that the quintessential wine movie - actually a thinly disguised buddy movi - is 2005's Sideways. To be sure, there were a few glaring errors in the movie with respect to wine; for example, in a fit of panicked snobbery, Miles stands outside a restaurant and declares that he won't under any circumstances drink any *&*$#! Merlot, and if anoyone orders any, well, he'll swoop. And at one winery he whines that he's not a fan of Cabernet Franc even when it's well done. Yet later in the movie he raves about one of his prized possessions, a Chateau Cheval Blanc, made with...Cab Franc and Merlot, of course.Aside from the fact that Sideways is a much better movie in general than Bottle Shock, it's a much better wine movie, too. You've probably seen it, but if you haven't, go to your nearest Blockbuster right this minute and rent the movie. And without giving anything away, all I can tell you is to look forward to the brief soliloquy of Virginia Madsen's character, Maya, as she describes in delicate, heartfelt, and almost heartbreaking terms the creation and evolution of a single bottle of wine and all the lives it touches along the way. Mondovino  Another movie, both fascinating and educational, is 2006's Mondovino, a documentary that tries pretty hard, maybe too hard, to pull back the curtain and expose the ugly underbelly of the global wine business. Its thesis isn't too hard to discern: a handful of huge wine and spirit conglomerates is slowly but surely taking control of wineries large and small, around the world. They're homogenizing winemaking so that we'll all be drinking the same thing one way or another in just a few years. And we'll like it, because that's what we're being told to like.A few of the world's wind notables emerge as clear villains here, among them wine critic Robert Parker. And more particularly, Michel Rolland, "the flying Frenchman" who consults to about 100 wineries worldwide including many in France, the United States and South America. It's interesting that Rolland denies that he tells his clients to "micro-oxygenate" their wines, but about 12 minutes into the movie he is seen and heard doing precisely that. Director Jonathan Nossiter, an established filmmaker and sommelier, seems to include Robert Mondavi in his gang of bad guys, ironically based on Mondavi's attempted joint venture in Italy which failed, and his prominence as the leading spokesman for the powerful American wine industry until his death last year. The movie rambles a bit, a lot actually, and at 165 minutes it's way too long and lacks, well, editing. The camerawork is really crap, too - I could do better on rollerblades with a camcorder after a magnum of Champagne. And if you think Parker is the man and Rolland, is the other man, then you won't like what you see and hear. But if you're concerned about the direction that the wine world may be taking, slip this in your DVD player and spend a couple hours seeing how sausage, er, wine is made. Curiously, I couldn't find a trailer for this movie anywhere on the Internet except in French, not even on the filmmaker's own website where it says "coming soon." Educational Movies Jancis Robinson's Wine Course  Jancis Robinson's wine course is a pretty worthwhile investment in time - about five hours - and money, under 20 bucks.The two-disc set walks you through winemaking techniques and wines made from the so-called "great grapes" including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Riesling, and Pinot Noir. Best of all, Jancis takes you to countries where these wines are made, giving you gorgeous views of the vineyards and interesting chats with owners and winemakers. It's interesting that Jancis is able to translate wine concepts and terms in ordinary language, and yet it you can see how she's a bit arrogant and condescending when speaking to the vintners themselves. In any event, though, I don't think you can find a better introductory video wine course at any price. Naturally it's available from Amazon.com but you can also find it in the larger bookstores and video outlets that stock cultural and educational videos. The Secrets of Wine  This course, on the other hand, is a single disc with a scant 60 minute running time. I won't tell you that you can't learn anything from this from this course, but unless you know absolutely nothing about wine, you won't learn very much. I bought it when I didn't know very much, but based on my previous reading it wasn't very useful. I'd skip it. By the way, any book or video that promises to reveal "secrets" probably isn't worth your time or money - after all, if they're really secrets they won't be on video, will they?Get Real Wine Series: Napa and Sonoma Harvest  This 2005 video on a single disc is actually pretty interesting although the production values are lousy and, like Mondovino, it could use some editing and polish. It was produced by a guy named Eric Gerardi from Dayton, Ohio, which piqued my interest since that's my old stomping ground and there aren't a whole lot of wine-savvy people in southwestern Ohio.Gerardi visits and interviewers winemakers from Benzinger Family Vineyards, Steltzner Vineyards and Markham, and speaks with chef and author Cindy Pawlcyn, the owner of Mustard's Grill in Napa where I've eaten a dozen times. Despite the amateurish quality, in about an hour and 15 minutes you get a nice picture of winemaking in Napa and Sonoma - along with a healthy dose of self-promotion by the winemakers. I don't think this video sold too well, and as a result it's a bit hard to find, but it's certainly worth about the 15 bucks it will cost you. Labels: Bottle Shock, Jancis Robinson, Mondovino, Napa and Sonoma Harvest, Sideways, Wine Secrets, Wine-Flair ROSE-EH? With weather in the high 80s here in NJ and the entire northwest US, it's time to think about crisp, refreshing wines meant to be served cold, out on your deck or patio with some grilled food. In other words, it's time to think about Rose.Now, if you stay away from Rose wines because of White Zinfandel - a light, semi-sweet wine that you can imagine only little old ladies sipping at Sunday brunch - you aren't doing yourself any favors. Most are dry, even bone dry, and while they can be fruity many are also crisp, refreshing and a great complement to a variety of food including grilled meats. And in fact there are some outstanding dry Zinfandel rose wines; for example, Frey Vineyards in Mendocino County, California. Another misconception is that rose wines are made by mixing a bit of red wine with a white wine. Nope. Now, some rose Champagnes have always been made that way, and there's a movement underfoot in Europe to allow rose still wines to be made that way, but right now it's generally not done and I doubt that the rules will change after all. Americans, thankfully, have never made Rose that way. Most Roses begin life just like red wines; red grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and then placed in a fermenter. But instead of spending two or three weeks with the grapes skins in contact with the juice, the skins are removed after a brief period, a few hours to maybe a couple days depending on the type of grape and the style the winemaker's going for. This relatively brief skin contact allows just enough color to turn the wine pink (or salmon or orange or coral or a lot of other words wine writers like to use). It also adds a little bit of tannin, and even some complexity. Another method is to just drain off some of the juice from a red wine during its early stage of fermentation, then place it into own fermenter and finish the process with this pink juice. The process is called saignee ("to bleed") and it also nicely concentrates the original red wine. Roses are known for their strawberry and raspberry aromas and flavors, and their versatility; in fact, this is one of the few wines you can drink out of a tumbler on ice and still fully enjoy. And while a lot of wine writers say that these aren't "serious" wines, I say hooey. Wine is supposed to be fun, to bring pleasure and to complement food and in my view, no wine does these more than a good rose.  Roses can be made from any red grape, and the only one I'm not fond of is Merlot - for some reason, the "white Merlots" I've tasted were weak, watery and had too much residual sugar. My favorite domestic rose is Solo Rosa, made by my friend Jeff Morgan in Napa. But there are hundreds more from the US and abroad - the famous Tavel Grenache/Cinsault Rose from France, Spanish Rosados made from Tempranillo, a bold Italian Stallion based on the powerful, obscure Lagrein grape, or one from down under based on what else? Shiraz.This spring and summer, bring a dry Rose to a BBQ, or host one yourself and serve it well-chilled to your guests. You'll be the hit of the neighborhood, I assure you! Here are some suggestions to try: Crios de Susana Balbo, Rose of Malbec (Argentina), 2008 - Malbec, about $12 Turkey Flat Rose 2007 (Australia) - Grenache, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Dolcetto, about $17 SoloRosa Dry Rose Russian River Valley 2008 (CA) - Syrah and Pinot Noir, about $18 Tangley Oaks Rose Napa 2007 (CA) - Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, about $17 Jaboulet Parallele 45 Rose 2007 (France) - Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, about $10-12 Mas de Gourgonnier, Les Baux de Provence Rose, 2008 (France, organic) - Grenache and Syrah, about $15 Pavie, Rose de Pavie 2007 (France) - Cabernet Franc and Merlot, about $18 and worth it! Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Cerasuolo DOC 2007 (Italy) - Montepulciano, about $13 Castillo di Jumilla, Monastrell Rose (Spain), 2008 - Monastrell, about $10 Las Rocas de San Alejandro, Rosado (Spain), 2007 - Grenache, about $9-10 Labels: Frey Vineyards, Lagrein, Rose, Shiraz Rose, SoloRosa, White Zinfandel GET YOUR CRUSH ON...IN NEW JERSEY! Who knew? Here in the most densely populated state in the union, we seem to have more "make on premises", Do-it-Yourself, hands-on winemaking shops than Doan has pills. So if you want to try your hand at making wine, and get a little professional advice and support in the process, New Jersey is the place to be. We're more than just the turnpike, the highest property taxes in the nation and mandatory full-service gas stations, you know!Anyway, two of these places I know well - California WineWorks up in Ramsay, and The Vintner's Circle in both Hackettstown and Whippany, as well as a Pennsylvania location. I've visited another, Grape Expectations in Dayton, NJ, and all of them have happy customers. And I'm impressed by the The Wine Room in Manalpan, shown here - they've got a huge and impressive barrel room and crush facility. And there are many more, from Cherry Hill to Bound Brook to Freehold to Montague. Most of these places hold individual or group winemaking classes, and sell winemaking equipment and supplies. Many, though not all, also sell grape juices and juice concentrates, and some even allow you to order whole fruit from Napa and Sonoma among other places, which is then shipped to you for your own personal "crush." You can often choose the type of barrel to age your wine in, design and print your own labels, and of course bottle the wine when it's time. You'll learn a lot along the way and it's a lot more fun than digging ditches or pulling weeds, if you ask me. A pretty complete list of DIY winemaking facilities is here. Labels: California WineWorks, DIY Winemaking, Grape Expectation, New Jersey, The Vintner's Circle, The Wine Room, Wine-Flair MERITAGE, SCHMERITAGE? Meritage, as you may know, is a kind of proprietary red wine made by any number of producers in California. It's supposedly done in the "Bordeaux style" which means it must have at least two of these varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot - and can have all five, though few do. To be labeled a Meritage wine, the winery has to be a member of the Meritage Association and follow a few rules. But that's not something for you to worry about. Anyway, I like my share of Meritages, although they tend to be more fruity, dense and powerful than Bordeaux wines. I've enjoyed Buena Vista, Charles Krug, Cosentino, Ehler's Estate, Guenoc, Murrieta's Well, Rodney Strong, Sterling, and many more - and these are pretty affordable. Other red wines made in a similar fashion but without the Meritage label or "official" designation spring to mind - Cain Five and Cain Concept, Joseph Phelps Insignia, Dominus, Opus One and Rudd stand out. Good wines? Yes, and some are exceptionally good, Insignia in particular. But remember, the low end on some of these proprietary wines is maybe $150 per, for a very recent bottle in only a decent vintage. Regardless of cost, if you're subsisting on these California blends, or the classic Bordeaux, from Premier Crus to Crus Borgeois, you're probably missing the charms and pleasures of a legion of other blended reds. Specifically here, I'm talking about the "non-traditional blends" that often include Bonarda, Carignane, Carmenere, Counoise, Malbec, and Syrah. These come from South America, and are great values, most under $20 and becoming more widely available all the time, especially as bargain-conscious drinkers have moved down and stayed at that price point. And they are simply outstanding wines that stand on their own. There are also a lot of so-called Rhone Blends around, which some say are trying to mimic the famous and very expensive Chateauneuf du Pape, a mid-priced bottle of which can go for around $50. These are based on red Grenache, one of my favorite grapes, but like the French AOC version can have a whole mess o' grapes (French wine laws allow up to 13 specific varieties). The American versions are a whole lot cheaper, with the occasional exception, and they, too, deliver great value and an exceptional drinking experience. I haven't listed vintages on purpose because I don't want you to limit what you try or fixate on a given year. The prices given are for the vintages that are in stores and online today. South-of-the-Borders Primus, from Casablanca Valley, Chile. Based on Merlot and a significant though lesser amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, this also has a healthy dose of Carmenere. Tremendous stuff. Around $20. Patriota, from Tikal in Mendoza, Argentina. Based on the Bonarda grape, with a large proportion of Malbec. $19-20. Expresivo Ben Marco from Mendoza, Argentina. Talk about your kitchen sink - Malbec, Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. The '07 will run you about $18, earlier versions a bit more. South-of-Elsewhere Roodeberg Red, from KWV South Africa. They never really say what's in it, but I'm told Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. It's cheap (the '06 is under $10) but consistently good. Rhone Rangers Esprit de Beaucastel, from Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, California. Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise. About $18 (the white blend is about the same). Le Mistral from Joseph Phelps in Napa, California. Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouschet. The 2006 is pricey, at $36-39. Z Cuvee Red Wine, from Zaca Mesa in St. Ynez, California. Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsaut. The 2006 is about $16-18. Labels: Chateauneuf, Espirit de Beaucastel, Expresivo Ben Marco, Grenache, Le Mistral, Meritage, Patriota, Primus, Roodeberg Red, Z Cuvee APRIL WHAT? On this April Fool's day 2009, Decanter magazine can't resist its annual ruse which I'm sure has a lot of Europeans in a tizzy. As I recall, a couple years ago it was Paris Hilton being introduced as the celebrity spokesperson for Bordeaux, just at the moment, like now, of en Primeur. And with French President Sarkozy in London fighting battles over the world economy, such an announcement would be almost a coup d'etat! Of course, Ms. Hilton actually was chosen to represent "the sophisticated Rich Prosecco in the designer can" in 2006. But I'd venture to say that Paul Giamatti with his decidedly non-designer looks did far more in Sideways for Pinot Noir than Ms. Hilton could do for, well, anything. And a fellow wine writer at Vinography does his own version, with Somali pirates! Passover is only about a week away, and if you're interested in good wine for your Seder, you might want to review my post on that subject by scrolling down. Like a broken record, every year I make the point that there is very good Kosher wine available but it'll cost a bit and perhaps take a bit more effort to get it to your table. Photo courtesy of Covenant Wines. With the spring upon us as both Easter and Passover approach, we're all looking for better weather, an improving economy and some fresh optimism. But please keep in mind that hundreds of thousands of Marines and soldiers still go in harm's way every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a former Marine I'm especially interested in supporting the injured Marine Semper Fi fund - click here and there's also a link to it on the right sidebar, just scroll down a little bit. If you can contribute, great; if not, click on the link anyway to visit the site and learn a little bit about the programs that are offered to injured Marines.A lot of people have asked me recently what biodynamic wines are, how they differ from organic ones, what sustainable grapegrowing is, and what this all means. I've done some research and I'll be posting an explanation sometime in the next couple weeks; if you're interested, stay tuned. In the meantime, here's a link to a 2006 report on California's Sustainable Winegrowing program; unfortunately, '06 is the latest there is. Oh, and French actor-winemaker-restaurateur Gerard Depardieu says biodynamics "doesn't exist." Hmm. |
Main photograph by Christine Costello (View of Gloria Ferrer Vineyards, Carneros, CA).
