While the Oscars are supposed to represent the best of the film industry, the movies I list here... well, some do, and some... do not...

In my research for this post, I realized that there are really not that many great movies out there about wine. What gives?! 

Anyhow, here’s the list of ones I find worth watching, for one reason or another. Starting with the best.

Sideways: 
This is the best wine movie I've ever seen.  It was nominated for several Academy Awards: best picture, supporting actor and actress,  best director, and it won for best adapted screenplay. It’s darkly funny, it’s sad, and it makes wine seem totally sexy and mystical (which in reality, it both is and isn’t.) I don’t always agree with the opinions of the characters- I’ll take a Merlot over a Pinot Noir any day- but I really do love this movie.

It chronicles the adventures of sad sack novelist and wine snob Miles (Paul Giamatti) as he takes his best friend, a washed up and self-absorbed TV actor named Jack (played by Thomas Haden Church) wine tasting in central CA. The trip is a sort of last hurrah before Jack’s wedding. Lots and lots of crazy things happen to them. They drink a LOT of wine, meet some interesting people, and get themselves in and out of some sticky situations. If you haven’t seen it, you should. And if you have seen it, you should watch it again.

French Kiss: 
Ok this one isn’t EXACTLY a wine movie. But since the whole thing revolves around Kevin Kline trying to start his own vineyard through less-than-honest fundraising practices, and has plenty of gorgeous shots of French wine country, I thought it should be included on the list. It’s a definite vintage rom-com, but Kevin Kline is a treasure. Always. And Meg Ryan really was America's sweetheart. It probably overly-romanticizes wine and viticulture (as many movies do,) but it is a good time nonetheless.

Bottle Shock: 
This movie is a feel-good comedy that is loosely based on a true story. In 1976, “The Judgment of Paris,” a blind tasting judged by France’s preeminent wine experts, was held by a British expat wine lover and the owner of La Academie du Vin. At this time, American wines were not held in any sort of high regard and California was seen as very primitive and backwoods. Well, to the shock of the wine world, two Napa Valley wines won. Stag’s Leap (for some reason, not even mentioned once in this movie) won the red competition, and Chateau Montelena (the subject of the movie) won in the white category.  

I’ll admit, this movie was the most disappointing of the ones I've seen in that it doesn’t really live up to its potential. In my opinion, it focuses too much on the relationships and character backstory (we really didn’t need a love triangle there) and the dialogue isn’t great. I’ve read some major criticisms of the acting, which I don’t know I agree with. Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman, are, as always, pretty darn good. And I think the rest of the actors were doing the best they could with the words they were given  (Chris Pine’s wig, however, is a travesty. For reals. Awful. Distractingly bad.) 

The scenes involving actual winemaking and work in the vineyard are pretty enchanting. I wasn’t really sucked in until Bill Pullman busted out his wine thief and gave Alan Rickman a taste of chardonnay. 
  
Ultimately, it is an easy to watch, cute, feel good movie. The fact that it gives a little info about a true event is a plus, and it streams on Netflix, so why not? I definitely recommend opening a bottle of wine while you watch. (Though don’t feel bad if you can’t afford the roughly $11,300 for a bottle of the award-winning 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay.)

Mondovino: This one is a documentary and wee bit long (over 2 hours.) It was apparently initially intended to be a miniseries (and has since been released as such in the UK) and not consumed in one sitting. This makes sense. It was a little hard on my modern attention span. Especially since much of it is not in English and you really have to pay attention to those subtitles! As a warning, it certainly doesn't do anything to dispel the snobby image of the wine world! 

The filmmakers travel the world visiting winemakers of different sizes and passion levels. It is an interesting look at the globalization of wine and the effect that large producers have had on the world. Americans don’t necessarily come across too well, and it is insinuated that massive California producers like Mondavi/Opus One are to blame for a decline in variety and quality in consumer palates the world over. In fact, many of the proponents of globalization, be they American or French, seem to have been intentionally portrayed as either over-the-top stupid, or money obsessed. Which, may be true, but it made me embarrassed on behalf of the subjects.

The film romanticizes small French producers quite a bit. But perhaps with good reason (I, myself, would much rather drink a hand-crafted bottle of wine than a jug of mass-produced stuff. But this is a whole other post. I’ll go into it one day.) The overall message of the movie seemed to be that globalization is damaging local style and panache because consumers are now expecting a certain dull, uniform wine made popular by the mass producers. 

All in all, the pace is slow, the material is interesting, the viewpoint is a little muddy, and I liked it. But I think it would’ve been better as a TV series.

 A Good Year:
OK, so I admit, didn’t even watch this one. I was gonna… and then, the Rotten Tomatoes reviews scared me away. ("So why include it?" you ask. Well, in case YOU want to watch it and report back!) Anyone seen it? Is it as bad as they say?

OK. That’s it! If you feel passionately about my reviews (in any way) or have seen any fab wine-related movies that I’ve missed, share them in the comments!

Did you know?
A whole vineyard was basically kidnapped for ransom? Vanity Fair ran a fascinating story a few years ago called The Assassin in the Vineyard. I can’t WAIT for this one to be made into a movie. Somebody get on it!

There are lots of wine accessories on the market. I obviously haven’t tried them all, but I do have opinions on a few.

1.     Decanters.
I have one. I almost never use it. If I were drinking lots of aged red wines, or unfiltered wines with lots of sediment, it’d probably be getting more use. Also, I’m seldom pouring out a whole bottle at once. That said, they are pretty and would work well at dinner parties.

2.     Openers (there are lots of different kinds of openers. I’ve tried many. And I have strong feelings on which is the best.) It's a little bit of a Goldilocks situation.
            a.     The winged variety of corkscrew.  Frankly, I hate these (no offense to this particular brand- I just hate them in general.) They suck. In my experience, about 8 times out of 10, they just destroy the cork. If I’m successful in getting it out, it inevitably leaves little bits floating in my bottle. No thanks. We can do better.
            b.     The Rabbit.  I was super excited to get one of these. I assumed it would streamline my life. Sadly, it did not. It does a good job about 70% of the time, but the other 30% has been sort of disastrous. Once, it pushed the cork in, only about halfway. I was able to stop it going all the way in, but as it pulled the cork back up, it also drew red wine up around the sides, thereby spraying my dining room in a shower of red droplets. For the price, I don’t’ think you really get the most bang for your buck- so to speak.
           c.      The waiter-style corkscrew. This one is my favorite. It is cheap, easy to use, and almost never fails me. It may take a little bit of practice to get down pat, but once you do, I think you’ll never go back. I do like the double hinged variety. It allows for more sort of "ratcheting" control. And most come with a built in blade for cutting foil.
           d.     The weird two pronged variety of opener. I’ve never used one and am scared to try. In the words of Lucille Bluth, “I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.”

3.     Aerators.
I have the Vinturi. I really like it. I wouldn’t have bought it for myself (it was a delightful Christmas gift a few years ago.). But I love having one and have since purchased quite a few of them as gifts. They do everything a decanter does and are much more versatile. You can pour one or two glasses at a time, take it on a picnic, wash it easily... If you're choosing a product that will remove sediment and let oxygen into your wine, skip the decanter. This is the way to go. (They also make a model specific to aerating spirits. I haven't used it, but have heard good things.)

4.     Chillers. (For those of you who don't want to live on the edge by throwing a bottle in the freezer and setting a timer like I do...)
          The only one I've personally tried is your classic marble chiller- good for keeping things cool. I have friends who own one and we often bust it out when drinking white wines at their place. It does a good job. 
           If you're curious about investigating other types, there are several out there on the market. They range from low to high tech.


5.     Wine charms. These are frivolous and unnecessary, for sure. However, they’re fun. If you plan to entertain frequently and want to help your guests remember whose glass is whose, they’re a fun little item to own. There are several variations on the theme. I personally find the stick-on mustaches quite delightful, though the ones I own are a little more conventional- but hand made!

6.     And, the best of all, the Vacuum Wine Saver. This thing is THE ONE. Lots of you probably have one, but if you don't, get one now. You can keep wine fresh for a long time with these suckas. Especially in the fridge. 

Do you have any favorite wine accessories? Disagree with any of my opinions? Have you uncovered the surprising genius that is the two-pronged opener? Feel free to share in the comments.

UPDATE: My awesome friend, Kevin (hopefully he'll be guest-posting soon,) informs me that the two-pronged wine openers DO serve a purpose.
In a wine where the cork has become degraded, a regular corkscrew will just shred it and you'll wind up with giant chunks of cork in your bottle. Soooo, those two prongs are meant to slip in around the outside of the wonky cork and gently wiggle it up out of the bottle. He's never had to use one, but that's theoretically what they are for. Learning!

UPDATE 2: This comment comes from one of my amazing classmates, Dave Specter of Bells Up Winery. "One small thing. I love the vacuum sealers and they do their job well. But even with the sealers, wine can pick up odors from your fridge from stronger smelling foods. It also happens with unopened bottles, which is why I don't advise leaving a bottle in the fridge for terribly long - opened or not." Good advice, Dave! 

Did you know?
A great way to keep red wine from staining is to immediately cover the spill with baking soda. Then you can rinse it out, or vacuum it off and then spot clean with water, depending on the location of the spill. Seriously. I accidentally sloshed on someone’s couch one time. Baking soda right away meant there wasn’t a trace of the stain left! It was miraculous. 

They do have the correct shape for swirling and trapping aroma compounds. However, I personally only recommend stemless glasses for red wines. This is pretty simple- red wines are supposed to be served warmer than whites, which are best served fresh out of the fridge. (As a side note, the "room temperature" recommended for red wines was established before we all had central heating. They actually should be served a little cooler than modern room temp.)

Ok, back to glassware- A stemless glass will absorb heat from your hand, and therefore it really isn't good for retaining that nice crisp temperature for whites. Also, with a cold white wine, they’re more likely to sweat and make a ring on the bottom- if you care about such things. Ultimately, It’s really a matter of preference.  

I like a nice medium to large glass with a stem- and it needs to be sturdy. I got mine for cheap at Pier One- they get broken, it happens, and this way, they're easily replaceable and I- or my guests- don't feel too bad.

Cheers!

Did you know?
When you detect something like blackberry or lychee in a glass of wine, that’s because you are tasting or smelling the same molecular compounds that are present in those fruits!  

This is for you more visual learners. It details the white winemaking process (red would have a few more steps.)
 It has a lot of info I didn't really cover in-depth in my first post, but hopefully it's decently easy to understand anyhow. Enjoy and remember to ask any questions in the comments!