We recently watched Bottleshock; the movie is a little like Sideways because it focuses on wine, but the similarities end there. Bottleshock is based on actual events. It’s set in Napa and France (parallel plot lines that eventually overlap) in 1976. This was a time when France was still king of the wine world and nobody knew that California could produce amazing wine…yet. Chateau Montelena was owned by a financially strapped, middle-aged, divorcee and his hippie son who was known to have fun into the wee hours, but never wanted to work. If this is sounding a bit like the prodigal son, then your hunches are right. From across the pond, there’s a British sommolier living in Paris who is completely snubbed by wine critics. His American friend and business owner next-door to him urges that he try something new and unconventional; head out to Napa and sample those wines. From there, you’ll have to see where this story takes you, but there’s lots of familiar faces in the cast: Chris Pine, Bill Pullman, Alan Rickman and Dennis Farina to name a few.
Overall, the movie makes for a good rental. The cinematography captures how beautiful the dusty roads and row upon row of vineyards can be, but some parts are a bit slow and could have been edited out. Other parts wax a little too poetic, even for my taste, on the subject of wine. It’s pretty incredible though to think that Napa is still so young because it’s known these days for producing such bold, delicious wine. Watch this with a glass of California’s finest in hand and make a relaxing night of it.
Cheers my dears!
