Wine Movies
The holidays are a good time to slow down, open a bottle, and settle in with a movie—either with friends and family, or blissfully after they’ve all gone home. If you’re looking for something wine-related to watch over the break, here are a few documentaries (and one dramatization) worth your time.
Mondovino (2004)
One of the first feature-length documentaries to seriously examine the globalization of wine. Mondovino sits at the crossroads of Robert Parker’s powerful wine scores and the lengths some winemakers went to in order to please him. Higher scores meant higher prices, and the film raises questions that are still relevant today about authenticity, influence, and who really shapes the wines we drink.
Blood Into Wine (2010)
For Tool fans, this documentary follows frontman Maynard James Keenan as he builds a winery in the emerging appellation of northern Arizona. There are plenty of celebrity cameos and some beautiful desert scenery. It’s an engaging look at starting from scratch in a place few people associated with fine wine at the time—and it makes me wish I’d spent more time in the desert.
Somm (2012)
Wine tasting is not a spectator sport, but Somm somehow makes it feel gripping. The film follows a group of candidates preparing for the notoriously difficult Master Sommelier exam. Equal parts obsessive and endearing, it offers a glimpse into a world few people ever see. There have since been three additional Somm films.
Red Obsession (2013)
This documentary focuses on Bordeaux and the dramatic rise in prices driven by demand from Chinese buyers. It also highlights Château Lafite Rothschild’s 2008 label, which featured the Chinese symbol for the number eight—officially to celebrate the First Growth’s vineyard venture in China… though one suspects it didn’t hurt sales either.
Barolo Boys (2014)
There was a time when Barolo was largely a local wine, unknown outside its region. That changed when a younger generation of winemakers pushed a more modern style, turning Barolo into one of the most sought-after wines in the world. This film captures the personalities involved and the ongoing tension between modernists and traditionalists.
Sour Grapes (2016)
Rudy Kurniawan loved Burgundy wines—so much so that after buying as many as he could, he began counterfeiting them and selling them at auction. His downfall came when he tried to sell a bottle that had never actually existed. Without that mistake, the FBI may never have caught him.
If you’re in the mood for something a little more dramatic…
Bottle Shock (2008)
Based on the 1976 Judgment of Paris, this film tells the story of British wine merchant Steven Spurrier, played by Alan Rickman, who organized a blind tasting between French and Californian wines. The California wines won, and the wine world was forever changed.
The film takes plenty of creative liberties to fit into a tidy two hours, but it remains an entertaining introduction to a pivotal moment in wine history.
If there are books or films I’ve missed that deserve a place on this list, I’d love to hear about them. And wherever you find yourself this holiday season, I hope you’re able to share something good—whether that’s a great bottle, a good story, or both.