Wine accompanies people throughout history and its relevance has not changed. Despite hundreds of varieties of drinks, the wine remains an ageless classic. Winemaking is a whole life that you can only get to know through the movies. We bring to your attention the best wine movies in order to better experience the wine and the process of its production.
#1 Sideways (2004)
Sideways is a wine trip movie in California vineyards. You will be following a couple of friends, Miles and Jack Cole. They decided to have a bachelor party in California, which is inextricably linked with wine. You can relax for a pleasant viewing and learn something new. For example, there are helpful notes on proper vani tasting and grape varieties. The film was honored to wear the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
#2 Uncorked (2020)
Elijah is tired of hearing about his future from those around him. His father hopes that he will continue the barbecue business, but this is not what Elijah wants. His inner strings of the soul were touched while working in the wine business. He was so inspired that now he dreams of becoming a sommelier.
His girlfriend showed wisdom and encouraged the main character, which helped him pass the entrance exams to the sommelier school. According to the exchange program, he, along with the class, goes to Paris. Due to special events at home, Elijah leaves the classroom urgently and returns. He was able to return but missed too much. Will he be able to become a true master sommelier and make his place a reality?
#3 Wine Country (2019)
Light comedy starring Poehler, Tina Fey, and Maya Rudolph. In it, grown girls go to the Napa Valley. Here old friends are reunited and the plot begins to twist. What is a lifelong friendship? You will soon find out for yourself.
You won’t be able to watch all movies on HBO if you’re outside of the US. Features of copyright treaties limit the regions in which films are shown. If we can’t do anything about it, we can change our “virtual address” ourselves. With the help of a VPN, we can make the service think that we are in another country. But not every VPN is suitable, because you also need to provide high bandwidth and a good level of security. With the best VPN for HBO Max everything will go smoothly. Although the title of the best is our subjective assessment, VeePN is good for various tasks, including unblocking content on HBO.
#4 A good year (2006)
Another film about wine, which deserves a high position in our top. In the story, we pass through the vineyards along with Russell Crowe in the title role – a high-ranking leader and the newly minted owner of the vineyard. His first reaction is to sell the inheritance, but life took a different turn. It was the vineyard and the winery that connected the hero with his life partner and the three of them: the main character, his wife, and wine began an affair. This romantic comedy will allow you to better experience the life of winegrowers in the southeast of France.
#5 Drunk Parents (2019)
If you’re looking for something fun and light-hearted, here’s Drunk Parents. You don’t have to be stressed all the time, relax with Frank and Nancy. Let them come up with a complex plan and get out of financial difficulties. Who would have thought that it would be funny to watch the difficulties of other people? A good plot and its interpretation is the key to success. Let you not learn anything new about wine, but you will have a rest from gray everyday life.
#6 Bottle Shock (2008)
1976, Judgment of Paris wine competition and one simple sommelier, part-time owner of a liquor store. In those years, few people in France, especially in Paris, could think of wine from abroad. Someone should have introduced them to amazing wines outside of France. Hard time and financial difficulties pushed Steven Spurrier to a radical measure – blind testing of wine. Oddly enough, the winner was a bottle of Chateau Montelena’s chardonnay.
#7 Back to Burgundy (2017)
Back to Burgundy is your ticket to one of the world’s most famous wine regions. Jean is forced to go home to Burgundy, as the fate of the family winery depends on it. While the father is ill, the sister becomes the head of the business. His brother is married to a girl from another wine-growing family.
Just 2 harvests completely changed the relationship in the family. Brothers and sisters are facing difficult choices, without which they cannot regain trust. Jean discovers an indisputable truth – you can leave the house, but the house will never leave you. Will he stay at home this time?
#8 Blood Into Wine (2010)
Blood Into Wine is a documentary that shows Arizona from the other side. It turns out that incredible wines are produced here. The film shows how unique the North American wine industry is. The lead role was played by Maynard James Keenan, a Grammy-winning vocalist of the band Tool, and Eric Glomski. Their joint winery Caduceus Cellars in Jerome, Arizona will lift the veil of mystery and reveal amazing facts about the winemaking of this region. The film was remembered not only for this but also for the soundtrack featuring Keenan’s band, Puscifer.
#9 Somm (2012)
Check out Somm, an American documentary where 4 candidates – Ian Cauble, Dustin Wilson, DLynn Proctor, and Brian McClintic put in a Herculean effort to pass the Master Sommelier examination. The film is not only about the test, it also has facts about the peculiarities of winemaking in the United States, France, Italy, and Germany. Renowned sommeliers, Fred Dame, Peter Neptune, Michael Jordan, and Geoff Kruth, give their advice and facts about this sophisticated art in interviews. The film won the “Best Documentary” award at the San Luis Obispo Film Festival in 2013.
#10 The Vintner’s Luck (2011)
An indie film directed by Niki Caro, best known for The Whale Rider. Based on the award-winning novel by Elizabeth Knox tells the story of Sobran Jodeau. The main character is a peasant winemaker with a big but unattainable dream – to make the perfect vintage wine. The film takes you to France in 1808. Jodeau has great luck – he meets an angel who blesses his wine. Thanks to divine inspiration, the whole life of the character changes. Starring Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel) and Gaspard Ulliel (Moon Knight).
#11 Mondovino (2004)
Mondovino is one of the documentaries about wine, where the main role is given to the battle between small winemakers and global wine companies. The globalization of the market and the standardization of wine is a medal with two sides. Mondovino poses tough questions that you have to answer for yourself. Does the lack of critical acclaim or a rating scale deprive a wine of its unique qualities? Are we really looking for quality wine only by the label? Still, global conglomerates will suppress all the petty rebel winemakers?
#12 The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)
The film is dedicated to the secret that is hidden in a small Italian village famous for its vineyards. This secret is 1 million bottles of the most expensive wine. It was hidden during the Nazi occupation. What is the history of this place, who knew about the secret, and what happened next? Answer these questions for yourself after watching the movie, awarded a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Comedy.
#13 Year Of The Comet (1992)
The wine merchant and part-time father of Margaret Harwood sent her to Scotland, where a unique bottle of wine was found. It’s a bottle from 1811, the year of the Great Comet. Lovers and enemies at the same time will not let you get bored while watching. Many people laid eyes on such a priceless artifact. Oliver, who is supposed to be the treasure’s bodyguard, is not professional enough, causing the relic to be stolen. The novel constantly maintains tension and looms confrontation between characters with completely opposite characters.
Conclusion
Describing a movie about wine excessively oversimplifies the genre. Do you seek light-hearted comedy like Wine Country or in-depth trivia like Blood Into Wine? Maybe a relaxed view with Drunk Parents or lively action with The Secret of Santa Vittoria? An abundance of options awaits, it’d be rude to pick just one. Although the overall plots and concepts vary between films, they all bring unique facets of wine-making and sommelier life to life, in all their detailed glory.
