For whatever reason, wine rarely plays a leading role - or even a supporting one - in movies made nowadays - except in "Sideways."
Along with "Sideways," the best wine movies ever made include...
See, it's not as easy as you think. For whatever reason, wine rarely plays a leading role - or even a supporting one - in movies made nowadays.
Sure, there's the odd toast here and there in "The Untouchables" or "The Godfather" or "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" or maybe a scene or two in "Dr. No." But even that's becoming rarer it seems on the big screen.
Nowadays, instead of James Bond extolling the virtues of 1953 Dom Perignon (versus the 1955 favored by Dr. No), we see Jimmy Bond drinking a Heineken in a bungalow on the beach in "Skyfall."
And the crazy part is Americans are drinking more wine now than they ever were decades ago. (Between 1993 and 2010, consumption of wine in the U.S. rose from 449 million gallons (1.74 gallons per person) to 784 million gallons (2.54 gallons per person) according to the Wine Institute.)
So where's the wine, other than when a group of women get together to gab over a bottle of chilled chardonnay in "Beaches" or "Something's Gotta Give" or girl bonding movies "Bridesmaids"?
Sure, there was the movie "Bottle Shock" in 2008 starring Alan Rickman based on the true story of how California's Chateau Montelena beat out some of the best wines in France in a blind taste test in 1976. But I'll be honest. I love wine. I think Alan Rickman's a great actor. (He was terrific in "Die Hard" and "Truly, Madly, Deeply.") But even I was a bit bored with this wine-centric movie.
And yes, I've read articles about great wine movies talking about all the Champagne flowing in "Casablanca" but it's not exactly what I would call a wine movie.
I have long had a theory that in blockbuster movies, only the villain or the bad guy drinks wine. But other than Hannibal Lecter and his 'fine Chianti' in "Silence of the Lambs," I can't seem to think of other villains off hand who have a fine-tuned wine palate. (Incidently, in the book, Lecter's choice of wine to go with human liver was Amarone della Valpolicella.) But I know they're out there. And I know that that's been a deliberate choice made by movie makers.
(Actually, I just thought of another example in this year's Oscar-nominated movie, Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." Leonardo DiCarprio's monstrous character enjoys wine during dinner at his plantation. Then again, I think there are other obvious signs that Calvin Candie is absolutely repugnant. Like the fact that he orders a pack of dogs to eat a man alive. Or maybe it was the scene where he egged on two men fighting to the death. Kind of a toss up.)
Whenever there's someone in a movie that knows a lot about wine, especially a male character, the red flags usually go up. This is someone who's not be trusted, seems to be the message. Either that or the guy's a real pompous jerk, especially in American films.
Perhaps the best example is the main character in the best wine movie ever made: Alexander Payne's "Sideways." Everyone knows a wine snob like Miles (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti) or has at least cringed or rolled their eyes as they overheard someone like Miles ordering wine in a restaurant. And every California wine maker of merlot probably cursed his name after the movie came out.
Personally, I'd like to thank Miles for making merlot more affordable. I'll admit. I love pinot noir and leap at the chance to drink the best ones from Oregon or Burgundy. But merlot's also the main ingredient in some of my favorite Bordeaux wines as well as the featured wine at a few great California wineries. (Pride Winery and Sterling Vineyards make particularly good merlots.)
But what I loved most about "Sideways" is how Miles isn't just a jerk. And if he only cared as much about people as he does about wine, his life would be so richer, so much more fulfilling.
One of the saddest scenes ever in "Sideways" is watching Miles drink his prized 1961 Chateau Cheval Blanc (which ironically is made from 40 percent merlot grapes) in a paper cup at a fast food restaurant. Instead of sharing this great wine with someone, he decides to keep the wine all to himself and attempt to drown his sorrows in the bottle. (He'd just found earlier in the movie his ex-wife had remarried and was pregnant.)
Watching that scene and even thinking about it now years later, I remember thinking that no matter how great a bottle of wine is, it won't fix anything that's wrong with your life. Personally, when I'm depressed, the last thing I want to do is waste drinking a great bottle of wine at that time. For me, great wine should be shared with great friends and loved ones. Or at the very least, saved for a time on your own when you can really, truly appreciate an amazing wine.
I think Miles would agree. That's probably why he looked so depressed sitting there sipping a truly out-of-this world wine. Either that or he was kicking himself for not decanting the wine two hours earlier.
It's also probably what makes the scene between Miles and Maya (played by Virginia Madsen) talking about why Miles loves pinot noir and Maya enjoys thinking about wine as a living, breathing thing. Sure, it's a little heavy handed in parts and perhaps a bit obvious. But just try to watch that scene and not get teary eyed.
So while there might not be a lot of movies made about wine, that's ok since Payne hit an absolute bullseye when he made "Sideways." Sort of like when an unheralded wine maker produces an amazing vintage seemingly out of the blue. What does it matter that it was only one great year. One fantastic year is better than a few mediocre years. Just like one amazing, subtle, complex glass of wine is better than one or two glasses of "rancid tar" as Miles says in one of his better riffs on a bad glass of wine in "Sideways."
But what really makes "Sideways" so fantastic is because the movie is about more than just wine. It's about people who are passionate about great wine and how those passions get played out in the rest of their less-than-perfect lives.
Sort of like how Robert Redford's "Downhill Racer" is about more than just skiing. Or "Field of Dreams" is about more than just baseball. Or "Caddyshack" is about more than just golf.
So if you decide to slog your way through the Oscars on Sunday, raise a glass of merlot or pinot noir and here's hoping Hollywood gets around to making another great movie, preferably about wine, sometime soon. And if they don't, that's ok too.
Cheers.