Wine Film Review- Bottle Shock

A.J. Smith

Geography of Wine

Bottle Shock- Wine Film Review

Professor Boyer

4^th April 2013

            From the opening scene Bottle Shock really gets the viewer into the wine world of Napa Valley. The flyover shot of the vineyards in Napa Valley emotes the feeling that this area has been growing and producing wine for generations. This however, is not the case. Bottle Shock portrays the rise of Napa Valley wine into prominence during the 1970s. This movie retells the story about how Napa Valley took on the French wine juggernaut and won in 1976.

            Bottle Shock centers around the financially troubled Chateau Montelena and its owner Jim Barrett and his son Bo. The film also focuses on Steve Spurrier, a British wine critique who wants to create a wine competition to show the dominance of French wine. He calls this competition the “Judgment of Paris.” He sets out in search of the best American wines to compare to the premier French wines. Spurrier comes into contact with Jim when his car gets a flat in Napa Valley. Spurrier is persistent in tasting Jim’s wine, but the winery owner refuses. Eventually, Bo secretly gives Spurrier some of their Chardonnay despite not knowing that the wine is experiencing “bottle shock” and is a deep brown color. Jim discovers this, and tries to trash his entire stock of Chardonnay, not knowing that the color is temporary. A local bar keeper saves the stash and the fate of Chateau Montelena is saved. Afterward, Bo is invited by Spurrier to appear at the Judgment of Paris where various American wines are going against French wines in a blind wine tasting.

            To the shock of all the French wine experts, the American wines defeated the French wines, with the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay placing 1^st in the Chardonnay category. This victory had thrust Napa Valley onto the world stage and forever changed the wine world.

            “Great wine is a great art.” This quote from Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) showed me that this film would definitely appeal to the avid wine drinker. So many wine terms and references were thrown out that it almost took away from the content of the movie. The actors referenced the volcanic terroir of Napa Valley that gives the wines grown there a very unique flavor. There was also a reference to how the best wine grapes need to struggle, it supposedly makes the grapes taste better. I do not know if this is true, but it definitely makes for a good movie quote.

           Bottle Shock’s setting really sets the scene for a wine movie. The panoramic shots of Napa Valley show the ideal climate of growing grapes. The dry, sunny Mediterranean climate is ideal for the growing of red grapes. Despite the yellow tinted lens used for the shoot, Bottle Shock displays the hilly terrain and the dry vegetation of Napa Valley perfectly. Having been to Napa Valley multiple times, I can definitely say that Bottle Shock accurately displays the terrain.

            From a historical context, Bottle Shock details the most important moment for American wine. The Judgment in Paris in 1976 put Napa Valley on the map and thrust their wine into stardom. It was the time where California wine defeated the world-renowned French wine giants. As highlighted by the film, this moment opened up the world stage for wines from all countries. It globalized the wine world. It changed it from the being dominated by the German, French, Italian, and Spanish wines and opened up the world wine market to the United States and to other countries (i.e. Australia, South Africa, Argentina, etc.). This is why Bottle Shock is very important to the globalization of wine in the 20^th century.

            Overall, Bottle Shock is a definite must-see for anyone who wants to see the rise of Napa Valley onto the world stage. A few historical inaccuracies aside, this film highlights the emergence of Napa Valley wine and it marked the beginning of the globalization of wine. I suggest this film to anyone who wants to learn about how Napa Valley wine rose to prominence.