The Auswine Forum

Saw a great wine documentary on Saturday as part of the French Film Festival in Melbourne. The underlying theme was big, new, modern winemaking vs traditional, older winemaking methods, and it covered issues I knew little about - Robert Mondavi wines, wine consultants, SuperTuscans, terroir, and yes Robert Parker. The doco had excellent access to influential wine people (like RP in a home interview) as well as small vignerons, including a quirky, wonderful Frenchman, and was engrossing, altho a tad long at over 2 hours.

Based on some puzzled looks afterwards, not sure that it was much of a crowdpleaser amongst the festival/French crowd, but I loved it and only wished I had a glass of wine or three to sip during it. Went home and immediately had a few glasses of Saltram shiraz (and watched Iron Chef...)

Melbournites - it has one more showing on Friday 4 March, and the festival is coming to most capitals in early March - see http://www.frenchfilmfestival.org for details

Posted October 8th, 2004:
You guys and gals missed a killer movie about wine, just viewed at the Vancouver Film Festival. I was concerned it would be long and boring but I found I was entirely enthralled the whole film, which was edited down to 2 hours 35 mins from the 3:00 hours of the original release at the Toronto Film Festival.
There is apparently going to be a DVD release consisting of 10 parts, and with the full 500 hours of filming sometime after Christmas '05, and I'm absolutely committed to purchasing this when it becomes available.
A few things certainly stand out, the first was 20 minutes filled with quick, wacky, and frenetic camera movements, much like an NYPD Blue episode. Somewhat disco flashy it certainly didn't fit with the documentary style of the movie, and was almost like someone was practicing everything they learned in film school with their camera. Fortunately this suddenly ended, and a more fluid and smooth visual eventually calmed my nerves, and definitely fit with the theme of a wine-Eden.
Jonathon Noisseter has a sort of strange and quiet charm, a very non-threatening and an extremely gentle personality. Somehow, through his honest personal questions he gets everyone to trust him and to eventually spill their heart and souls. This is very straight-up and edgy at times, although with a focus on a Globalization of wine theme, he takes a lot of other good juice from the cast of contributors.
The American wine scene depicted has a definite feel of money and power, perhaps it's contrived, but there's no doubt it exists. The meat is centered about the Mondavi's, and ironically their supposed takeover of the wine world. Funny timing as I believe this was filmed just post 9-11, and there was obviously no evidence of trouble within that organization during film-making.
Michael Mondavi comes across as a bit of a showy twit, perfectly paired with the Staglins segment - all big talk and statements.
Michael made my 'quote of the movie' with his comment " some day we could be making wine on Mars, wouldn't it be cool to order a wine from Mars?". .....I think the entire theater laughed out loud, I sure as hell did !!
The Staglins were depicted as the example of the rich, arrogant and soulless snobs. They know little about wine and prefer to name-drop and glitz there way through a very elaborate luncheon with Jonathan on their fabulous Napa patio, with a view of Mondavi's winery which of course they quickly pointed out. It was all rather sleazy to me, and made me feel embarrassed for them, as they were later mentioned by their consulting winemaker, Michel Rolland, and he couldn't even remember their first names.......Jonathan bailed him out far too quickly IMHO.
Speaking of Rolland, he came across very pompous and arrogant too...........well most did, but he was just obnoxious. With his boy-servant fetching his smokes, newspaper and driving him about, he barks orders like a drill sergeant. The poor guy was answering the phone and politely interjecting during the entire interview - which was done BTW in a Mercedes Benz on the road through Bordeaux. It was a rather sad, no a depressing depiction of a man on the cutting edge of wine Globalization.
I guess this is all the quality time Michel could commit to for this film, the car scenes raced quickly with Rolland talking loud while chain-smoking through the interview.
He's also often quite proud of his affiliation with Robert Parker during the film, as he mentions it fairly often, and he quite openly criticizes the small French vignerons as peasants and animals - Mostly and especially in referring to Mondavi's interest in S. France at the time, who he in fact also consults for (who doesn't he consult for?), he is often insulting to the small producers who resist 'change' and refuse to accept his progressive ways of wine-making.
He does come off as a rich, fat, loud, hairy pig, with an immense ego. And he really likes micro-oxidization treatments, as a matter of fact, that seems to be his first advice to everyone filmed that he consults to. He also openly demeans those he works/consults for, and outwardly claims in their presence that he "tells them what to do and they just do it because they don't know better".
Micheal Broadbent is filmed, although sadly very briefly, as I found him to be the most relatable character in this group of eccentric misfits. He discusses Michel Rolland's style of wine-making as "he's making Pomerols everywhere in the world".
- funny but honest, his gentile nature and wisdom is captivating.
On the other side of the coin is the delightful Aim‚ Guibert of Mas de Daumas Gassac fame. At first you think he's mad, but he eventually charms you with his wit and sarcasm, especially relating to his children. He comes across as very anti-New-World, and especially concerning big companies like Mondavi's coming into his neighborhood. Whether warranted by his concerns for the environment, he eventually justifies this thoughts with unlikely scenes of drowning and flooding of the town by raping the forests, which is exactly what Mondavi's wants to do, he is indeed a passionate man that you kind of root for in the film, but you know he'll eventually be fighting a loosing battle.
Also brought to light was Lodovico Antinori, as he hawks his prized Ornellaia estate to Mondavi only to watch it sell a 50 percent stake to the Frescobaldis.
Parker shows up, in his gray Maryland home with his lovely wife and cute, fat farting dogs by his side. I don't know what to say about that interview, but one had to be in awe with his study, filled with hundreds of bottles of uncorked wines that he obviously had just tasted. It was a freaking site to see in that room, a bit what I've dreamed of Heaven to be like. The interview was rather boring though, him blowing sunshine up the bum of the likes of Rolland justifying his tastes and showing his certificate from Chirac.
Oh yes, his "palate" is insured for 1 million dollars folks. And he's had to cancel book tours because of "death threats". Even if you don't know who he is, you know by his confidence and his Chirac certificate he is very important in wine.
So much more, as it was a long film, but lets just say it was definitely and truly a great wine movie. Great just may be an overstatement, but we've had so few with such rich content that it has to rate extremely worthy. It was indeed a film about the people most of all, and it's a must see for wine-lovers and collectors alike.
Cheers,
Mishy

Great notes guys, I'm really keen to see it.

Any idea if it's coming to NZ?

Thanks Mishy
I have heard of it and would really like to see it

michel

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7025174/

‘Mondovino’ pokes holes in wine’s mystique
Forget ‘Sideways’: This is ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ for the grape

michel

This is a must see!! What are you thinking man, put on your chaps, fill up the saddle with some CdP and HiHo off you go. Quite excited to see the filthy rich of Napa, the chain smoking Rolland, the Arpie himself (I wonder if he will be wearing the mayoral chains of Bordeaux (Tanunda )during the interview??

Now back to work for me.

Cheers

Mark G

I was finally able to see this movie last night with a French colleague as part of the Christchurch Film Festival. I walked out with mixed thoughts, but I was certainly glad that I'd gone to see it.

I pretty much echo Mishy's comments above. Aime Guibert from France was one of my favourite personalities in the movie, although he ruined his image with his support for the Depardieu movement that are looking to do what Mondavi wanted to accomplish in the south of France. When asked how they are different to Mondavi, he commented with something like "he's a hard working, talented man that came from nothing..."

I now have no respect whatsoever for the disgustingly vulgar and egocentric James Suckling of Wine Spectator (I was ready to throw up) and feel sympathy for Lodovico Antinori's painfully remorseful retrospective of the selling of Ornellaia. With regard to the whole Ornellaia piece, it was very concerning to see the apparent monopoly that is going on. In a small wine shop in Italy, a staff member was asked about the recent history of this now famous wine. He remarked that the wine sold for 35 euros under Antinori and was a well kept secret, then the Mondavi/Frescobaldi merger occurred and the wine tripled in price. In that same year Wine Spectator rated it the number one wine in the world. He said no more and left the viewer to draw the obvious conclusions. Hmmmm. To me the whole movie was an America vs France wine story, with political subplots woven in along with the puppet masters from each region.

Like KMP mentioned in another post, the camera work is poor at best and the quality of the footage is likewise. The subtitles can be frustratingly set on a like colour background (making it impossible to read), but at least the fetish-like attraction to anything canine in the movie provides a nice humorous twist. I'll have nightmares about RPJ's bulldog...

The Burgundian gentleman whose name I can't recall (from Volnay?) I found the most enjoyable of the whole movie. To me, his comments about the wine world on a grand and miniscule scale - with reference to people interviewed in the movie - was the most honest and passionate. The interaction with his daughter Alix was very entertaining, the continual use of wine metaphors and ageing characteristics hilarious, and the father's comments on the different wine styles produced by Alix and his son Etienne also of interest. We are left with his final quote concerning the making of wine: "I like order. But I like disorder too. Why not!" Top stuff.

Cheers,

My review is here, and I believe it was copied to the forum, somewhere. I'm not a great fan of the movie as I found the message hidden - probably too busy trying to read all those subtitles and not miss out on what the next dog might be doing! Now that the DVD is out I'll probably buy it and have a more leisurely viewing.

Finished RP Jr biography “The Emperor of Wine” a few weeks ago but haven’t had time to put my review together. Interesting book! Well worth a read and sure to stir the pot both for and against Parker.

Mike

Looks fascinating to me.

For those with a real interest, Amazon have the DVD on sale here at $22.49 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 9?v=glance complete with a review by Robin Garr, for those that know him.