There are three movies I can think of about wine tasting.

Sideways, the popular 2004 film starring Paul Giamatti, directed by Alexander Payne, is apparently very accurate on the subject and gives a good sense of the commercial wine tasting experience. But it is also enraging. Two unattractive, middle-aged, men—one a sleazy failed actor about to marry an astonishingly lovely young woman, and the other a failed writer, family thief, wine buff—take a last road trip together where they hook up with two beautiful, smart, successful women. Imagine this plot with the gender of the characters reversed. I rest my case.

Mondovino, is an excellent documentary about the wine business made in 2004 by Jonathan Nossiter and includes all the major figures in the industry, most interestingly, Robert Parker, THE wine authority, whose ratings determine  more than they should.

The 2012 film, Somm, takes up the subject of the insanely difficult to pass Master Sommelier exam and follows three friends as they attempt it. Directed by Jason Wise, the film is as much about the sort of person who can’t resist a challenge as it is about wine. Quite fascinating.

topics: culture