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If you have any interest in wine - particularly, American wines - you absolutely must pick up and read George M. Taber's "Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine". The title is lengthy, but the book tells the true story of California's emergence onto the world stage as a preeminent wine region.
"Bottle Shock" is the Hollywood adaption of "Judgement of Paris"; as a result, it takes a great liberties with various elements of the story for the sake of colorful storytelling. Therefore, don't expect it to be 100% true to Taber's excellent book -- it's "inspired by" a true story, not THE true story -- in fact, you can currently take a tour at Chateau Montelena that helps "separate fact from fiction" in regards to the film vs. history.
Alan Rickman is at his grumpy best as Steven Spurrier, a Brit living in Paris who runs a wine store. Spurrier's primary customer is an American, Maurice (Dennis Farina, who absolutely steals every scene he's in, as usual), who bluntly tells his friend that despite the grand name on his store (The Wine Academy), which might lead his customers to believe they could receive a wide education of wine, his store has a very limited selection beyond copious French selections. New American wines, he tells Spurrier, are not only excellent, but he would put them side by side with the top European wines. Spurrier is highly dubious, but he has nothing to lose at this point, so he books himself a trip to California with the idea of staging a California vs. French blind wine tasting. He is still skeptical that the Californians may be producing anything vaguely drinkable.
I would call this film a romantic valentine to charming, laid-back, mid-1970s Napa Valley - the land of the farmers and dreamers - before it was discovered as great American terroir, before they charged for wine tastings, before the crowds and the high-end hotels and pricey restaurants cluttered the valley floor. The photography is lush, and you can practically feel the heat rising out of the vineyards and smell the dirt as seen on a warm summer's day.
As stated, there's various liberties taken by the filmmakers - such as adding the female character Sam as a love interest; the film could have been told just as well without her, and eliminating one of the most important characters in the true story (winemaker Mike Grgich). But if you've never read the book - watch the film, then read the book, so you don't mistake the two. The film is well-cast, and the editing and music choices set the stage well while keeping the pace briskly moving along.
And while it romanticizes reality, it makes for a delightfully charming film for wine enthusiasts. Pair it with "Sideways" for the two ends of California wine tasting: "Bottle Shock" tells the story of California's emergence onto the world wine stage, and "Sideways" shows modern California wine culture (albeit in Santa Barbara wine country vs Napa).
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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September 17, 2019 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $14.25 | $14.19 |
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February 3, 2009 "Please retry" | — | 18 | $503.64 | — |
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Top reviews from other countries
Call me Al
Fanfare for the common vintner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2017
She-devil
Histoire vraie pour les amateurs de vin
Reviewed in France on February 15, 2012
Caligatus
Sehr guter Film, der viel Spaß macht.
Reviewed in Germany on January 30, 2010
