The weather is getting colder and more dreary, which is driving me indoors and under a comfy blanket in front of my TV. (I am so NOT a cold-weather person!). If you’re looking for an indoor activity that will keep you as warm and comforted as your glass of wine, here is a list of my favorite wine movies that are informative, influential and most of all, entertaining.
My Favorite Wine Movies:
Sour Grapes
(Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, YouTube)
Sour Grapes is a crime documentary about wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan, who scams wealthy wine collectors and experts out of millions by flooding the American wine market with fraudulent super-premium wines.
Somm
(Amazon Prime, Hulu, iTunes)
Somm spurred a series of additional movies about the lives of sommeliers. This original movie made the term “sommelier” a household name, and gave it a sexy connotation. It follows four sommeliers in their attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.
Bottle Shock
(YouTube, Amazon Prime, iTunes)
Bottleshock is based on the true story of the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine tasting competition that put Napa Valley on the world stage, when California wines beat out the best French wines in a competition judged by European wine experts.
Sideways
(YouTube, iTunes, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Starz, Cinemax, Sling)
Sideways is the movie that changed the face of the California wine market, and the fate of Merlot, for decades to follow. The “Sideways Effect” has been extensively researched and studied. If you haven’t seen this pivotal movie, now is the time to watch it. It follows two middle-aged men on a week-long bachelor party trip in through Santa Barbara’s wine country.
