Bottle shock is a treat for any wine lover who has wondered how california was able to meet and match france on the winemaking plain. Randall millers bottle shock, filmed at chateau montelena winery and other locations around napa and sonoma counties, tells the true story of a formerly. There are between 500 and 600 arthouse theaters across the country and bottle shock eventually played in most of them. By the fourth week, the film was playing on 400 screens. Aug 31, 2016 the movie bottle shock, loosely based on the book judgment of paris by george m.
But after spending unexpected time at the vineyard in france, he discovers a part of himself that he had lost and experiences romance and a blossoming new love affair with a beautiful french woman that changes his life forever. In nineteenthcentury napa valley, the majority of wineries were constructed of wood. Bottle shock is a movie based in napa valley surrounding the famous paris tasting of 1976. Bottle shock, an easygoing little movie, made with more affection than skill, takes us back to the days when men wore loud plaid suits and people who were serious about wine sneered at the. Plaid suits, prize grapes and the rise of napa the new. Bottle shock by randall miller alan rickman, chris pine. Based on a true story, it chronicles how california wine makers became serious contenders in the world competition of wine an honor previously assumed to be rewarded always to the french. This is the book that tells the story of the first time the world realized that wine can be great even from placesotherthanfrance. Bottle shock is a 2008 american comedydrama film based on the 1976 wine competition. A former real estate attorney, jim bill pullman sacrificed everything to realize his dream of creating the perfect handcrafted chardonnay. There is precious little information available about bottle shock or bottlesickness even though almost every winemaker the world over is aware of it.
Jim is unsuccessfully racking his wine trying to reach perfection. The film, which is not a documentary, is loosely based on. Make no mistake, the french make some great wines, but for many years they persisted in denying that anybody else deserved to share the glory especially wines from the new world. Separating fact from fiction as told in bottle shock. Bottle shock is a term used to refer to a wine that is suffering from the symptoms of getting too much air in too little time.
Tabers excellent book judgment of paris in which californian wineries win a 1976 tasting competition against french wines from burgundy white and bordeaux red. Jan 18, 2012 bottle shock premiered in napa and new york, then opened in 47 theaters in about ten markets, expanding from there. Shot in california like sideways but set much closer to the earth, it tells the story of a struggling vineyard named chateau montelena, deeply in. Stags leap wine cellars is the 1976 red wine winner of the paris blind taste test as seen in the movie bottle shock. Movie bottle shock recounts the historic 1976 paris winetasting.
Is bottle shock available to watch on netflix in america. Taber wrote about so well in his book the judgment of paris. You may have only come in contact with the term bottle shock in relation to that terrible yet endearing movie staring chris pine about the. Its really charming and interesting in a very different way from sideways, although because of all the beautiful napa valley photography, it still reminded me of it. It tells the story about how a chardonnay crafted by a napa valley winery beat every french competitor in the paris wine tasting of 1976, a feat that was unthinkable at the time. An oral history of the empty bottle chicago reader. Imdb page for bottle shock based on the infamous judgment of paris wine tasting in 1976, in which california wines soundly beat the best wines in france, this movie focuses on stephen spurrier, one of the organizers of the tasting, and the relationship between. Aug 08, 2008 bottle shock is not a great movie like sideways, but it is a pleasant way to pass a summer afternoon before opening a nice bottle or two. From a humble beginning the california winemakers kept the dream alive even if it was only for each others delight. A new film loosely based on chateau montelena and the paris tasting gets a warm greeting from napa, but will it. When they said they were going to make the movie, it was after the book had come out, the 30th anniversary. It goes on to expand the flinty relationship between the fatherson owners of chateau montelena a diamond in the crown of the california wineries, and then raises the stakes.
Bottle shock 2008 paris based wine expert steven spurrier heads to california in search of cheap wine that he can use for a blind taste test in the french capital. Jan 14, 2008 if you go to the official bottle shock website, you can find a list of cities and theaters the movie is currently being shown inat. Details include the date it was added to netflix in the usa, any known expiry dates and new episodesseasons, the ratings and cast etc. He owns his own exclusive wine shop and wine tasting school, the problem being that he has few customers because he is seen as not being one of the knowledgeable french. If you go to the official bottle shock website, you can find a list of cities and theaters the movie is currently being shown inat. In 1976, an english wine merchant named steven spurrier alan rickman, operating out of a small shop in paris, is consistently snubbed by the insular and snooty french oenophile establishment. Bottle shock in the summer of 2007, hollywood descended on wine country.
Bottle shock is loosely based on steven spurriers famous 1976 paris tasting of french and california wines, which george m. Sep 28, 2012 the story of the early days of california wine making featuring the now infamous, blind paris wine tasting of 1976 that has come to be known as judgment of. Bottle shock gets off to a slow start, attempting to add some fictional spice to the true story the movie is based on by introducing a beautiful female intern to the mix. The movie bottle shocked is loosely really loosely based on this book. The chateau was unique in materials, plan, size, and style for its era. The very best wine books picked by pros wine folly.
France and the historic 1976 paris tasting that revolutionized wine. This makes me wonder how a new film called bottle shock will affect the wine market. The official bottle shock trailer sundance 2008 youtube. First shot in wine movie feud bottle shock, one of two movies on the famous 1976 tasting, begins shooting. Paris based wine expert steven spurrier heads to california in search of cheap wine that he can use for a blind taste test in the french capital.
In 1976 the owner chris pine of a struggling parisian wine shop decides to hold a taste contest between french and california wines. Aug 08, 2007 sonoma valley vineyard owner robert mark kamen, who is writing the screenplay for the other movie based on the book judgment of paris by george taber, said bottle shock distorts history and. This is the book that the movie bottle shock was supposedly based on. That was good, and jack ryan, all my heroes from when i was a young guy. May 03, 2018 bottle shock, the charming 2008 movie based in napa valley, has become a favorite film for many wine lovers. Bill pullman plays jim barrett, a down on his luck wine maker working to perfect his chardonnay. The paris tasting of 1976 was recently put to film in the movie bottle shock. Sep 05, 2008 i recently got a chance to see bottle shock and i have to say i thought it was great. Aug 17, 2008 the new movie bottle shock, which opened around the north bay on friday, may have moviegoers wondering. Taber, provides an entertaining if not always accurate portrayal of the ensuing frenchcalifornia showdown. Sonoma valley vineyard owner robert mark kamen, who is writing the screenplay for the other movie based on the book judgment of paris by george taber, said bottle shock distorts history and. Bottle shock filming in wine country, one of two movies.
Bottle shock, the charming 2008 movie based in napa valley, has become a favorite film for many wine lovers. The most important book totv adaptations coming in 2020. A good year is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by peter mayle. Jul 27, 2007 first shot in wine movie feud bottle shock, one of two movies on the famous 1976 tasting, begins shooting. Based on actual events which occurred in 1976 this is an entertaining, inspiring and heartwarming, if somewhat corny tale of how a paris based english sommelier staged a blind wine tasting outside that city and introduced californian wine to the then frenchdominated global market. A few days ago the world was shocked to hear that beloved british character actor alan rickman had passed away from cancer at the age of 69. Although the movie was about chateau montelena, the white wine winner, stags leap was equally as important in launching the california wine industry. I loved the movie but the book is amazing and if a wine drinker you really need to read. Bottle shock is a charming fictionalized version of the victory, based, as they love to say, on a true story.
Bottle shock is based on the real events surrounding the 1976 blind tasting in paris pitting california wines against the. It stars alan rickman, chris pine, and bill pullman and is directed by randall miller, who wrote the screenplay along with jody savin and ross schwartz. Bottle shock this whipsmart film is the almost true story of how california wine became the burgeoning industry it is today. There are two main scenarios when bottle shock sets in. Movie bottle shock recounts the historic 1976 paris wine. May, 2014 you were played by chris pine in bottle shock, who is also captain kirk. Tubbs winery after its founder alfred tubbs, was constructed in 1888 and intended as a barrelaging facility. Read on to learn what bottle shock is and why it happens.
In 1976, in the napa valley, the perfectionist vigneron jim barrett is the owner of the chateau montelena that is full of debts and near bankruptcy. A second film judgment of paris, based on george taber s book of the same name was in the works, and there has been controversy between the makers of the two films with allegations of. Bottle shock theatrical release trailer 2008 movie youtube. In fact the movie had very little in common with the book, aside from the names of a few of the people involved and the underlying premise of a blind taste test of red and white wines in paris, some originating from wineries in california and others from wellknown french vintners. The story in bottle shock centers on jim and bo barrett of chateau montelena and their 1973 chardonnay that won the white wine tasting set up by steven.
Napa plus hollywood equals bottle shock wine spectator. The movie bottle shock, loosely based on the book judgment of paris by george m. Bottle shock fails to properly utilize the inspiring true tale at its core, settling instead for an ordinary, plodding account. Bottle shock, a new independent film based, very loosely, on the famous 1976 blind tasting in paris in which two california wines came out. Napa valleys jim barrett lost highways bill pullman has been plugging away for years with minimal success. Bottle shock chronicles the events leading up to the famous paris tastings of 1976. As you may have heard, bottle shock is one of two competing projects focusing on the paris tastings, and the first to be released. It centers around a town of quirky up and coming wine makers, each with their own challenges to face. Bottle shock here is all the information you need about bottle shock on american netflix. It also has great characters and hilarious moments the way that film does. Sep 18, 2009 the winners will then be hosted for a unique bottle shock experience. Bottle shock is a beautifully filmed and delightfully written historical retelling of the small american winery, chateau montelena, that sent shock waves through the wine industry by besting the exalted french wines in a blind tasting, putting california wines on the map for good. A bottle of the winning american vintage, it is said, now rests on exhibit in the smithsonian institution.
Bottle shock, the notorious film based on the 1976 judgment of paris, had its napa valley debut last saturday. You probably dont need a spoiler alert to see where this tale is going us against them, the hick underdogs vs. An oral history of the empty bottle staff members and musicians share stories of the venerable nightclub in this excerpt from the empty bottle chicago. These wines tend to be flat in their overall character.
You were played by chris pine in bottle shock, who is also captain kirk. Aug 01, 2008 tabers book is the source for a competing film project, which might explain why he was prematurely aged in bottle shock, and not exactly a hero of the tale. In the summer of 2007, hollywood descended on wine country. Indy film bottle shock, set in 1976, shows how underdog california went up against the goliath of the wine world france.
Bottle shock is a 2008 american comedydrama film based on the 1976 wine competition termed the judgment of paris, when california wine defeated french wine in a blind taste test. This is the editor of many books based upon wikipedia articles. Dear glenn, bottle shock or bottle sickness are terms used to describe a temporary condition in a wine where its flavors are muted or disjointed. Bottle shock, a feature film starring alan rickman and chris pine, dramatized the 1976 wine tasting and debuted at the 2008 sundance film festival. Two jefferson bottles films in the offing a major hollywood consortium including actor will smith, and hbo films, have separately bought the rights to a book and a new yorker article about the jefferson bottles affair. Aug 21, 2014 stags leap wine cellars is the 1976 red wine winner of the paris blind taste test as seen in the movie bottle shock. Lucie 1707 nw saint lucie west blvd, port saint lucie, florida 34986 rated 4. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. Imdb page for bottle shock based on the infamous judgment of paris wine tasting in 1976, in which california wines soundly beat the best wines in france, this movie focuses on stephen spurrier, one of the organizers of the tasting, and the relationship between jim and bo barrett, owners of the. Its titled judgment of paris from clear pictures entertainment, and is based on time journalist george m. Randall millers bottle shock, filmed at chateau montelena winery and other locations around napa and sonoma counties, tells the true story of a formerly littleknown winery and its.
Judgement of paris the inspiration for the film bottle shock, this tome takes a look at the 1976 blind tasting competition, where californian wines were ranked higher than their french counterparts for the first time ever, and the industrychanging controversy that ensued. Whatever bottle shock is, we are fortunate that it doesnt last. Set in 1976, randall millers widescreen docudrama concerns the reallife showdown between californias wineries and their french counterparts. The color does recover, but the time to recover is based on the chemistry of the wine and the size of the dose. Bottle shock describes what can happen to wine as it travels from place to place. In it, a fatherandson team fight to beat french competitors in an international tasting contest in the 1970s, and turn the wine world on its ear. What is the judgment of paris in relation to this movie. Sep 30, 2008 this makes me wonder how a new film called bottle shock will affect the wine market. Randall millers bottle shock, filmed at chateau montelena winery and other locations around napa and sonoma counties, tells the true story of a formerly littleknown winery and its remarkable triumph over the french. France and the historic 1976 paris tasting that revolutionized wine scribner, 2005, by george m.
Based on a true story, bottle shock chronicles the events leading up to the famous judgment of paris tastings, told through the lives of father and son, jim and bo barrett. Bottle shock can occur after wine transfers, filtration, bottling or even transport after the wine is in the bottle. Aug 06, 2008 bottle shock, a new independent film based, very loosely, on the famous 1976 blind tasting in paris in which two california wines came out on top, much to the chagrin of the expert and. Instead, the chateau is made of stone with walls three to twelve feet thick, which provides. Steven spurrier is a british wine connoisseur who lives in paris as he considers france to be the center of the wine universe.