New wine movie "Bottle Shock" -- "Sideways" for 2008?

Hello everyone,

I've just heard about a great new "wine movie" that's coming out in a few weeks (Aug 8 I believe). It's called "Bottle Shock" My friend saw it at a screening and said he loved it , even in some ways more than "Sideways", a movie I adore. I'm excited to see it!

I checked out the trailer on the website: http://www.bottleshockthemovie.com. Looks like it has a great cast. Alan Rickman is a fine actor as is Bill Pullman. It looks really funny. What do you think? I'm definitely going to see it, but thought I should share with fellow wine aficionados . Which makes me wonder, what other wine movies are out there? There was "A Good Year" with Russel Crowe that I didn't really care for. Any others?

By the way, is "bottle shock" a real phenomena, where the wine can be tainted during travel due to the bottle being rustled about?

Not everyone agrees on this but there seem to be two kinds of travel shock.

The first is a short term shock in which the wine may go into a short dumb period after a long trip (especially by airplane or ship). Not a problem though because all one has to do is let the bottle rest for a week or two until it recovers. The second is the suggested hypothesis (with which I concur) that a flight of six hours or longer or an ocean voyage of 3 days or longer will basically deprive most red wines of one year of cellaring time. The second is quite (!!) controversial.

Best
Rogov

It was filmed around here (here being Santa Rosa) , and a lot of people were extras-- not me, though. Still I'll be looking to see if I can spot any familiar people or places.

I'm definitely going to see it

Hi Michael

It is very good of you to go to the time and trouble to register for this forum and post so enthusiastically about a film that you haven't seen.

But I am a little confused and I am wondering just memorable the film is since you seem to have forgetton that you have already seen the movie -- according to your post on the Decanter website I recently saw Bottle Shock and thought it was -- see http://www.decanter.com/news/174931.html

I actually thought Sideways was terrible, as was Mondovino, so I'm no hurry to see this one...

Oooo, you old cynic, Peter

by the way, is "bottle shock" a real phenomena, where the wine can be tainted during travel due to the bottle being rustled about?

Well, as Daniel R says, travel shock can be controversial. I personally am an agnostic. I lean towards thinking that long ocean voyages definitely have an effect. Car and plane trips tend to arouse more controversy. I'm carrying 2 bottles to CA for an offline next week, we'll see how they fare.
Bottle shock (the dumbing of wine just after being bottled) is a different matter, and is generally accepted.
BS stealth marketing is less accepted, and makes me less interested in seeing movie.

Re: travel shock

I was told the following by the person who received us a few years ago at Camille Giroud and who travelled at lot to display their wines. He claimed that wines served straight after the trip were fine but that they went through a bad patch once allowed to rest.

My own experience is limited but on one occasion I took a bottle of Haut-Brion 66 and one of Bonnes Mares 69 to a London offline by Eurostar train and then by tube train, both bottles were served almost immediately and were absolutely outstanding.

I'm definitely going to see it

Hi Michael

It is very good of you to go to the time and trouble to register for this forum and post so enthusiastically about a film that you haven't seen.

But I am a little confused and I am wondering just memorable the film is since you seem to have forgetton that you have already seen the movie -- according to your post on the Decanter website I recently saw Bottle Shock and thought it was -- see http://www.decanter.com/news/174931.html

Nice spot Peter. I really hate this stuff, as Dale says it really makes me not want to see this movie. Why can't we just have our little internet without PR hacks and their clumsy, phony, junk?

[Jenise]

The trailer's awful: it has Hollywood Studio Production written all over it.

Jenise,

You should see what Spurrier had to say about the movie--look into that Decanter link.

There's a Michael Berger in Hollywood who does voice over, and he also was part of a local radio scene called Berger and Prescott, or the other way around. Are you that Michael Berger? Did you do a v.o in Bottle Shock?

...By the way, is "bottle shock" a real phenomena, where the wine can be tainted during travel due to the bottle being rustled about?

While others have addressed your question, I've always considered "bottle shock" as the effect bottling has on the wine. Often, adjustments are made to wines just prior to bottling, such as acid adjustments and additions of SO2 and/or a sweetening step. In addition, the wines may become aeriated during the bottling process. As a home winemaker, it's my experience that wines need 6 weeks to 2 months to recover from this, during which the wines stabilizes and the aromatics are restored.

The trailer's awful: it has Hollywood Studio Production written all over it.

I think they got the title wrong - it should be "Bottle Schlock" from the looks of the trailer.