Bottle Shock (2008)

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 Paris".

Director:

Randall Miller

Writers:

Jody Savin (screenplay), Randall Miller (screenplay),

Stars:

Chris Pine, Hal B. Klein, Alan Rickman

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Pine	...	Bo Barrett
Hal B. Klein	...	Shenky
Alan Rickman	...	Steven Spurrier
Bill Pullman	...	Jim Barrett
Jean-Michel Richaud	...	Maitre d'
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Gustavo Brambila (as Freddy Rodriguez)
Rachael Taylor	...	Sam Fulton
Eliza Dushku	...	Joe
Kirk Baily	...	Loan Officer
Dennis Farina	...	Maurice Cantavale
Philippe Bergeron	...	Pierre Tari
Bradley Whitford	...	Professor Saunders
Louis Giambalvo	...	George Taber
J.P. Gillain	...	Pierre Bréjoux (as Jean-Pierre Gillain)
Greg Collins	...	Trucker

Storyline

In 1976, Steven Spurrier, a sommelier in Paris, comes to the Napa Valley to take the best he can find to Paris for a blind taste test against French wine. He meets Jim Barrett, whose Chateau Montelena is mortgaged to the hilt as Jim perfects his chardonnay. There's strain in Jim's relations with his hippie son Bo and his foreman Gustavo, a Mexican farmworker's son secretly making his own wine. Plus, there's Sam, a UC Davis graduate student and free spirit, mutually attracted to both Gustavo and Bo. As Spurrier organizes the "Judgment of Paris," Jim doesn't want to participate while Bo knows it's their only chance. Barrett's chardonnay has buttery notes and a Smithsonian finish.

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Plot Keywords:

wine | chardonnay | wine making | napa | california | 

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Taglines:

Based on a true story of love, victory and fermentation.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual content and a scene of drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

19 September 2008 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

California Wine with Love

Filming Locations:

Buena Vista Vinyards - 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$277,839 (USA) (8 August 2008)

Gross:

$4,040,588 (USA) (17 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shocking Bottle, Intellectual Properties Worldwide (I), Unclaimed Freight Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The white car driving toward camera and out of frame immediately after the "Judgement of Paris" is a Jensen Interceptor.

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Goofs

(at around 1 min) One of the characters mentions that if the French lose, they might bring back the Guillotine. In actual fact, it was still in use in 1976, as it was the standard method of Execution in France. (The last Execution was in 1977, and the Death Penalty itself was abolished in 1981.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bo Barrett: [voice-over during a vineyard pan] It wasn't always like this. Before Paris, people didn't drink our wine. I mean, my friends did. But you could hardly consider their palates discerning...
Bo Barrett: Hell, we were farmers... sort of...
[pan to empty bottles of Montelena label and several early twenties/late teens smoking hookah]

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Connections

References What Price Glory (1926)

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Soundtracks

"Les temps des cerises"
Lyrics by Jean-Baptiste Clément
Music by Antoine Renard
Performed by Scottie Haskell
Arranged and Produced by Mark Adler

User Reviews

I loved it.

I have to disagree with the negative comments. Of the six or so films I saw, this one was the best. First off, it was beautifully shot. The scenery that was captured is going to get people to visit Napa on it's own. Alan Rickman was as great as always, and Freddy Rodriguez was amazing. Bill Pullman's character, as the owner of the winery, had a terrific arc. I understand that elements of the story were fictionalized, but I come to expect that with most "based on a true story" films.

There were some great, touching scenes between the father (Pullman) and son (Chris Pine) and with Rodriguez as almost a "son he never had" type of character. Oh, and Dennis Farina nearly steals the scenes with Rickman he's so funny - I have to say nearly, because I love Rickman.

In all it was thoroughly enjoyable, and I talked it up with several other movie goers on the tram ride afterward, and EVERYONE I spoke to loved it.