Wine Film Review- "Uncorked"
Wine Film Review-
“Uncorked”
Uncorked
is a classic hallmark channel love story.
In California’s famous wine country a top chef, actor Scott Elrod, and
executive businesswomen, actor Julie Benz, fall in love after many encounters
at the local resort and business centers near Scotts parents vineyard and
winery, “California Oak Winery.”
The setting of this movie is primarily in the resorts eateries, the
winery, and short scenes in San Francisco. Even though this movie was just another love story it
had a surprising amount of wine information and filming of winery/vineyard
scenes. Several key themes of the
movie were also very wine orientated as well.
The
most prominent theme in the movie was passion: passion for the winery, passion
for family, and passion in sense of love.
Passion just for the love of the work or person with no expected reward
but with the best rewards associated.
The most wine related is Scotts parents and sons’ passion for the
winery, vineyard, and everything associated. The winery, a long family business, in the hand of the
grandparents is not a very profitable of a business. However, the parents still put hours upon hours of love and
labor in the vines, the production house, and the wine bottled. Recently, the movie, momentary issues
are so dire the parents have to consider the idea of one day selling the
property, one that saddens them and is mentioned swiftly with sorrow when
brought up. The son, even though
only 9, would spend every hour allowed working with his grandfather on the
winery, and proudly boasts at any chance that he will take over the
winery. Wine and all associates
is not just alcohol and a way to make it its really about a passion. A passion for the roots, to the grapes
to the wine. The winery is their life
and them putting life and love in the ground brings back life. Some cultural views about wine can be
viewed as negative that wine is associated with purpose of being drunk, etc. However this movie and this theme of
passion shown in the movie counteracts and prove the cultural view wrong while
really showing what owning a vineyard is about.
The
wine information other than the main theme was surprisingly plentiful in this
movie. Some decent segments of the
movie showed the production house of the winery and explained some of the wine
productions process same as we have learned in class. The fermentation room had a large part in the movie while
the grandfather and Scott explained the works of the wine making process to
Julie. Following steps learned in
class including harvesting, destemming, and crushing comes the scenes of the
wine making process showed in the movie, fermentation and aging. Following the words of the knowledge
winery owner, the grandfather, and his less imformative but still versed son
are as following, the wined is cooled and kept cooled in controlled tanks. In the tanks natural yeast is added to
ferment the grapes sugar residue into alcohol, artificial addition of sugar is
sometimes added. Oxidation and
Carbon dioxide levels are kept under control by adding carbon dioxide when
necessary so the wine does not oxidize.
Scott goes on to tell Julie about the aging room. The movie shows a scene of a very large
room, a warehouse barn style feel with oak barrels in stacks lining the walls
and expanding to the space on the floor.
It is learned from the movie that the wine goes into the oak barrels
directly after fermentation. The
environment of the wine is also controlled while aging in the barrels. The temperature is kept between 55-60
degrees, a desired aging/storage temperature. The oak barrels are also used to prevent oxidizing. Again carbon dioxide can be added to
prevent the wine from oxidizing and turning very bitter! Scott briefly mentioned the harvesting
process, but it made a mark on me because the way it was presented. Julie asked how do you know when the
grape is ready to be picked, by the color? Scott immediately laughed and said not at all to color, in
the words of his father, winery owner,
“the most important factors are sugar levels, acidity, berry flavor,
tannin levels, and what it all comes down to is how it taste.” I thought this lined was a very informative
part of the movie to enlighten the large part of the public who does not know
simple facts about the wine making process like important factors of the
grape.
Geography
aspects of growing grapes were mentioned as well. A short segment on the movie discussed the importance of
soil in relation to growing of the grapes. The grandmother insists soil is an extremely important
factor for growing the grape and soil preference of each grape differs. Example given in the movie was one of
the wineries prominent grape Syrah.
The grandmother stress this grape varietal grows best in decomposed soil
and goes farther to say each grape can have its own soil desire. While several different grapes may grow
in the same soil, each may have their own preference to really produce that
perfect cluster.
The
two types of grapes distinctively mentioned as part of the California Oak
Winery vineyards is Merlot and Syrah.
Syrah is a very dark colored grape when ripe that is known as producing
red wines. This grape is found
largely in the Rhone Valley of France, but second largest region is North
America. The second grape
mentioned is Merlot, a grape variety also known for producing red wines. Mainly grown in Europe in France, Northern
Italy, and Sweden. In the United
States merlot vines are most popular in California and Washington. Styles mentioned in the films
concerning these grapes or the wine was limited. One scene in the movie involved the whole family and Julie
having dinner with a merlot based wine.
The grandfather warmly jokes that is wife is not fantastic cook but
makes the one Italian pasta dish wonderfully. The grandmother goes on to say because the dish is the only
one she can cook they also have the Reserve Merlot with the pasta dinner
because they pair the best.
 |
| Syrah |
 |
| Merlot |
Cultural
cues about the wine world or view onto the wine world were also mentioned or
noted while watching the movie.
Again a cultural misconception to the general public is what wine is all
about. It is not about just what
is in the bottle, and that it has alcohol to get drunk it’s the passion for
every aspect of wine making and putting your heart and sweat into the earth to
eventually bottle the wine, really fermented sweetness of the work to bring
family and friends together.
Another cultural cue the movie really sent was the “classiness” of wine
or appropriateness of wine in business settings. Julie, as a executive businesswomen, was seen at many work
functions at the resort, any of which that included food or casual discussion
had drinking of wine in the scene.
In other words another cultural cliché about wine is it is associate
with respected work person and related events.
All
in all, this movie is much better than just a hallmark channel movie. While the love story in the movie is
very cliché the scenes filmed of the California countryside are beautiful, and
the wine information, especially about the wine making process was unexpected present
and pleasing to the wine education individual. In other words, I would highly recommend this movie to
anyone, those who are very worldly in wine and to those who want to learn or
really just enjoy drinking wine.
Grab a bottle, some cheese and put this movie on for a very enjoyable
evening.
Sources:
http://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2009/09/uncorked.html
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