Friday, September 14 2007
Merlot Went Sideways
Most wine lovers will have at least heard of the 2004 movie Sideways. If you haven't seen it yet, and you're a fan of thoughtful movies that don't necessarily shove a predictable ending down your throat, I highly recommend it. Most reviews I read started from the premise that it's about a trip through wine country, but that's hogwash. It's a pretty straightforward buddy movie about love, relationships, and self-assessment. Miles, an effete, navel-gazing wine-snob is an unsuccessful novelist/English teacher feeling pretty low about himself, takes his buddy, Jack, a fading TV actor who is so self-centred you could use him as a gyroscope, on a last hurrah bachelor trip through wine country. They meet some kindred souls, drink some wine, and generally muddle through their unresolved issues in life. Plus, there's a naked tow-truck driver doing a sprint.
In any case, wine is used as a metaphor for a lot of things in the movie. At one point, Mile's love-interest, Maya (played by the utterly captivating Virginia Madsen) asks Miles why he's so into Pinot Noir.
Uh, I don't know, I don't know. Um, it's a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet.
Pretty hard not to think that Miles is channeling his feelings about life and love into Pinot Noir.
Of course, the speech that everyone who sees the movie remembers is Miles tirade about Merlot.
Jack: If they want to drink Merlot, we're drinking Merlot.
Miles: No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f***ing Merlot!
Suddenly the whole wine industry held its breath. Wither goest Merlot? Would this kill the poor workhorse of the red wine list? Would consumers suddenly dump out their previously favoured bottles of Merlot?
Not exactly. Merlot sales may have been briefly impacted in some areas, but sales continue for the most part--because there's nothing wrong with Merlot. Miles was railing not about the grape, but about the abundance of fruity, simple (and usually bland and over-manipulated) Merlots that dominated some wine lists (actually, he was just trying to find an excuse for getting out of having to make conversation with someone he could possibly be attracted to, but you get the drift).
What did happen was a bump in the profile of Pinot Noir. Everyone is buggy for Pinot. Now, I love Pinot Noir. You've heard people say this before, but they don't mean it, not the way I mean it. I have a deep, personal relationship with Pinot Noir, and I'll never be free of the temptations of this bright and terrible mistress. I'm a hopeless Pinophile, and I'm not seeking help.
But after this movie people were so exercised by the passion that these characters displayed towards wine that demand for Pinot Noir exceeded all possible supply. Prices shot through the roof, even lousy examples of thin, nasty, over-cropped Pinot could be sold for premium prices and Pinot Noir of any quality suddenly started costing like liquid diamonds. It extended into the wine kit industry after only a short supply lag. Pinot Noir prices went up, more than triple in some cases, and the word is starting to come down, "We can sell every bottle for insane profits. Sorry about that, but you're probably not getting any this year."
C'est la guerre. It won't last forever. Like every other boom cycle in the wine industry, there'll come a bust by-and-by. Where do you think Merlot came from? That's right, it was a value proposition out of Chile, combined with the easy-to-appreciate fruitiness and soft tannins of the wine. Everybody planted, made wine, and made money. Oversupply followed, and the tipping point came in Mile's little speech. Now interest is focused elsewhere, and Merlot is a relative bargain, and the bland stuff Miles disliked has been replaced in many cases by better made, more thoughtful wines.
Two final thoughts on Pinot and Sideways. First, we're always looking for good grapes, including Pinot Noir, and they'll turn up, have no fear.
Second, by far the best moment of the movie came near the end. I haven't actually heard anyone else talk about this, but for me it crystallised the whole movie, and Miles stopped being so annoying. In fact, as soon as I saw it, I started to like him (he's not very sympathetic for a lot of the movie). If you haven't seen it yet, skip the next paragraph, as it's a spoiler.
Miles had been hoarding of a bottle of '61 Cheval Blanc, a red Bordeaux of impeccable vintage and brilliant character. He claims he's saving it for a special occasion. Maya finally tells him, "You know, the day you open a '61 Cheval Blanc... that's the special occasion." After he messes up so spectacularly with her, he takes it into a fast-food joint and drinks it out of a styrofoam cup with an order of onion rings. He moans with pleasure as he drinks, and manages to look haunted the whole time.
Cheval Blanc is about 1/3 Merlot.
Sure, the remaining portion is Cabernet Franc, but the metaphor stands up: love may be a chance, and it may not be the stellar, life-changing experience you hope for, but unless you take that chance, unless you make your life a special occasion, you'll never know. And just maybe that special occasion will be more than you can hope for.
| Posted by Tim AT 5:25PM | 0 Comments |  |
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