A pleasant ‘Shock’


By Julie Brown-Micko

Big, bold and faintly ridiculous: It’s this Midwesterner’s impression of the California state of mind. It also applies to their delicious wine. And it describes Bottle Shock, a movie about a little California winery that beat the best of the big French vintners.

Based on a true story, Bottle Shock chronicles the events leading up to the infamous “Judgment of Paris” in 1976. In a historic blind tasting organized by British oenophile Steven Spurrier (played with aplomb by Alan Rickman), California wines bested French ones. In one fell swoop, the French were humbled and California wines gained undeniable credibility. It’s a near thing, however, to get the American wines to France for the event. Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman), the tough, stubborn and nearly broke owner of Napa Valley’s Montelena Vineyard, is suspicious of Spurrier’s motives. He despairs that his son, hippie-stoner-hustler Bo Barrett (played by Chris Pine in a terrible blond wig), will ever amount to anything. But for all Bo’s wandering ways, he has promise. With push-and-pull help from beautiful intern Sam (Rachel Taylor) and his friend Gustavo (Freddy Rodriguez), Bo grows up and takes Chateau Montelena’s Chardonnay to victory.

Bottle Shock is well balanced. The strong narrative has plenty of Hollywood flourishes to make it pop on the big screen. There’s a little hyperbole (wine that makes old men cry and pretty girls kiss you), a little sentimentality, (Galileo’s assertion that “Wine is sunlight held together by water”) and a good helping of humor, principally from Alan Rickman. Not only does he sample the wine, but the full spectrum of Cali-cuisine, from a bucket of KFC to fresh-made guacamole with an endearing stiffness. He’s part bad guy, part outcast, and just a little bit of a hero.

Alan Rickman brings verve to his starring role, but other characters suffer from weak development. Sexy intern Sam functions primarily as eye candy and a romantic prize. Gustavo’s story as a prodigy winemaker intrigues, but is given short shrift. And clearly director Randall Miller has freely juiced up the details of this true story. Still, an epic battle between American “hicks from the sticks” versus the snobbish and expert French is irresistible.

Like Sideways, a great California wine movie, Bottle Shock will make you thirsty. Where Sideways is a great pinot noir, Bottle Shock is more like a good table wine. But a decent, well-made table wine is always welcome at dinner.

Julie Brown-Micko was raised on sugar cereals and lots of hamburger casseroles, but survived and thrived in a Le Cordon Bleu culinary program. A sometime writer, candy maker and pastry chef, she’s happiest combining her love of food and writing. Her work has appeared in restaurants such as The Bayport Cookery and publications such as Minnesota Monthly and Foodservice News. She’s currently exploring the world of cupcakes, debating the merits of buttercream versus ganache.