In Vino Cinéma Vérité

Ok, Ok, so I'm about a year behind the times. But Sheena finally saw wine documentary Mondovino last night on the Documentary Channel. (On again April 15 and 16 at 8pm Eastern).

It was a good film. Poked a few well-deserving holes in the veneer of exclusivity of the wine industry. The mystique of Bordeaux evaporates pretty quickly when watching ignorant passive winery owners rely on high priced consultants who give them 15 minutes of their time before moving on to the next sucker... er client. Or the rich Napa retirees opening a winery, relying on the same slickster when the consultant doesn't even remember their names. Yet their entire investment rides on his whims.

There was an element of imbalance: putting an Americans/Bad vs. Europeans/Good cast on the message. No doubt the juggernaut of Robert Mondavi has altered the marketing and branding of Old World Wines, but this oversimplifies the issue. French merchants - who are bottlers, not growers - such as accused fraudster/con man Georges Duboeuf have been ruining palates for years with the sad Koolaid offerings bundled as Beaujoulais Nouveau.

Sheena believes that the negative aspect of Americanization of the wine industry has less to do desire of conglomerates to buy local estates in Italy or France, but the McDonaldization of the palate. Canadians and Americans grow up drinking milk. Coke. Supersized Mountain Dews. Ironically, the only passionate American in Mondovino was a wrong-side of the tracks Brooklyn distributor who freely admitted to never having touched wine in his early adulthood.

The cartoon labeled wines such as Little Penguin, Cat's Pee, Yellowtail appeal to the young adult crowd raised on buying habits based on image appeal.

Wines that are easy quaffing, comfortably woody, recognizably labeled are safe for the evolving tastebud. The sound-bite generation has no interest in a bottle of wine that needs to be cellared longer than their first marriage is likely to last.

I suppose critics of Mondovino find it easy to laud it or dismiss it by attempting to frame it in the globalization debate. This strikes me as too easy a target. It gets the consumer off the hook. Message to me is simple: if you respect the local producer, then support the small family estates; hate the marketing PR global machine so make the effort to put your money where your mouth is.

That's why I risk my health tasting crap novelties like a New Mexico Pistachio Wine. Because the guy behind the counter is so thrilled he's ready to pee himself. Because it came from his land, his labour, and his wife designed the label. I may vomit in the parking lot after the fact, at least he's bucking the trend and trying to make an impact in the increasingly undifferentiated world of wine.

In Vino Veritas

Reviews:
Tony Aspler
Jonathan Alsop
Mike Steinberger (Slate.com)