Why step away from wine and into film making of it?
After a time I was happy with the growth of my company. In 2009 I met an Englishman, David Kennard, at a tasting in San Francisco. He proceeded to tell me that he was a producer who wanted to make a film about four importers who made a difference in the US. Two days later he told me that he wanted to find the funding for the movie, later deciding to make a film solely about Burgundy, and needed $500,000 to finance βA Year in Burgundyββ¦though heβd never been there. After spending Thanksgiving at the Tennessee blackberry farm of a man who ended up being our funder, within 3 weeks of my first being approached, we found ourselves fully funded. In 2011 this Mr. Rupert came to us saying he wanted another movie about Champagne, which is easy as itβs the most famous wine in the world. He said he also wanted a trilogy, so I later suggested Portugal which weβll finish next year.
Why choose Portugal?
In the last decade weβve seen a lot of new wineries start there. Itβs the only great European wine country that hasnβt really been communicated fully about. The country is beautiful, theyβre making great wines that are underpriced compared to others in Europe. The Portuguese are excited about the movie; everyone there was so nice to us.
So you acted as a producer as well as its star?
The stars are my wineries which Iβve known 30-40 years. I knew what I could ask, like convincing Lalou Bize-Leroy to be part of the movie. Kennard has good references of music for its background, and we got along very well.
Your first two films investigated the chronological year in two regions well-known to those interested in wine, regions chronicled countless timesβBurgundy and Champagne. Why does the viewer need more of these commonly acknowledged places?
Burgundy is a small region. No one really knows how the wine is made. None of them are big chateaux like in Bordeaux. Those people go to the vineyards every day, nobody has tasting books, itβs a very βcountryβ style of living. People want to go to Burgundy thinking that itβs so beautiful, but thereβs a different personality in each vigneron.
Without the advantage of being able to show images or sounds of the origin of a wine s/he is attempting to sell, how might a sommelier tell a story to bring it to life for the guest?
Most sommeliers that Iβve known for 40 years all have a story to tell behind the winery or vintner. Everybody travels so much now, they meet the people and can tell the story. The consumer wants to know not about filtration but about the guy who makes the wine. It makes a huge difference. Nothing is more boring than going to a dinner only to be told the technical aspects of the wine; itβs enough to go to sleep. But when I tell stories people cheer.
You can read more and see the movie here: https://sanfranciscowineschool.com/blogs/blog/16222319-a-year-in-burgundy
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