I recently watched a documentary film about sommeliers called "Somm" and it was really educational! I feel like I have a better understanding of the profound world of wine.
▶Click here for the report on the movie "SOMM"
Among the films that have wine as their subject, the "Som" series is a full-scale documentary film that follows people who are stoically facing wine. I think it will be a very good guide for those who want to take a peek into the world of wine, and for those who are currently studying wine.
"Som: Into the Bottle" (2015), the sequel to "Som" (2012) , is a film in which experts from various fields related to wine talk passionately about various themes that are necessary for understanding wine. The main feature of this film is that it contains rare footage of the inside of a winery, as well as many valuable documents for learning about the history of wine. It also contains plenty of footage that gives a sense of the richness of nature, such as well-maintained vineyards spread out in the middle of nature and beautiful bunches of grapes.
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The film is hosted by the Master Sommeliers (MS) who appeared in the previous film, "Somm."
In addition, many world-renowned wine professionals, including winemakers (producers), grape scientists, masters of wine, and wine directors (those who manage the wine-making process), appear on the show, including the families and associates of famous wineries such as Romanée-Conti , Ruinart , and Robert Mondavi .
These key figures in the wine world talk about their beliefs and what is currently happening in the wine industry from their respective positions, introducing the fun and depth of the world of wine.
The content of the film is somewhat technical, but even beginners can enjoy the atmosphere unique to wine culture, which has a long history, through the rhythmic switching of beautiful images of fields and wineries throughout the film.
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- Mika is 35 years old and works at an apparel company. She is getting into wine and is really interested in wine glasses.
- Iwasu is a sommelier who oversees this website. He runs a bar in Nagoya that stocks a wide range of New Zealand wines.
Movie details
*This promotional video does not have subtitles, but the main feature (Japanese version) has Japanese subtitles.
| Movie genre | documentary |
|---|---|
| theme | wine |
| Production year/country | 2015/USA |
| time | 90 minutes |
| director | Jason Wise |
| cast | Brian McClintic Ian Coble Sylvia Altare |
This film is part of a trilogy. "SOMM," which follows the Master Sommelier exam, was released in 2012, and its success led to the second film , "SOMM: Into the Bottle" (2015), and then the third, "SOMM3" (2018).
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Both "Som" and "Som: Into the Bottle" are available to stream on Amazon Prime .
Summary of the film "Som: Into the Bottle"
To put it simply, this film is a documentary in which a sommelier explains "What is wine?" over the course of 90 minutes.
The film starts with the question, "What is a sommelier?"
To that question, people who actually work as sommeliers answer as follows.
"A position in a restaurant."
"Wine Manager"
"A job that involves uncorking corks and making people happy"
"Educator, connoisseur, and server"
"A wine storyteller"
How do people perceive the work of a sommelier? It varies from person to person, but you can get a glimpse of how all the sommeliers featured here approach their work with their own convictions.
Well, this film follows the ten themes below. For each theme, wine professionals express their views, and valuable interview footage related to the theme is interspersed throughout the film.
- THE WINEMAKER
- THE VINTAGE
- THE HISTORY
- THE WARS
- THE NEW WORLD
- THE COST
- THE BARRELS
- THE PONT SCORES
- THE SOMMELIER
- THE MEMORY
Just looking at the title, it seems like a wine school class… (laughs)
That's certainly true (laughs). It might be a good idea to watch it as if you were taking a trial class at a wine school for an hour and a half.
However, there are a few points to keep in mind when watching the Japanese subtitled version of this movie. It's a wonderful movie, but you might find the subtitles a little hard to read. The movie is tightly edited overall, with brisk cuts. However, because it contains so much information, the subtitles often disappear while you're reading them. There are also many expressions that are difficult to understand at a glance. So, it might be best not to try to follow all the subtitles from the beginning, and just be okay with missing some parts .
Explanation of each part
From here on, I will explain each part and introduce the highlights. It may contain some spoilers, but since it is a specialized movie, I would like you to read it as a preparation to deepen your understanding before watching it. If you absolutely do not want spoilers, please come back after watching the movie if you feel like reviewing a bit (lol).
1. THE WINEMAKER
The 10 stories about wine begin with a discussion of the winemaker who produces it.
First of all, the master sommelier who was hosting the event said, "The job of making wine is easily misunderstood." Why is that? He pointed out that the regions where wine is made are very beautiful and mysterious, and people tend to have fantasies about the job. However, in reality, winemaking is a very steady and tough job.
Winemakers have to devote a large part of their life to tending the vines and the vineyards, fermenting the wine, storing the finished wine, etc. However, no matter how much effort is put in by the human side, there is no guarantee that the results will be good.
This film introduces tragic events that have occurred in America as examples of the disasters brought about by nature.
On August 24, 2014 , a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck California . Many wineries in the famous wine region of Napa Valley suffered severe damage. Steve Mathiason's winery, which appears in the film, was one of them. The interview took place two days after the earthquake. Barrels filled with wine are seen scattered all over the warehouse.
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2013 was a year of very favorable weather for grapes. The wine was concentrated and was expected to be very good after aging. However, some of the wine that was aging was lost due to the earthquake.
However, Steve does not simply view this event in a pessimistic manner, but rather speaks forcefully, saying, "The wine from this year will go down in history as the 'earthquake vintage.' "
Even though it was a natural occurrence, it would be sad if a wine that was so well made was ruined... It's really amazing that he didn't give up and continued making wine.
Yes, wine is filled with the thoughts and efforts of the winemakers. Working with nature is hard work, but that's why it's so moving when you make a great wine.
2. THE VINTAGE
"Vintage" refers to the year the grapes were harvested . It has also come to mean "old and valuable," but in wine terms it originally referred to the year the grapes were harvested to make the wine.
Even wines made from the same grape variety at the same winery can vary in quality depending on the vintage.
The biggest factor influencing this is the weather. Grapes from years known as "great vintages" have particularly favorable weather and produce very complex and concentrated flavors. Some of the high-quality wines produced in these great vintages are then slowly aged in the bottle for a very long time. The people who work at wineries store these great wines in cellars, creating an environment that allows them to age properly.
As an example, the film introduces the French Champagne house Ruinart , a long-established winery that has been in business in Champagne since 1729.
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In the cellars of wineries, wines are stored for long-term aging. In addition to Ruinart, footage of the cellars of several other historic wineries is shown, and many of the wine bottles stored there have mold growing. The winemakers say that they "take care of the mold."
I was shocked to see a wine bottle covered in mold! To be honest, I wondered if it was unsanitary.
That's right. It's a bit surprising when you see it for the first time (laughs). The temperature and humidity that are ideal for wine aging are environments that are conducive to mold growth. But the fact is, the presence of mold is proof that the wine is stored in optimal conditions. But of course, it doesn't mean that the wine in the bottle is contaminated with mold (laughs).
Mold is a very important partner to winemakers, and it is impressive to see how they treat it like a pet.
3. THE HISTORY
Next is the "History" part.
This article begins with an introduction to old books about wine that have been preserved in the world's oldest winery, located in Germany. These books include documents about wine brewing written in the 1st century and purchase books used in the 1400s. The mountains of historical records that exist show how wine is a drink that has existed throughout history.
According to one document, during the Roman Empire, Caesar ordered his soldiers to drink 1 to 1.5 liters of wine a day to keep them healthy. He also made them drink twice that amount before a battle. This may have been the first doping in the world.
That's how much wine he was drinking! If he drank before a fight, he would probably get so drunk he wouldn't be able to move (laughs).
From a Japanese perspective, that may be true (laughs). However, in Europe, many people have a high tolerance for alcohol, so wine was a good alternative to drinking water. In the first place, there are many areas in Europe where it is difficult to secure clean water, so people in those places drank wine to stay hydrated.
Wine is also closely linked to religion, and it is said that the foundation of wine culture was laid by the "monks" who spent most of their days in the vineyards and kept detailed records of events related to winemaking.
Another famous wine story is "Hermitage." Hermitage is a historic wine-producing region that spreads across the hills of the northern Rhone region and dates back to 400 BC. In the story, the Crusader hero "Hermit" healed his wounds on the hill.
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Hermitage is also a very famous producer of the black grape "Syrah ." Among them, the winery "Jean Louis Chave" has been making wine for six centuries since its founding in 1481. This film features the 16th generation owner, who master sommeliers call a modern-day "Hermit."
4. THE WARS
This section begins with a winemaker talking about his definition of "GREAT WINE ." His definition of "GREAT WINE" is:- Sense of balance
- Complexity
- Delicacy
- Terroir (the environment in which wine is produced)
- Aging
- Taste
The white wine grape "Riesling" is cited as one that meets all six of these criteria.
White wine grape variety "Riesling"
The master sommeliers who appear in the film say that all sommeliers are crazy about Riesling, and point out that the perception that Riesling = sweet, which has spread among general consumers, is a misunderstanding.
Riesling may have a strong image of being sweet, but in fact many dry Rieslings are delicious.
Why is Riesling introduced in the section about war? It is because Riesling is a wine that tells the history of the repeated conflicts between France and Germany. France was once occupied by Germany. And Riesling wine was transferred from its country of origin, Germany, to France.
However, during the long conflict between the two countries, the wine culture on the French side was on the brink of destruction. Many winemakers were killed, vineyards were destroyed, and valuable wines were drunk by soldiers as soon as they were discovered. The only valuable wines that remain today are those that the winery workers risked their lives to protect.
The region where this tragic history remains the most vivid is the Alsace region of France, which borders Germany. A winemaker from this region says that his grandfather spoke German, his father spoke Alsatian, and he, a member of the current generation, speaks French. This is an episode that gives us a glimpse into the past of this region, which has been at the mercy of history.
At the end of this section, we will be introduced to the wine from the single vineyard "Clos Saint-Hune" of the traditional Alsace winery "Tribac" , a Riesling revered by people all over the world.
Trimbach was founded in 1626 and is one of the most prestigious wineries in Alsace, with a history and tradition spanning 4 centuries and 13 generations. The dry Riesling from Clos Saint-Hune is known as the "Romanée-Conti of Alsace."
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5. THE NEW WORLD
In this section, we introduce the New World using wines from California , America's largest wine producing region, as an example.
What kind of country is the "New World"?
The New World is a term used to refer to countries that have a short history compared to the traditional wine countries of Europe, and joined later. NZ is one of the New World countries. Countries with a long history, such as France, value the vineyards and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. On the other hand, in the New World, there are many producers who are not bound by rules and have a strong spirit of adventure.
In the United States, wine was becoming established as an industry after the Gold Rush, but the industry was temporarily halted by Prohibition , which lasted from 1920 to 1933 (a law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages).
Even after Prohibition was lifted, the American wine industry was in a state of stagnation, but it was Robert Mondavi, known as the father of California wine, who transformed it. He was very ambitious, and made huge investments one after another with the goal of producing wine in California that could rival that of France and other countries.
His efforts made California's premium wine region , Napa Valley, famous, and overturned the notion that France was the home of wine. This film also includes footage of an interview with this great pioneer, Robert Mondavi, conducted in 1995.
By the way, one of the catalysts for California wine's current success was the famous tasting event known as the "Judgment of Paris," a historic event in which California defeated French wine.
The movie "Bottle Dream: The Miracle of California Wine," based on the historical events of the Judgement of Paris, is a movie I would highly recommend to anyone who likes American wine. This site also introduces the movie. Please take a look!
6. THE COST
In this section, we will discuss the costs involved in turning wine into a product and the price that can be placed on wine.
Wine comes in a wide range of prices, from cheap to expensive. How is the price determined? First, we need to consider how the "cost price" is determined.
To make wine, there are many steps, starting with the selection of the land, the management of the grape vines, harvesting, brewing, bottling, etc. The human involvement in these steps is reflected in the price.
Furthermore, one master sommelier stated that "the recognition that wine is an art in which the human soul is put should be important when determining the price of wine," and argued that "the value of that art should be reflected in the price."
As a representative example of such artistic wines, Burgundy's Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) is introduced. Romanée-Conti wines are also known as the most expensive wines in the world.
At the end of this section, Aubert de Villaine, the 17th generation owner of DRC, personally guides us around the winery and talks about the value of the wine. The winery is not usually open to the public, and not many people, even professionals in the wine world, have seen it. This video is therefore extremely valuable.
It is a very memorable scene when the head of the family nonchalantly states about this wine, which could be said to be the pinnacle of cultural value, "Wine is for drinking. It is for quenching the thirst."
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7. THE BARRELS
In this section, we will talk about barrels . The main focus of the discussion will be on barrels made of oak .
Barrels are indispensable in winemaking, as they can be used for both the alcoholic fermentation of wine and for aging after fermentation. They are said to have originally been used to transport wine and have a history spanning thousands of years.
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However, the use of "new oak barrels" is a matter of great debate. Although oak barrels add flavor to wine, some wineries use them only to hide poor grape yields, according to one master sommelier.
This film focuses on the influence of oak barrels on wine. Some people think that wine with too strong an aroma from the barrel is not good. Wineries that want to prioritize only the original aroma and flavor of the grapes use barrels with less aroma called "neutral oak."
In the movie, oak is described as "the same as salt," which was easy to understand. Too much of anything is not good.
Well, it's easy to understand if you think of the barrel aroma as a seasoning that is added to the finished wine. A wine that has a harmonious blend of the "aroma of fruits and plants" and the "aroma of the barrel" will have a wonderfully complex flavor.
The debate over "orcs" and "non-orcs" is not something that has just recently emerged; it is said that much more heated debate was taking place all over the place in the 1970s.
One example of this is the revolution that took place in the famous Italian wine region of Barolo . In the 1970s in Italy, there were few wines that were viable as a business.
However, one man named Elio Altare planned to modernize Italian wine. His daughter Silvia talks about that time.
In 1976, Elio toured wineries in Burgundy and was deeply inspired by the established wine business there. He then decided to modernize Barolo wine. One of these was the renewal of barrels. He discarded the "large barrels" that had been handed down for generations at his winery and introduced "French oak."
Elio's father was strongly opposed to this method, which seemed to break with tradition, and a large rift developed between father and son. However, the wine revolution that Elio brought about resulted in a dramatic increase in the status of Barolo wine.
8. THE PONT SCORES
Another polarizing debate in the wine world is the "point score," a method by which well-known wine lovers and critics rate wines on a scale of 100 points.
The most influential person in the world regarding the points system is probably Robert M. Parker Jr. of the United States. Wines that receive high scores in Wine Advocate magazine, which he founded, tend to become very popular. In other words, they become "best-selling wines." Naturally, there are wineries that aim to receive high scores from Parker.
Among Master Sommeliers, opinions on the system were very divided. Brian McClintic, the main host of the program, said that he was inspired by him to pursue a career in wine. Brian argues that the points system makes wine easier to understand and attracts new consumers.
On the other hand, some people said they were not happy with a system that evaluates the wines that each producer has worked so hard to create based solely on numbers.
Australia's Penfolds is a winery whose fate was changed by Robert Parker's score. In a time when it was rare to see a wine receive a perfect score, the winery gained 100 points and quickly became the center of attention around the world.
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9. THE SOMMELIER
In the "Sommelier" section, we will mainly talk about "pairing," the combination of food and wine.
Providing food and wine recommendations is one of the important jobs of a sommelier. However, one of the sommeliers featured in the film says, "Don't think too deeply about it, just keep it simple."
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Generally speaking, wines are said to go well with foods that are rooted in the region where they are made. There was also the opinion that if you are unsure of what to pair your wine with, a Champagne wine will go well with any food.
However, rather than such standard pairings, the following "unexpected pairings" recommended by master sommeliers, who are the most professional of the professionals, were introduced.
- Syrah x Indian cuisine
- Gewurztraminer x Spam
- Chardonnay x Popcorn
- Red wine and fish
And so on. Finally, the master sommeliers convey the charm of France's "Beaujolais" as the most underrated region in the world. They say that there are two types of Beaujolais wine: "intelligent wine" and "(simply) delicious wine." They introduce that it goes well with simple and casual meals such as hot dogs.
The wine and food pairings that Iwasu-san always suggests are also very delicious. It's fun to think about what food goes well with wine!
That's right. I always pay attention to pairing when I drink wine. When it goes well, it creates a synergistic effect of flavors and makes me feel very happy. Even when it doesn't go well, it gives me something to talk about, so it kills two birds with one stone (laughs).
10. THE MEMORY
The final part focuses on Fred Dohm, an important character in the film series.
Fred is the most influential Master Sommelier in the United States. He has worked in the wine industry for over 40 years and has led the sommelier industry with his extensive knowledge and skills. He has particularly focused on mentoring the next generation of sommeliers, and has trained hundreds of sommeliers.
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Star sommeliers unanimously say, "American service cannot be discussed without Fred."
One of Fred's most precious memories was when he met Leon Panetta, who was the director of the CIA at the time. He was pursuing Osama bin Laden . At the time, Fred was working as a sommelier at the restaurant Leon frequented, and he was storing an 1870 Chateau Lafite Rothschild , a super high-end Bordeaux wine (first growth in the Medoc classification), in the cellar.
Leon's friend bought the Lafite to celebrate the capture of Osama bin Laden. However, there were 50 guests at the party. Fred was worried, so he served it by pouring it into shot glasses with the CIA logo. What a quick thinking!
A sommelier's job is not just to pour drinks from a bottle. It is to create the atmosphere according to the situation, when, with whom, and how you will drink. I think that is where the sommelier's skill really shines.
Movie Review
To be honest, this movie was very difficult for me to understand! (laughs) But I feel like I can enjoy wine even more by learning about the history and what goes on behind the scenes in winemaking.
That's right. I think the interesting thing about wine is that the background that has been cultivated over a long history really stimulates your intellectual curiosity. Well, you don't have to think too hard about it, just start digging deeper with what interests you, like, "What's the difference between this wine and the one I had before?" or "Where was it made?" This movie is packed with rare footage, so if you come across a wine like the one featured in the movie, I recommend watching that part again.
summary
"Som: Into the Bottle" is full of precious wine footage and contains some difficult content, but if you are interested in wine, it is worth watching. I'm sure you will understand that "wine is a culture."
