Bottle Shock

I wonder what Bottle Shock would be like if it had been written and made by the Brits, and I think it would probably be better. Especially if Rickman's snob Spurrier became a regular main character and wasn't just useful for interspersing the predictable and sometimes boring plot with something good (practically every scene of his is great). Still, Bottle Shock is quite good to watch, although the aerial shots of the sunny vineyards soon get old. (16.01.2016)

Bottle Shock lacks the brisk and playful direction of A Good Year, but as far as the story goes, it offers an enjoyable and interesting story just like its undoubtedly more famous predecessor. A Good Year had Ridley Scott, Bottle Shock has Alan Rickman, who once again excels in his role as the "British Frenchman". The individual characters are very appealingly written and acted as well, and when you add in some truly beautiful shots of Californian vineyards, a reasonable amount of wit, and an overall relaxed and easygoing feel, you have the perfect entertainment for a (more than)one evening (preferably with a girlfriend and a bottle of good wine, of course). (21.11.2009)

I didn’t expect to get such an amazing movie. According to all of the opinions on this website, it looked somewhat mediocre. But in reality, Bottle Shock is an incredibly positive, pleasant, easy comedy that tells an interesting story of one minor defeat of the French rule, which is important to many wine fans. Chris Pine was amazing and Alan Rickman was really enjoying himself as that bourgeois guy. Even though I’m not really a wine person, I really wanted some special bottle like that after I watched the movie. I’d let it lie around in the cellar for about ten years and then I’d gloriously open in on a very special occasion. That’s why this movie reminded me of A Good Year a little bit. Except that here, the French vineyards got replaced by the California ones. Otherwise, the atmosphere and the overall chill was very similar. (22.03.2014)

I love movies about wine, what more can I say? Although I only occasionally drink wine - meaning very little - it somehow inspires me when experts talk about wine and evaluate it. I guess it's because I respect professionals who can appreciate good food and drink. For this reason, I really enjoyed the film "The Angel's Share", even though I don't drink whisky at all, or the film "Sideways", where wine definitely didn't play just a supporting role. "The Year of Wine" is a film about wine. Wine is the main focus here, and yet it is not talked about that much. It is true that I learned more about wine from "Sideways", at least some basics. "The Year of Wine" is more about presenting the human effort to pursue a dream goal, which in this case is to produce the best possible wine. Making luxury wine is not a joke, but making it in California is an even smaller joke. The French have prejudices against such wines and therefore reject them. You can see it in a beautiful scene towards the end of the film. But the wine merchant, Steven Spurrier, is not French, but British, although his last name might not confirm that. He is not having an easy time and his little shop is not exactly overflowing with customers. But he wants to try something new. He wants to bring wines from California to France and show that their wines can also be enjoyed. He meets the Barrett family. The young hippie Bo - Chris Pine with long hair - and his father Jim, who gave up his career for a dream, even though he didn't really understand wine that well. The harvest is slowly approaching and he has to bottle his wine. Spurrier himself is after this wine. But not everything goes as planned. Besides following the fates of other characters, we eventually also get to experience the wine. Did you think wine couldn't be brown? Well, see for yourself that it can be. Good acting performances, sometimes even caricature-like, spice up this interesting film that deserves more attention than it has received. It is also interesting that the story it reveals actually happened. And its protagonists are still alive. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/12/wtc-yes-man-mary-max-zambezia-cerna.html (02.03.2013)