Vino Movies: Take III

Continuing in our series of the Top Five flicks to watch while imbibing VAVINO's finest, we move on to pick #3, a movie that was released in 2004, the year Virginia winery openings skyrocketed (about 30 new wineries opened between 2003 and 2006), and the year the Notebook blogmasters ramped up our winery hopping in a very big way:

Sideways

This movie came out ten years ago, but you still hear the movie and its characters mentioned in tasting rooms all over the country (especially if Merlot is brought out during the tasting process). The movie was a sleeper box office hit and Award winner (nominated for multiple Oscars including Best Picture), and its impact on the general wine buying public was so widespread that Merlot sales nationwide actually declined by about 25% between 2004 and 2006! And, on the flip side, American interest in Pinot Noir increased by about the same percentage.

The movie is actually more of a deep character study than a film about wine and vineyards, but the cinematography during Miles' and Jack's escapade into central California coast wine country is beautiful and the idea of "bringing your buddy out for partying before tieing the knot" is not too far removed from other male bonding comedies, particularly Swingers.

Most wine fans have seen this film so there's no need to delve too much into the plot. Director Alexander Payne knows how to hook an audience with real characters and believable situations (his other films include About Schmidt with Jack Nicholson, The Descendants with George Clooney and most recently, Nebraska, with Bruce Dern). For Sideways, realism is not as high when Miles and Jack enter the tasting rooms (the blogmasters, two straight guys into wine and tasting rooms, have never hooked up with women at restaurants near wineries, or women working in tasting rooms, who are 100% unattached). But the friendship between Miles and Jack, on opposite ends of the spectrum regarding their respective outlooks on life, is undoubtedly one of the best Hollywood friendships in '00s cinema.

The movie is filled with colorful vulgarity and some intense sex scenes (not to mention some hilarious full frontal male nudity), so you'll never see this movie showing during business hours in a tasting room (compared to our soon-to-be-revealed second and first choices as quintessential winery movies).

So, if you haven't seen this wonderful film, you may be asking "why did Merlot sales drop by 25% after this movie came out?" Miles, wonderfully played by Paul Giamatti (who brought some of Miles into every character he's played since, including John Adams), makes his disdain for the red wine (which was booming in popularity with yuppies in the 1990s) well-known (complete with the F word), when his traveling, soon-to-be-hitched, womanizing buddy Jack insists he keeps his mouth shut if their dates want to order Merlot at a restaurant. Jack is played by Thomas Hayden Church, then only known to most viewers from TV's "Wings," and embodied Jack to the point where you simply cannot imagine any other actor (including superstars like George Clooney or Brad Pitt) in the role.

The film also introduced Pinot Noir to many Americans, who actively sought out the temperamental grape and wine after hearing Miles obsess over it. Miles also mentions Riesling (in a positive context) and Virginia's red Cabernet Franc (in a negative context) in the film, but luckily the comment about Cab Franc didn't deter wine newbies from trying that varietal in Virginia tasting rooms.

There are millions of people who adore this movie, and almost as many who detest it. The bloggers have encountered many people (mostly women, for some strange reason) who hate the movie. While Jack's (and to a lesser degree, Miles') actions are not always sympathetic, this is a character study, not a silly slapstick yuckfest where males do stereotypical "dumb guy" (and pathetic) things (aka The Hangover and the sequels).

To fully enjoy (or enjoy for the fourth or fifth time) Sideways, bottles of Pinot Noir (and Riesling) are highly encouraged. Virginia is not as well-suited to Pinot Noir growing compared to central and northern coast California, Oregon and New York's Finger Lakes (the film explains why Pinot Noir is so finicky to grow). But a few wineries in the Commonwealth, which boast vineyards at higher elevations compared to most other wineries in the state, offer Pinot Noir. Of course, don't expect a Pinot Noir with the complexity (and high ABV) of an Oregon and Sonoma Pinot, but these winery's Pinots are unique in their own way:

Rockbridge Vineyard (north of Lexington)
Afton Mountain Vineyards (south of Waynesboro)
Ox Eye Vineyards (Staunton)

As for Riesling, another difficult-to-grow grape in Virginia, visit these tasting rooms:

Shenandoah Vineyards (near Woodstock, VA)
Prince Michel Vineyards (south of Culpeper)
Doukenie Winery (Loudoun County)

To whet (or re-whet) your palate for Sideways, check out this clip, one of the quietest and most emotional scenes in the film, where Miles' love interest Maya (played by Oscar nominated Virginia Madsen) explains what wine means to her:



And click here if you missed the Notebook's last two top Vino Movie entries (#4 and 5).

Village Wine Stop #1: Middleburg

Middleburg is one of those northern Virginia villages featured in nearly every tourist guide and regional magazine at least three times per year. It is the center of northern Virginia horse and fox hunt country. The Safeway in the middle of town is the poshest Safeway you'll probably ever visit. Gridlock on a typical spring weekend day is nearly as bad as Old Town Alexandria. For our money, Middleburg the town is overrated. But there's hope as Middleburg features a few winning wineries a stone's throw away from town.

The first stop is arguably one of the most unique locations in the state (as far as Virginia wineries go): Quattro Goomba's Winery. This winery brings grapes in from California, Italy and Chile, and makes the wine in Virginia. Evidently Quattro Goomba's will be acquiring grapes from Breaux in the future, so a Virginia-grown product will be offered as well. The wines currently offered were a bit on the sweet side, but adequate. Like other wineries in the region, Quattro Goombas usually has a live band during the weekend, which continues to spoil the wine tasting mood for the blogmasters. We would rate Quattro Goomba's high for those just getting into the Virginia wine scene - you get the vistas of the Virginia countryside, the friendly staff, the generous tastings, but you don't get Virginia wine (yet).

Drive westbound on U.S. route 50 and follow the signs to Chrysalis Vineyards, the home of Norton, Virginia's original grape. If you want to experiment with this unique red, there is no better place to do it. Chrysalis is one of the original Virginia vineyards, and boasts a pictureseque setting amid the hills of fox hunt country. The tasting room and process is a bit small and confusing (respectively), and some of the wines were too sweet for our tastes, but for a Norton experience in Northern Virginia, Chrysalis Vineyards is worth a stop.

Swedenburg Estate Vineyard has its property right outside the town limits of Middleburg. This is our favorite winery in the region - wines are dry, Old World-style winners. Juanita Swedenburg was a pioneer of the Virginia wine industry, and fought long and hard for the state's now-flexible wine laws. Her spirit lives on as her son and grandchildren carry on with managing the vineyards. Despite being so close to the town, the vineyards and picnic area seem to be miles away. This is definitely a better warm weather spot as the tasting room is small and offers few tables (our only gripe about Swedenburg Estate Vineyard). The pinot noir itself is worth a visit, but stay to enjoy the mountain views and quiet vineyard setting.

Piedmont Vineyards, south of Middleburg (on the way to Delaplane), is another Virginia wine original. This is one of the oldest wineries in the Commonwealth, established in 1973. The owner/winemaker is a German gentleman who may put some off with his gruffness at first (he's all about his wine and making sure his guests have an intimate experience), but he warms up as soon as you start asking questions. Try the unoaked Hunt Country Chardonnay and the Hunt Country Red, a perfect sangria base.

The final stop on your tour could very well be Boxwood Winery, which the blogmasters have not visited. The slickness and formality of this place turns us off (you need an appointment to take a tour and try their wines at the winery). However you can try their wines at their satellite tasting rooms in downtown Middleburg or Reston Town Center. Their signature red, Boxwood, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and is incredibly good, but not better than many other more affordable wines we've had in the region. But due to its location near Middleburg, and the fact that the property (gated of course) is so impressive, it deserves a mention.

There is no shortage of restaurants in Middleburg to find food to soak up your vino experience (although we were sad to see our favorite restaurant in the area, the Hidden Horse Tavern, closed on the last visit). Pick your spot, or tour all of them, and enjoy a daycation away from the Beltway madness.

Quattro Goomba's Winery
Chrysalis Vineyards
Swedenburg Estate Vineyard
Piedmont Vineyards
Boxwood Winery

Northern Neck tour: General's Ridge Video Clip 2

Pinot Noir harvest.