5 films for wine lovers

Life is simply juicier on the big screen, which is why I’ve compiled a list of my very own Top 5 movies featuring a lot of wine.

1. HANNIBAL. Ridley Scott, 2001

For gourmets with a dark streak

Quite possibly the coolest bad guy in all of film history, Dr. Lecter has become an icon of scary movies. He is also a man of sophisticated and somewhat strange tastes.

Although he cultivates the finer pleasures in life, he is equally open about his fondness for sadism. That being said, all of his actions have the consummate elegance of someone who knows that nothing goes better with liver and fava beans than a nice Chianti… Just ask his friend Ray Liotta.

2. JEAN LEON 3055. Agustí Vila, 2007

For the day-a-day dreamers

A thousand lives in one. The story of Jean Leon is stranger than fiction.

As Ceferino Carrión he was an emigrant, stowaway and cab driver; as Jean Leon, a restaurant owner, confidant to Hollywood’s biggest stars, and a successful winemaker.

If he crossed your path, he changed your life forever. He was a man who, much like his wines, transcended time.

3. EL VINO Y EL CLIMA: UNA RELACIÓN AMENAZADA (Wine & Climate: An Endangered Relationship). José Luís Gallego, 2013
For conscientious wine lovers

It will rattle you, no doubt, and with reason. Winegrowers, enologists and environmentalists explain the consequences of the progressive rise in temperature and how this threatens the vine, especially the ripening process.

A look at a new and potentially devastating scenario.

Unconvinced? Watch this documentary and you might start believing. (Spanish)

4. AUTUMN TALE. Eric Rohmer, 1998

For believers in second chances

A middle-aged wine producer struggles with loneliness after her children leave the nest.

Her country house suddenly seems too big and empty; devoid of life. Her friend is determined to find her a husband and to do so she turns to the personals in their local newspaper.

An analog version of what nowadays would be an afternoon at home with wine and a Tinder account. (French)

5. ESCAPING ROBERT PARKER. Edward Burley, 2012

For rebels (with or without a cause)

Love him or hate him, Robert Parker and The Wine Advocate have the power to make or break a wine.

But…how did this guy end up becoming the most influential name among the world’s wine professionals? And is it possible to escape his influence and make it out unscathed?