Bottle Shock (2008)

De koppige perfectionist Jim Barrett en zijn zoon, vrijbuiter Bo, delen een droom. Ze willen een eersteklas Chardonnay produceren in Jims wijngaard in Nappa, Californië. Om zijn Parijse wijnwinkel te promoten, organiseert Steven Spurrier een internationale wijnproeverij. Hij is onder de indruk van Barretts Chardonnay, maar Jim weigert aan de wedstrijd van de Britse snob mee te doen.Bo, die indruk wil maken op zijn mooie vriendin Sam, geeft Spurrier toch twee flessen mee.

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Looking for a way to boost his failing Parisian wine shop, a snobbish Brit named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) heads to California's Napa Valley, preparing for a tasting contest he has set up, pitting his favorite French wines against up-and-coming vintages from California. He assumes that a victory by the French wines will spur people to flock to his store, but he is surprised to find that the California wines are not quite as awful as he had imagined. He is especially intrigued by a Chardonnay made by Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his son, Bo (Chris Pine), at Chateau Montelena, but Jim is a perfectionist who ...
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never thinks his wine is ready and does not want to be involved in the contest, believing it will be a circus and an excuse to embarrass the California wineries. He has a tense relationship with his son, an easygoing surfer dude who seems more interested in the summer intern, Sam (Rachael Taylor), than working in the family business. Meanwhile, the rest of the Napa Valley vintners are excited about participating in the contest, including Gustavo (Freddy Rodriguez), one of Jim's best employees, who is making his own wine on the side with Garcia (Miguel Sandoval). As Spurrier gets closer to deciding which California wines will be selected for the contest, friendships and families threaten to tear apart and love blossoms. Based on a true story--Jim and Bo Barrett served as consultants on the film--Bottle Shock is a tasty treat, cowritten by husband-and-wife team Randall Miller and Jody Savin (with Ross Schwartz); Miller also serves as one of the editors and producers. Pullman is outstanding as the former corporate suit trying to live out his dream; the cast also includes Bradley Whitford and Eliza Dushku in small but important roles. The period soundtrack features several Doobie Brothers songs as well as 1970s tunes by America, Bad Company, and Foghat.
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Brought together by a curious twist of fate on a dusty California road, a wandering vintner and a struggling winemaker find both their lives, and their careers, forever transformed at a blind Parisian wine tasting that introduced the world to the extraordinary wines of Napa Valley. The year is 1976, and Napa Valley has yet to gain the reputation as one of world's best-known wine regions. Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) has sacrificed everything in life to realize his dream of creating the perfect Chateau Montelena. Yet despite the fact that Jim's Napa Valley vineyard has great potential, his son, Bo (Chris Pine), does...
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n't seem to have much interest in the family business. Most days, Jim and Bo can be found trading blows in their backyard boxing ring -- their attempts to knock a bit of sense into one another usually amounting to naught. Meanwhile, in Paris, British expatriate Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) finds necessity dictating that he educate Parisians on the latest wines to come out of California. Steven owns the Académie du Vin, and is eager to travel to the United States in order to ensure that he has conducted his research properly. Little did Steven and Jim realize that they were both on course for a chance meeting that would revolutionize the wine industry while opening up a whole new world of possibilities for wine lovers everywhere.
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