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Wine Media
Wine Media Tuesday
08Jan
Merlove - A movie about Merlot Wine
Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 11:10PM Sideways was a strange movie. I’ll admit to liking it, but am still amazed by the impact it had on wine consumption considering that both lead characters were big time losers. The shot it gave to pinot noir sales is already legendary in the trade. Yet, what probably stood out to most people was Miles’ tirade, “I’m not drinking any fucking merlot!” While I thought that a bit extreme, especially as beautiful women were involved, it highlighted the fact that merlot had come to represent the most vacuous aspects of drinking wine. My amazement never seemed to go away no matter how many times I heard someone walk up to a bar and order a glass of merlot without any thought to who made it or where it might be from. I guess it’s understandable as merlot and chardonnay had become the burgundy and chablis of the previous generation: generic house wines that did not demand (nor recommend) closer examination.
Apparently to counterattack this assault on merlot, there is now a movie: Merlove - A movie about Merlot Wine
This seems a bit unnecessary, both commercially and artistically. What Sideways did for pinot noir was to increase the production of lower quality industrial pinot noir. What Sideways did for merlot was to hurt the sales of lower quality industrial merlot. It seems to me like merlot came out ahead in the bargain.
Reader Comments (2)
This is Rudy the Director of Merlove. Thanks for posting the trailer on your website. We've just returned from St. Emilion France where we filmed/interviewed Petrus, Michel Rolland, Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Gracia, Jean-Luc Thunevin (Parker calls him the “Bad Boy of St. Emilion” & He started the “Garage Wine” movement), and others. We are close to updating the website to reflect the trip. www.merlove.com
We are championing Merlot but in the end the message is, "Go out and try new wine, have fun, get some help but let the adventure in wine be your own." On that adventure, when you make a discovery, share it with friends and family.
All you need is "Merlove!",
Rudy
www.merlove.com
Merlove me tender,
Rudy