ONE WINE LOVER'S OPINION UNCORKED IN 'MONDOVINO'.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic JONATHAN NOSSITER is both a filmmaker (the fine 1997 indie ``Sunday'') and a professional sommelier. He's uniquely qualified, then, to make a documentary about the state of wine in the 21st century, and ``Mondovino'' is it. Informative, apparently exhaustive and more than a little repetitive, the film undoubtedly has more to offer oenophiles than those of us with a more casual interest in the grape. Still, there's a lot worth learning here. Nossiter's efforts to frame the current state of wine production as an example of the overall globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation of commodities and culture is thought-provoking, if not always successfully argued. Eschewing voice-over narration, Nossiter and his small crew simply allow people engaged in the wine business to express their points of view, which are naturally as divergent as the scope of vino itself. In the process, they inevitably reveal a great deal about themselves. Small artisan vintners speak of their struggles to maintain the individual character of their vintages and to keep their small domaines in Bordeaux, Burgundy or Languedoc viable businesses. We also repeatedly visit the gregarious Michel Rolland Michel Rolland (born December 24, 1947 in Libourne, France) is an influential Bordeaux-based oenologist, with hundreds of clients across 13 countries and influencing wine style around the world. , the industry's leading wine consultant (``micro-oxygenate!'' is his oft-repeated cure-all). He appears to be in some kind of cahoots ca·hoots pl.n. Informal Questionable collaboration; secret partnership: an accountant in cahoots with organized crime. with Napa's acquisitive Mondavi family and the outlandishly influential American wine American wine production in the United States wine has existed for over 300 years. Today wine production exist in all fifty states, with California leading the way in wine production followed by Washington State, Oregon and New York.[1]. critic Robert Parker Robert Parker may refer to:
Nossiter guides us through France, Tuscany, Argentina and California, into the homes of 1,000-year-old Florentine noble dynasties, dot.com millionaires turned winemakers and South American peasants who cultivate their own vines for the love of the drink, not profit. Attempts are made to paint the big players in a poorer light. We Americans relying on Latino field laborers, say, while in France and Italy, they're asked pointed questions about how gran-pere kept the business going during the Nazi occupation or how cozy Uncle Giuseppe got with Mussolini. But these lines never gain much traction, and attempts to stir up soap opera soap opera Broadcast serial drama, characterized by a permanent cast of actors, a continuing story, tangled interpersonal situations, and a melodramatic or sentimental style. in some of the wealthier clans are fruitless compared to an average episode of ``Falcon Crest.'' Overall, Nossiter presents a complex look at a changing field, where questions of tradition and expansion, snobbery and popularization pop·u·lar·ize tr.v. pop·u·lar·ized, pop·u·lar·iz·ing, pop·u·lar·iz·es 1. To make popular: A famous dancer popularized the new hairstyle. 2. , greed and artistry do not yield easy or simple answers. Intricate and elusive, this business. Bob Strauss, (818) 713-3670 bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com MONDOVINO - Three stars (PG-13: nudity) Director: Jonathan Nossiter. Running time: 2 hr. 15 min. Playing: Landmark's Nuart, West Los Angeles
In a nutshell: More than most people need to know about the international wine trade, told from a disapproving perspective on globalism glob·al·ism n. A national geopolitical policy in which the entire world is regarded as the appropriate sphere for a state's influence. glob . CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sommelier Jonathan Nossiter shares his love for wines unique to various regions of the world in ``Mondovino.'' |
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