'Bottle Shock' review

Trying to increase business, British wine shop owner Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) travels to California -- where he’s heard, France be damned, wine-making is on the rise -- in hopes of gathering bottles to host a France vs. U.S. tasting. In America the film focuses on Chateau Montelena, where owner Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) tries to ward off foreclosure from the bank, handle his son (Chris Pine, with Bret Michaels hair and a “Dazed and Confused” attitude) and supervise a brilliant employee Gustavo (Freddy Rodriguez) and new, fetching intern Sam (Rachael Taylor).

Big question: Can this drama, set in 1976 and based on the real-life landmark tasting that put California vino on the map, express the passion of wine experts as well as "Sideways"?
 
Skip it: Why is it so hard to make a true story feel real? Instead of drawing us into the vineyard to smell the grapes and sense the soil, “Bottle Shock” offers a pointless love triangle and lets Sam off the hook as an intern who does nothing but make out with her co-workers. Even if the performances were better (only Rodriguez and Rickman redeem themselves), the story feels much too slight to register as a groundbreaking shift in the international wine community.
 
Catch it: If you agree with Spurrier’s claim, “Great wine is great art.” You still have to admit that what results after drinking three bottles of great wine is far from artistic.
 
Bottom line: “Bottle Shock” presents the conviction of wine-makers without any of the flavor. It all goes down OK, but anyone who cares about wine knows that OK flavor isn’t good for much.
 
Bonus: At one point during a wine tasting, Spurrier’s friend Maurice (Dennis Farina) says that he detects notes of bacon fat. This proves that you can interpret any flavors you want into wine, as long as you’re not talking to the person who made it!

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