Bottle Shock

It wasn't always like this.

Before Paris, people didn't drink our wine.

I mean, my friends did, but you could hardly consider their palates discerning.

Hell, we were farmers, sort of.

I guess I'm late.

I told him you were under the weather.

I don't think he bought that one.

Come on, Ken. You know I don't come around here asking for money unless I need it.

- What's wrong with the old grape press? - It's bruising the grapes.

It's not about getting it done. It's about getting it done right.

It's about making the best goddamn wine that we can.

Jim...

I have no interest in taking your dream away.

But maybe it's time you look for a new one.

You want me to sign every page?

This is your third loan.

You default, we take Château Montelena.

Bonjour, madame.

You see, Maurice...

just as Degas used paint...

Rodin used bronze...

Debussy, the piano...

Baudelaire, language...

so Henri Jayer and Philippe de Rothschild used the grape.

Great wine is great art, my friend.

I am, in effect, a shepherd...

whose mission is to offer the public...

another form of great art...

and to guide...

its appreciation... thereof.

Well, a shepherd...

by definition, needs a flock.

And a business, by necessity...

needs customers.

So, if I were to subscribe to that proviso...

would you be considered a customer?

No.

No, I would be considered...

an enthusiastic... advocate.

- Steven Spurrier. - Uh-huh.

I own the winery Madeleine...

and founder of the Academy of Wine.

Sorry, sir, but your name is not on the list.

The Englishman is not in the list.

The receipt. I bought a ticket two weeks ago.

Follow me sir.

The Bicentennial of the United States. Cross the Atlantic

That's oaky.

Oh, yeah.

And smoky. I-

I detect bacon fat...

laced... with honey melon.

Oh, yes.

And a fine, smooth finish.

- I'm gonna have to make some changes. - What changes?

I have to actually sell some wines, for one.

- Why? - Because this is a business, Maurice!

- Aha. - "Aha" what?

You've got it all mixed up. You have L 'Académie du Vin...

a school whose mandate, unless I am somehow mistaken...

is to educate on wine.

And what do you have on your shelves?

One Chianti and three Rieslings.

The rest are all French.

It might as well be L 'Académie du Vin Française.

But even if it was L'Académie du Vin Française...

it should seek to present its subject in a global context.

What about the rest of the world, huh?

I just read an article that said California...

is gonna produce wine that will rival the finest of the French.

And when that happens, I'm going home.

No offense, but I don't foresee...

the imminent cultivation of the Chicago vine.

I'm from Milwaukee.

Oh, crap. Mike, it's not clear.

I was hoping for more.

Shh, shh.

Hey. We're racking the wine again.

Dad, you gotta be kidding me.

Outside. Now.

No one in the valley racks more than three times.

We do.

Huh? Huh?

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.

Whoa.

We've racked the wine five times.

Come on. Aren't we fighting?

Come on. Mike says we're gonna rack it one more time.

Huh? That chardonnay has gotta be clear!

Hell, we'll set a world record then, huh?

Who the hell is that?

Ah. I made it.

Can I help you?

- Yeah, I'm Sam. - Yeah.

Your eager and willing intern?

- You're Sam? - Sam I am.

- Your tire's shot. - Oh, yeah. Yeah, I know.

But you know what I discovered? You really only need three, don't ya?

Yeah, I made it all the way from Fairfield on three, no problem.

Oh, God.

- Ow. - So, you, uh-you okay?

Yeah, no, no. I-

I mean, " the world breaks everyone...

and, uh, afterward many are stronger at the broken places."

- Hemingway, right? - Yeah.

Yeah, originally. But, um, you'll hear my dad say it a lot.

Come here. I just wanna show you something.

Just take a second.

So let's say you're strolling down the street. Now, which business do you notice?

Yours...

or mine?

Well, it depends if you're looking for a bottle of wine or a limo tour of the city.

Well, maybe so.

But Pierre Tari seeks out my business, not yours.

Promotion, Stevie boy.

That's the key to any successful business venture.

- Promotion. - Pierre Tari?

- Yes. - Secretary general...

of the Association des Grandes Crus Classés?

Yes again.

Maurice, I have an idea.

- You sure he's in there? - Absolutely.

Every Tuesday. My guy, Yves Magnon, used to drive him.

I see him.

¿Mr Tari?

Hello.

We met at dinner of the New Federation...

the other night.

Ah. Uh-

Sorry, I don't remember you.

Look.

The poor and reviled...

St. Estèphe Cos D'Estournel del 59...

neglected by negligible acidity...

and low fiber.

I hear you.

I predict that aging...

will prove his critics were wrong.

So, ¿I am accused of having open it...

15 years too early?

20 would be better.

Do you like vintage.

I prefer them young.

¿I can sit with you for a moment?

No.

Well?

- Done. - Wow.

- He agreed, huh? - He had a couple of stipulations.

- Like what? - First, I have to come up with 500 francs by Tuesday.

You mean you have to pay him?

I will be making a charitable contribution to the federation.

Ah. Hey, maybe it'll get you a better table at their next dinner.

- Blind tasting, huh? - Yeah.

Sends out a message of impartiality.

I don't think Tari and the other judges need to see a label to tell the difference...

between a Mouton Rothschild and a California twist-top red.

If the French lose, they might bring back the guillotine.

Every great entrepreneurial inspiration has its risks.

What about publicity, huh? Hey, I know this guy, George.

He's a great writer. He was even published in TIME magazine.

Huh. The well-known wine journal.

It's too American. Too up itself. We need to involve the real news outlets.

- You mean the French outlets. - Maurice, this is a sophisticated story.

It will lend itself to sophisticated publications...

that appeal to a sophisticated readership.

I'll call George.

Wow. Would you look at that? There must be over 500 words there.

This article's all about women's fashion accessories.

Maurice, this doesn't even credit George Taber.

It's because George is a ghostwriter.

And how do you substantiate the work of a ghost?

- Has George ever written about wine? - He's an oenophile.

That'll be a no then.

Complex and a bit woolly.

I think it's a seducer.

I'm going to California to try and find some respectable competition.

The wines will have to arrive a month or so early so they'll have time to recover.

Are you saying that wine gets jet lag?

No. It gets what is commonly referred to as "bottle shock."

Which might, of course, improve it.

So this is it.

Uh, grocery store. Old bank.

Nice.

- This is Gustavo. - Gustavo.

Hey, hey, boy.

Chico.

Check my back. Make sure it's clear, will ya?

Yeah, you. Come on. Check my back. Make sure it's clear, will ya?

Stop, stop.

Oh, shit.

Apologize. You should have said "please."

- Let go of my antenna. - You didn't say please because you assume that I serve you.

- If you put a crinkle in that- - Because you are a racist.

- Who do you think you are, Cesar Chavez? - I am Gustavo Brambila!

- Should we run? - Yes.

Hey. Hey. Hey, man, my friend doesn't wanna fight, all right?

But he also doesn't wanna be addressed with disparaging colloquial expressions...

that imply some sort of genetic or cultural inferiority...

or that are simply used out of some form of inappropriate ethnocentrism.

That was a good shot.