Wine mockumentary released

July 21, 2009
Oliver Styles

A new film that ridicules the world of wine is set to be shown in San Francisco next month after receiving positive reviews from previous screenings.

The film, called 'Corked!', is a low-budget spoof documentary, or 'mockumentary', which follows the travails of four different wineries and the people associated with them.

Characters in the film include Jerry, the independent winemaker ('eventually, I'll be the hospitality host – if I ever get a tasting room'), the marketing boss ('I certainly don't have to drink wine to sell wine'), Donald, the PR director of a large winery ('this is our provincial Italian courtyard - many people feel it evokes Tuscany...I like to think of it as a French chateau') and Dane, a vineyard manager with a 120dB bird scarer.

Locations for the film include Simi winery, Bella vineyard, and the Michel-Schlumberger estate.

The film was premiered at the Cannes film festival in France in May and, despite its low budget, reviews have been positive.

'It's likely to tantalize the funny-bones of all of us who have endured wine-connoisseur talk...hilarious and smart, it never falls flat, only occasionally bursting its bubble of documentary plausibility... many viewers are not going to realize it's a fictional entertainment,' said The Hollywood Reporter after seeing the film at Cannes.

The LA Times compared it to last year's Bottle Shock, saying it was, 'awkward in places, but tasty and easy enough to swallow, coming as they [Corked! and Bottle Shock] do from places of heightened truth.'

The makers of the film, Ross Clendenen and Paul Hawley, both have wine country experience. Hawley's family runs its own winery which was featured in the film, and Clendenen, although not related to top Santa Barbara producer Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, has had cellar experience.

Corked! was screened at the Sonoma Film Festival last month and will be shown in San Jose from 27-30 July and in Healdsburg in August. Although further screenings are planned for San Francisco, no dates have been announced.