Our favourite wine movies, including documentaries unveiling wine’s mysteries and beautifully shot fictional stories. Spend the night in with these great films. Travel across vineyards, tasting rooms, and the tipsy world with the best wine movies to teach you more and make you thirsty. If you are looking for some of the best movies about wine, there certainly is no shortage.
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Best of the best. Fiction and documentaries.
Sideways (2004)
“Its flavours… they’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and ancient on the planet.” That’s how Miles (Paul Giamatti) describes Pinot Noir in this on-the-road ode to life, friendship and uncorking the perfect bottle, filmed in Santa Barbara County. The film essentially defined wine tourism in the 2000s. In what has become the stuff of industry legend, the main character’s denigration of Merlot impacted sales of the varietal in the US and UK, but caused a surge of interest in Pinot Noir and drove an increase in overall wine consumption.
Watch it on YouTube, Rent or buy on Amazon Prime, Rent it on iTunes
Bottle Shock (2015)
Oozing connoisseurship and comedic timing, Alan Rickman portrays Stephen Spurrier, English wine merchant who set up the Judgment of Paris, the famed 1976 blind tasting that pit American wines against France’s best. This film is the (almost) true story of how California wine became the burgeoning industry it is today. It also chronicles a tumultuous father-son relationship that grows into trust.
Watch it on YouTube
A Good Year (2006)
Channeling rom-com aplomb, our very own (well, he’s New Zealand’s but we’ll take him) Oscar-winner Russell Crowe plays a cutthroat investment banker who inherits his uncle’s chateau in Provence. The lush, tranquil vineyards do not pair with his hard-driving life—or must he change his life to save it? An alluring café owner (Marion Cotillard) adds amour. If you like the movie make sure you read the ‘A Good Year‘ novel by English writer Peter Mayle as well. It’s very different from the movie, but both are great!
Rent or buy on Amazon Prime, Rent or buy on iTunes
The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)
After the fall of Mussolini, German forces occupy much of Italy. Meanwhile, a small winemaking town of Santa Vittoria learns of a Nazi plan to steal their wine, and organise to hide one million bottles in a cave. Such is the story of The Secret of Santa Vittoria, based on the best-selling novel of the same name. A minor classic of the time starring Anthony Quinn at the peak of his acting powers, it’s a gripping war-time flick of great charm and suspense, allegedly based on a true story. The film features fantastic shots of the sunny Italian countryside that will transport you without the plane ticket.
Watch on Amazon Prime
Uncorked (2020)
Filmed and set in Memphis, USA, Uncorked tells the story of young 20-something Elijah, (Mamoudou Athie) who feels torn between his dream of becoming a master sommelier and the expectation of his father, Louis, (Courtney B. Vance) that he’ll take over the family barbecue meat restaurant and business. A sweet feel-good debut film from writer-director Prentice Penny that features some cool tunes, interesting wines, and tasty food. The story is loosely based on the life of DLynn Proctor, from the movies Somm, Somm 2 and Somm 3 (also on the list of wine movies to watch).
Watch it on Netflix
Somm: Into The Bottle (2015)
An untraditional sequel to Somm movie that is more of a spiritual continuation than a direct follow-up, this documentary provides viewers with intimate access to the insights of some of the most acclaimed sommeliers around the globe. It covers the history of wine in ten stories, told by some of our favourite people in the wine business. If you want to watch it then make sure you watch Somm and Somm 3 as well. And yes, that’s the DLynn Proctor on the screenshot.
Watch it on Amazon Prime
Sour Grapes (2016)
A shocking yet highly entertaining account of a multi-million dollar scandal in the upper echelons of the wine investment world, Sour Grapes tells the story of how Rudy Kurniawan caused a stir by buying rare bottles at auction at staggering prices, ingratiated his way into the company of the top players in wine, then began selling his stock for a vast profit before a savvy French wine producer, Laurent Ponsot, began to raise questions about the provenance of what was actually being sold. Ponsot’s prying revealed a counterfeiting operation dazzling in its audaciousness. Especially compelling viewing.
Watch it on Netflix
You Will be My Son (2011)
A despotic vineyard owner in Saint-Émilion scorns his unassuming son, doubting his ability to take over the business. Instead, he favors his son’s charismatic childhood friend, and family tensions build (French with English subtitles).
Watch it on YouTube
Red Obsession (2013)
For centuries, Bordeaux has assumed a mythical status in the world of fine wine as a leitmotif of wealth, power and influence, but its prosperity has always been linked to the capricious nature of markets and the shifting fortunes of global economies. Now change is coming to Bordeaux, with traditional customers like the US and the UK falling away, as China’s new rich push prices to stratospheric levels. The demand is unprecedented, but the product is finite and this new client wants it all. Will the China market be the bubble that never bursts or the biggest threat yet to Bordeaux’s centuries old reputation? This Australian documentary film is narrated by Russell Crowe and takes us through the background of the wine-producing capital of the world, its history, its dependence on capricious elements (like the weather, the global economy), and the challenges facing the area due to rising prices and crumbling markets.
Watch it on YouTube
Wine Reflections (2020)
A French policeman, a wine grower from Georgia, a couple of young actors in London, an Italian priest. Four stories of change in people through the prism of a drink that accompanies human passions for 8000 years. (French, Georgian and Italian with English subtitles)
Cinema of Wine
A Heavenly Vintage (AKA The Vintner’s Luck) (2009)
This is a tale of a 19th-century French peasant, Sobran Jodeau, who longs to make great wine. In his quest, he’s inspired by his beautiful wife and a proud baroness, as well as Xas, a male angel who tempts with tantalising secrets. It is based on the novel of the same title, written by New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox.
Watch it on YouTube
A Walk In The Clouds (1995)
“My family has a vineyard in Napa,” a beautiful, unmarried—and pregnant—woman tells a soldier (Keanu Reeves) returning home from World War II. He offers to pose as her husband, but soon falls in love with her, except her tyrannical father blocks their happiness.
Rent or buy on Amazon Prime
Autumn Tale (AKA A Tale of Autumn) (1998)
Magali, 45, is a wine producer in the south of France. She’s a widow, and her best friend, Isabelle, decides to find her a new husband. She puts an ad in the local newspaper and finds a nice man, Gérald. At Isabelle’s daughter’s wedding, Magali eventually meets Gérald. But there’s another man around, Etienne…
Back To Burgundy (2017)
Three siblings reunite at their home in picturesque Burgundy to save the family vineyard in this tender tale of a new generation finding its own unique blend from acclaimed director Cédric Klapisch (L’Auberge Espagnole). Jean (Pio Marmai), the black sheep of the family, unexpectedly returns home from a decade abroad to reconnect with his hospitalised father. He’s welcomed by his strong-willed sister, Juliette (Ana Girardot), who took over the reins of the vineyard after their father fell ill, and Jeremie (Francois Civil), the youngest of the three who has recently married into one of the region’s more prestigious wine families. Their father passes shortly after Jean’s return, leaving them with the estate and a looming inheritance tax of half a million dollars. As four seasons and two harvests go by, Jean, Juliette, and Jeremie have to learn to reinvent their relationship and trust in each other as they work to preserve the land that ties them together.
Watch it on Amazon Prime, Watch it on YouTube
Cement Suitcase (2013)
Franklin, the best wine salesman in the Yakima Valley, hates his life. His girlfriend is cheating on him, and he doesn’t even have the self-respect to tell her that he knows. When he meets the “other guy”, who turns out to be a terrific person, he decides it’s time to let go of some baggage.
This Earth is Mine (1959)
In 1931, Elizabeth Rambeau comes from England to live in California with her aunt and uncle of a winemaking dynasty, who are still wealthy despite 12 years of Prohibition. Object: marriage to the heir of another vineyard, to further consolidate holdings in the Valley. But John Rambeau, Elizabeth’s illegitimate cousin, has other ideas about who she should marry, and sharply opposes patriarch Philippe’s refusal to sell wine grapes to bootleggers. John’s activities bring soap opera to the Rambeau family and violence to the valley.
Wine Country (2019)
In honour of Rebecca’s 50th birthday, Abby plans a scenic Napa getaway with their best, longtime friends. Workaholic Catherine, post-op Val, homebody Jenny, and weary mom Naomi are equally sold on the chance to relax and reconnect. Yet as the alcohol flows, real world uncertainties intrude on the punchlines and gossip, and the women begin questioning their friendships and futures.
Watch it on Netflix
Year Of The Comet (1992)
Instead of vineyards, the setting is the Scottish Highlands for this caper, in which a prim young woman uncovers the most expensive bottle of wine in the world. Can she and her boorish bodyguard fend off thieves and the temptations of unlikely love?
Saint Amour (2016)
The story of a father and a son, farmers, whose relationships are conflictual. In an attempt to forge a new complicity, they go on the wine trail, with a Parisian taxi, crossed at the exit of the Agricultural Fair. (French with English subtitles)
Drops of God (2023)
“Drops of God” is set in the world of gastronomy and fine wines. Frenchman Alexandre Léger, creator of the famous Léger Wine Guide and emblematic figure in oenology, has just passed away at his home in Tokyo at the age of 60. He leaves behind a daughter, Camille (Fleur Geffrier), who lives in Paris and hasn’t seen her father since her parents separated when she was nine years old. When Camille flies to Tokyo and Léger’s will is read, she discovers that her father has left her an extraordinary wine collection — the greatest collection in the world according to the experts. But, to claim the inheritance, Camille must compete with a brilliant young oenologist, Issei Tomine (Tomohisa Yamashita). Biological daughter versus spiritual son: the duel is about to begin. There are three tests to break the tie, all related to wine tasting. The winner will take ownership of Léger’s empire, the loser will leave empty handed. But how could Camille win such a duel? She knows nothing about wine, and worse: she has never drunk a single drop.
Watch it on Apple TV+
Documentaries
A Year In Burgundy (2013)
The winemaking process is chronicled throughout a whole year in this documentary, which examines the work of several winemakers in the celebrated French wine region of Burgundy.
Watch it on Amazon Prime, Rent or buy on iTunes
A Year In Champagne (2014)
Part of a documentary trilogy by the director David Kennard (that also includes A Year in Burgundy and A Year in Port), this film documents how the world’s favourite bubbly beverage, Champagne, is created through a year.
Watch it on Amazon Prime, Rent or buy on iTunes
A Year in Port (2016)
With renowned wine importer Martine Saunier as our guide, we journey into Portugal’s spectacular Douro Valley to explore the mystery and complexity of the world of port.
Watch it on Amazon Prime, Rent or buy on iTunes
Barolo Boys. The Story of a Revolution (2014)
The story of a group of friends, the “rebel boys” who made Barolo become the best wine in the world, filmed in the marvellous scenery of Langhe hills, Italy. For the first time on the big screen, the film tells the fascinating story of one on the world’s most famous wines and how it exploded as a world phenomenon.
Watch it on YouTube
Blood Into Wine (2010)
Take a look inside the life of one of Rock music’s most mysterious and interesting figures. With winemaking in his blood, multiplatinum recording artist Maynard James Keenan sets out to bring notariety to Arizona’s burgeoning wine regions.
Watch it on Amazon Prime
Boom Varietal (2011)
An engaging documentary about the explosive popularity of Argentine Malbec, this film also spells out how wine has become a force in South American pop culture. Beautifully shot and with an original music score, Boom Varietal will unlock your understanding of Argentina’s great Malbec.
Watch it on Amazon Prime
Decanted. (2016)
Look inside one of the most intimate wine-growing regions in the world, Napa Valley, as we follow the journey of new beginnings and mastering a craft. Seen through the eyes of elite Napa Valley winemakers and pacesetters that share a passion for their craft in this small but highly revered wine region.
Rent or buy on Amazon Prime
Langhe Doc. Stories of Heretics in the Italy of Warehouses (2013)
This true story follows three Italian winemakers and chefs who are attempting to stop the industrialization of their beloved hometown of Langhe.
Rent or buy on Amazon Prime
Merlove (2008)
Merlot, once deemed unsophisticated by the wine elite, has come to prominence over the past decade. This docu movie is a great guide to the difference between wine varieties, and gives an insightful look into the inner workings of the industry.
Mondovino (2004)
Wine is now a worldwide obsession, and this documentary explores how globalization and international capitalism is affecting the art and craft of wine.
Watch it on Amazon Prime, Buy it online
Plonk (2015)
Sponsored in part by Wine Selectors, Destination NSW and the South Australia Tourism Commission, Plonk is a light-hearted love letter to Australian wine. The series, made up of short and highly shareable episodes, follows three Australian larrikins as they journey through Australia’s great wine regions, poking gentle fun at themselves and at the sometimes-over-serious nature of wine culture. With guest appearances by Maggi Beer and interviews with the cream of this country’s wine makers, it’s a must-watch!
Watch it on YouTube
Somm (2013)
During nearly 40 years, only 260 professionals worldwide have passed the Master Sommelier exam, which is considered one of the crowning achievements of wine knowledge. This documentary follows four wine lovers as they swirl, sip and study for the test.
Watch it on Amazon Prime
Somm 3 (2018)
Three of the greatest legends in wine meet to drink the rarest bottles of their careers, while the best blind tasters of today gather to settle an age-old argument. The results could change the world of wine forever. If Bottle Shock covers the fictional version of the Judgement of Paris, Somm 3 covers the event’s fact: along with some of the people who were there.
Watch it on Amazon Prime
Wine Calling (2018)
This recent documentary follows some of France’s most exciting artisans as they champion a return to natural, organic winemaking, where minimal intervention is the order of the day. You’ll discover a wealth of interesting knowledge, as different domaine heads explain their diverse practices and approaches. Passionate and iconoclastic, it’s a great watch best enjoyed with some of Australia’s best organic wines, for that extra special bit of context.
Watch it on Amazon Prime, Watch it on YouTube, Rent or buy on iTunes
Wine for the Confused (2004)
Light-hearted and hilarious, this documentary (hosted by British comedian and Monty Python alumnus John Cleese) doubles as a brilliant introduction to the world of wine for beginners.
Honorable Mentions
The Vineyard (1989)
Dr. Elson Po is one of the world’s most famous wine growers. He has a magic potion which has kept him handsome and alive during the centuries. However, lately the magic which rejuvenates him seem to be less and less effective. As a side project he make movies and invites a group of young, aspiring actors to his private island for a party, believing that the young, handsome actress Jezebel can be his new source of life.
Rent or buy on Amazon Prime
Blood and Wine (1996)
A neo-noir thriller about a philandering husband and wine merchant (played by Jack Nicholson), Blood and Wine details the protagonist’s plan to steal a valuable diamond necklace from one of his clients.
Rent or buy on Amazon Prime
French Kiss (1995)
Kevin Kline plays the charismatic son of French winemakers in this ‘90s classic. A love story revolving around the ever-charming Meg Ryan, wine, and the romance of Paris blend into popcorn bliss.
Rent or buy on Amazon Prime
The Kids are Alright (2010)
While this quirky love story about a lesbian couple attempting to track down their adopted child’s biological father doesn’t directly center on wine, the alcoholic beverage features prominently in a supporting role, and many excellent bottles are explicitly mentioned in the script.
Watch it on YouTube