I have to confess that I’m not a fan of many wine themed films. There seems to be an inverse correlation between box office popularity and accuracy of actual wine information to be gleaned (e.g. Sideways, Bottle Shock). When our audience asks me for pleasurable recommendations I now mention two relatively new documentaries, both titled SOMM. I enjoyed both immensely for distinct reasons. The first edition focuses on the highly involved process towards becoming an official Sommelier. Yes, it’s sometimes a little heavy on ‘reality TV’ type melodrama but I believe any wine lover will enjoy learning about the process and knowledge necessary for this accreditation. The second edition, called “Somm: In the Bottle” is an even higher recommendation because the quality is superior (bigger budget I assume due to the success of #1) and it’s more informative about a wider range of topics. In fact, if you’re only going to watch one wine ‘educational’ film, I strongly encourage you to start with this documentary. It is very informative and offers the chance to meet some of the most renowned winemakers on earth, including the vigneron of the priciest wine sold today (Domaine de la Romanèe Conti in France). In particular, I enjoyed the “history” segment of this documentary and the outstanding cinematography.