Bottle Shock (2008)

Nothing motivates an underdog quite like being told they don't belong at the table. Randall Miller's "Bottle Shock" takes its title from a term for what can happen to wine when it's shipped from place to place, and it tells the true story of the 1976 showdown between California's wineries and the reigning French vintners. In Napa Valley, former attorney Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) has spent years struggling to make a go of Chateau Montelena. He runs it with his restless son, Bo (Chris Pine), who'd rather do just about anything than work alongside his stern, demanding father. Also on hand are winemaker Gustavo (Freddy Rodríguez) and intern Sam (Rachael Taylor), both passionate about crafting the perfect chardonnay, and naturally, Bo and Gustavo end up competing for Sam's attention - the least interesting part of the story. Meanwhile, in Paris, British wine merchant Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) is struggling to keep his shop afloat, with his only regular customer a penny-pinching American (Dennis Farina). Hoping to drum up business, Spurrier dreams up a blind-tasting competition, confident that his beloved French wines will put the upstart Americans in their place. He flies to Napa to scout contenders and talks the Barretts into entering. Co-written by Miller and his wife, Jody Savin, it invites comparisons to "Sideways," but it's more interested in history than in midlife angst. The event that became known as the "Judgment of Paris" transformed the wine world forever, and the filmmakers have found a lively, entertaining way to tell the tale.