The title “Bottle Shock,” like all good titles, is a play on words. On the one hand, it refers to a phenomenon that viniculturists have debated for years; some believe that long-distance travel can alter the taste of wine, possibly as the result of an oxidation process. On the other hand, it refers to the shocking 1976 wine-tasting contest between French and Napa Valley, California wineries. You may have heard a great deal about this contest. Then again, maybe you haven’t, so I won’t reveal which side won. It’s probably better if you don’t know anyway, since half the fun of this movie is anticipating the climactic contest. Everything building up to it makes for a charming, witty, and at times highly emotional story, not at all unlike a well-made sports movie. In this case, the underdogs are California wine-makers, who at one time were not taken seriously; no one, especially the French, believed that the Americans were capable of producing anything other than Thunderbird.

In the film, one of these skeptics is Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), a British connoisseur operating a failing wine academy in Paris. One fateful day, his sole customer--an American travel agent named Maurice (Dennis Farina)--lets him in on a little secret: insider reports say that wines produced in Napa Valley are rivaling the best French wines. Intrigued, Spurrier travels to California and begins touring the various wineries. If the wines are as good as they claim to be, he hopes to bring them back to France and organize a blind taste test. He soon finds himself at the Chateau Montenela, a struggling Napa Valley winery owned by Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman). Stubborn vintner that he is, Barrett is convinced that Spurrier isn’t actually interested in California wines; he only wants to make the United States look foolish in a predetermined contest. It’s true that Spurrier is a bit of a snob. At one point, he says that he’s not a jerk: “It’s just that I’m British and ... you’re not.” Be that as it may, his discerning palate is quickly adapting to Napa Valley wines, which he feels are of a very high quality.

If this were the full extent of the story, “Bottle Shock” probably wouldn’t be any better or worse than the average contest film. Fortunately, a couple of interwoven subplots make the film much more interesting, not only because they add appropriate touches of human drama, but also because they balance the story. One focuses on the relationship between Barrett and his son, Bo (Chris Pine), a twenty-something slacker who has quit school and has absolutely no ambition. He doesn’t seem to realize how much his father is suffering, mostly due to financial problems and the fact that he won’t let anyone help him; he would rather fail on his own than succeed with assistance. Judging by his reaction to Spurrier, Barrett is also bitter and distrustful, probably because of his failed marriage. Bo thinks his father is just pigheaded, which is probably why he escapes the winery as often as he can. The two regularly vent their frustrations in a makeshift outdoor boxing ring, and while I’m not sure anything was solved that way, at least I recognized the symbolism of father/son relationships.

The other subplot focuses on the relationship between Bo, his friend, Gustavo (Freddy Rodríguez), and Sam (Rachael Taylor), Barrett’s kindly, perceptive new intern. While the implications of a love triangle are obvious, it’s difficult to say whether or not there actually is one. Bo definitely pines for Sam’s attention, and by the end of the movie, we can see that he genuinely cares for her. But does that mean he’s falling in love with her? Maybe, but since he thinks more of her than the other women he’s slept with, it’s possible that he’s willing to take things slowly. Sam has intimate moments with both men, but that’s to be expected from someone so open hearted about how she feels.

At least she likes the wine produced by Gustavo and his father (Miguel Sandoval), and that leads me to yet another subplot, this one focusing on the tension between Gustavo and Barrett. Barrett has let Gustavo work on his vineyard for a while now, but lately, it seems Gustavo’s attention has been averted. The young vintner passionately pleads his case: to make great wine, you must have it in your blood; you must have the soil under your nails and the scent of grapes in the air you breathe. He doesn’t feel that Barrett would understand this since he wasn’t born or raised near a vineyard. Maybe Gustavo is right--Barrett can’t even make a chardonnay without it turning a sickly brown color.

So isn’t it a wonder that Bo arrives at the airport with two bottles of the stuff, just as Spurrier is about to leave for France with twenty-four other bottles of California wine? Probably not. The simple fact is that Barrett’s wine somehow had to make it into the wine-tasting contest, and what better way than to have it delivered just in time? Part of the appeal of “Bottle Shock” is that it doesn’t allow scenes like this to overshadow subtler moments, some of the best reserved for Alan Rickman. Example: when he gets his first taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken, we’re not sure if he’s savoring the food or getting ready to spit it out. It works as a counterpart to the film’s final shot, which may or may not be a clever display of vinicultural superiority. Another example: a slow-moving shot of gawking men cuts to Sam spraying a piece of equipment with a high-pressure hose. They’re fleeting moments, but at least they keep the story grounded. Had this movie just been about a wine-tasting contest, I doubt it would have been as enjoyable. Like a fine wine, “Bottle Shock” is developed, well rounded, and has a strong finish.

- Chris Pandolfi