An enduring symbol of Western civilisation, culture and the good life, wine is appreciated for its complexities. Jonathan Nossiter’s Mondovino is a similar experience. This dynamic, insightful and frequently amusing look at the winemaking industry offers a revealing tour through a business that has ancient roots and is currently in a state of tremendous change.
Like many other traditional practices, viticulture has been confronted of late by that most wide-reaching contemporary phenomenon: globalisation. Corporate ownership of vineyards that were once family-held terroirs has become common. The opinion of a lone American wine criticcan sway the fates of entire grape-growing regions for years at a time. ‘Napa-isation’ of reds is so pervasive that long-established wineriessuddenly discover their products are unpalatable. Nossiter focuses his camera on dozens of wine-world personalities from around the globe, interviewing CEOs, vignerons, oenologists, importers and critics. From the garrulous to the taciturn, the power-broker to the poor labourer; we see this vast industry from diverse perspectives and the Dickensian cast of characters is just one of this film’s many pleasures. This is a fascinating portrait of egos at war with ideals; of moguls and dynasties struggling to rise to the apex of an industry, that is at once a vestige of ancient tradition and a revealing barometer of global economic change. The Ireland France Chamber of Commerce will host a reception following this screening of Mondovino.