As we don’t know how long we will have to stay at home, you may choose to curl up with a book, tidy up the pile of papers on your desk, rearrange your garage, enjoy your time in your garden or cook something different. I’ve done all of those- tick!

Now, it’s time to have a glass of wine, get comfy on the sofa and watch my Top 5 Wine Documentaries…

Somm 2: Into the bottle (2015)

I can recommend this series of 3 movies directed by Jason Wise. The first movie followed several top sommeliers in the USA working to achieve the diploma of Master Sommelier. “In the second movie, I wanted to show why these people are obsessed,” says Jason.

In this third film, the focus is on the story of wine around the world and how it is made. It covers ten different chapters using ten different wines that are opened throughout the film. The chapters include: The Winemaker, The Vintage, The History, The Wars, The New World, The Cost, The Barrels, The Point Scores, The Sommelier, and The Memory.

Sour Grapes (2016)

Based on a true story of one of the most famous wine scandals, this is a documentary about counterfeit crime at fine and rare wine auction markets by Rudy Kurniawan in 2014.

Available on Amazon Prime, Netflix and I Tunes.

A Year in Burgundy (2013)

One of the great documentaries about Burgundy vineyards. The film follows seven wine-making families (Lalou Bize Leroy, Arnaud Mortet, Martine Saunier Bruno Chevalier) in the Burgundy region of France throughout a year.

Mondovino (2004)

Jonathan Nossiter was the pioneer producer of wine documentaries. Even after 16 years, his work is still relevant to current topics now. The film focuses on how globalisation is affecting international wine producing regions and how wine personalities such as Robert Parker and Michel Rolland contribute. It explores how small, single estate wineries with individual character are pitted against multi national wine producers. It was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and a César Award. Also available on DVD.

 Decanted (2017)

A lovely journey around the Napa Valley (California) vineyards. A great story about some good wineries with winemaker interviews. Available on Amazon Prime and DVD.

In the next few days I will watch Red Obsession, recommended to me by a fellow UK sommelier. An update will follow.

Written by Lionel Periner