I still don’t like Pinot Noir, but I’ve resigned myself to it being the current hot craze, alas, as further inflamed by movie references.
he pinot noir repartee between Paul Giamatti’s and Virginia Madsen’s characters in the movie “Sideways” has helped spur dizzying sales of the red wine during a lingering U.S. glut, wine experts say.
U.S. consumers are salivating over the scene in which Giamatti’s “Miles”, a neurotic, failing author, evangelises pinot’s subtle delicacy to Madsen’s “Maya” in an attempt to wow her with his wine knowledge.
“People come in and immediately say, ‘Where’s the pinot noir?'” said Steve Villani, manager of Columbus Circle Liquors in Manhattan. “After a while, we began to ask them if they saw the movie, and they laugh out loud and say, ‘yes.'”
As the Oscar-nominated film generated a buzz through the holidays, U.S. consumers bought 22 percent more pinot noir in the four weeks ending January 15 than the year before, ACNielsen data show. The big winner is Constellation Brands’s Blackstone Pinot Noir from California, with year-over-year sales jumping 147 percent in the 12 weeks after the film hit cinemas on October 22.
(I do have a desire to see the movie, though, regardless.)
I think I must be the only person in the country who didn’t particularly like this movie. I saw it on Christmas day, and found it depressing, the characters shallow and unappealing. I suppose that means that the performances were good, since I suspect the personalities of the characters were *supposed* to be unappealing.
I’m the exception, from what I can tell, though, so don’t mind me.
Nothing like a good Merlot.
I’m a Zin man, myself, though a fine Cab is faboo, too.