About a wine movie "Love in the Vineyard" Premiers Crus

Written before

Towards the end of the year, a wave of movies have been released, most of which focus on "urban love". Swelled inside under the stimulation of "greasy chicken soup". There is a deep feeling of being "stuffed", and I just want to find an outlet to "empty out".

In my own little dictionary, "emptying out" means to find a quiet place, release all the "negative energy and junk information" absorbed, and then do something you like and be lazy , have fun, decorate with nutrients, put flowers~ I have been writing articles on the theme of Mr. Liquor·Comic Life for some time. Don’t know if the “spiritual flowers” ??we provided for your possibly boring weekend are still fine?

Weekends when the weather gets cooler are actually the best time to stay at home, close the curtains, find the most comfortable position, pour a glass of red wine, watch a movie, chat for a while, and kill an afternoon. .

Before you decide which movie to choose, if you happen to see this article and choose my recommendation. This should be my little blessing!

Recommended movie?: "Premiers Crus"

The Chinese translation of this movie is: "Love in the Vineyard". This is a French movie I accidentally discovered on the plane back to Beijing from Paris. It tells the story of the vineyards of Burgundy, France. “Premier Cru” refers to the first-class vineyards in Burgundy’s wine classification, and this movie revolves around a winery in Burgundy. Although the main story of the movie is not difficult, you still need to understand the cultural knowledge behind it. Let me take you through the cultural endorsement in the movie. Review this movie again, and you will definitely gain something new!

PS: Because the cultural endorsement of many plots in the movie will be mentioned, there is a risk of spoilers. There is high energy ahead, so please be prepared as needed.

Plot introduction

Domaine Maréchal (this is the name of a fictional winery) is a winery located in the village of Alxoe-Corton in the C?te de Beaune in Burgundy for more than 200 years. Historic family owned winery. It has 4 hectares of vineyards with very good terroir conditions, among which the Alxoe-Corton first-class vineyard (Permier Cru) was once the winery of which the winery was proud. However, the operation of the winery deteriorated due to the divorce of the stubborn owner Fran?ois Maréchal and his wife and the departure of his son Charlie Maréchal, until it was on the verge of bankruptcy and even faced the risk of being acquired by a large Japanese consortium or a neighboring winery. .

Since leaving home, the male protagonist Charlie Maréchal has relied on his own ability to become a well-known wine critic in the wine industry in Paris, living a very prosperous life. He initially ran away because he was unwilling to inherit the winery, but when the crisis came, in order to preserve the vineyards passed down from generation to generation, he decided to give up his prestigious life as a wine critic, became a winemaker, and began to take over the management of the winery. However, Charlie had many conflicts and disagreements with his father on issues such as how to reform the brewing method, and the dusty past gradually emerged.

Cultural endorsement

Plot clip: Charlie, who is brewing wine for the first time, boldly adopts the most original and natural method to brew wine. Horses are used to turn the soil, break the skin with feet, ferment in concrete tanks, and age in clay tanks, etc., in an effort to show the terroir of the vineyard. There is a plot in the movie: In order to wait until the grapes reached optimal ripeness before picking, Charlie twice drove away the harvest team brought by his father. The father and son had a huge quarrel! But in this constant conflict, the understanding between father and son deepened, and the resentment for many years was gradually resolved.

Horses plowing the soil

First, let’s explain why vineyards need to plow the soil. Plowing the vineyard to a depth of 15 to 20 centimeters can not only loosen the soil and increase soil oxygen content, but also increase ground temperature and promote germination. Deep plowing can increase soil porosity, increase soil moisture content, improve soil structure, promote microbial growth, facilitate root growth, promote the growth and development of above-ground parts and maintain a balance with the growth and development of underground roots, improve soil physical and chemical properties, and activate soil. Increasing the soil aggregate structure is an important cultivation technology for obtaining high-yield, high-quality, and efficient grapes. The use of horses to turn the soil is, on the one hand, a return to the traditional way of winemaking, and on the other hand, of course, it is also to reduce the impact of mechanized operations on the grapes. In fact, wine is also a very mysterious thing.

Treading on grapes

Trampling grapes to obtain the grape juice for fermentation is one of the oldest ways of pressing grape juice. Before the advent of mechanized pressing, this manual method was used - pressing with feet to produce mellow wine. Usually grape stepping is done by girls. Later it gradually evolved into a ceremony to celebrate the grape harvest.

Grape skins are used to extract tannins and pigments. Although grape seeds also contain tannins, there will be bitter oil if they are stepped on.

Foot pedaling can achieve gentle squeezing without crushing the grape seeds or trampling the grape skins into dry dregs. The grape juice obtained in this way has a better flavor and the wine produced will not have a bitter taste or damage to the wine. taste. Portugal said deeply: In the process, they discovered that the wine made by stepping on grapes is different.

Concrete Fermentation Tank

Constant temperature is the most important function of the concrete fermentation tank. It is like a natural insulator, completely cutting off the external environment and the interior. No matter what is inside, it can maintain a constant temperature. Its thermostatic properties create a stable fermentation environment, allowing S. cerevisiae to work naturally without temperature fluctuations.

All oak, whether it is French oak or American oak, will add certain elements to the wine to some extent, whether you want it or not; but the concrete fermentation tank is a unique An unbuttoned "neutral" container will not add additional "aroma" to the wine, but can instead present the most essential terroir.

Ceramic pot aging

The inspiration for this method of aging in clay pots comes from the Georgian precedent of fermenting white wine and grape skins together. The pots are all handmade, so This was done to ensure the tank walls were thin enough to increase air exchange and to use raw, untreated clay. Clay pots are neutral and have no smell, but are more porous than wood. The hero in the movie does this to make the wine more rounded but to maintain the characteristics of the grape variety and terroir.

Plot clip: There is a scene where the father and son have a heart-to-heart talk about wine. The son drinks 1966 Romanée Conti for his father (this is the first year his father started making wine), which brings back many memories for him. . Although he hit a lot of snags while trying new methods, with the help of his winemaker brother-in-law Marco and Blanche Maubuisson, his childhood sweetheart at the neighboring winery (and competitor), Charlie got tips on the best time to pick grapes. Finally, the outstanding Alxoe-Corton Premier Cru was brewed, which restored the reputation and saved the winery.

Grape picking timing

Wines made from grapes picked early will have higher acidity, while wines made from grapes picked late will have higher sweetness. Whether grapes are suitable for picking is usually judged from the following aspects:

1. Sugar ripeness. The sugar content of the grapes determines the alcoholic strength and taste of the final wine.

2. Acidity. Testing to see if the acidity in the grapes has dropped low enough to produce a wine with balanced acidity.

In addition, we also need to look at the overall physiological maturity of the grapes (the color of the skin and seeds, the taste of the grapes, tannins, etc.). If the tannins are not acidic enough, the finished wine may have an unpleasant bitter taste.

In addition to scientific methods such as picking samples and sending them to the laboratory for sugar, acid and PH value analysis, to understand the overall maturity of grapes, it is best to use our old method for many years - Judge by the aroma and taste of the grapes. However, even if you pick grapes by hand in the vineyard, you still need to pay attention to methods and do it in an orderly manner. Because even if the fruits on the same vine are exposed to sunlight, whether they are covered by leaves, etc., the degree of ripeness of the grapes will be different.

The winemaker will rely on his tongue to taste the wine to determine whether it is ready for picking. According to Teacher Guo Yang, when the grapes are ready for picking and the grape seeds are crispy when bitten, it means that the grapes are fully mature and the harvest season can begin.

This film was released in 2015. The director Jerome Le Maire is also the screenwriter. The wine content is very professional and in place. However, the conflict between father and son and the conflict between the winery next door Love, hate, and resentment all make the plot of the film more fascinating and not boring at all. The casting is very true to life, similar to many French winemakers I've seen, and the performances are top-notch. I must also praise the film’s cinematographer, David Ungaro, for capturing the Burgundy vineyards beautifully.

Although the film uses wine as a clue, it is actually about people and family ties. In the Burgundy winemaking philosophy, the so-called terroir is the integration of the three elements of heaven, earth and people. Grape planting originally depends on the weather. The quality of the weather creates differences between years. There is no way for people to change this. The land is passed down from our ancestors. Only good land and good terroir can produce good wine. Only people are the biggest variable. A family-style winery that can be inherited and maintained for a long time depends largely on the maintenance of family ties.

Finally, I wish everyone a happy weekend watching movies~

Light academics, slow life; you are dedicated, I am professional. Drink GoodWineYou Will Be Fine.

Here we go, let’s drink together~