Details from IMDB:
Original title: Somm
Four sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.
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Initial Thoughts:
This movie was recommended by Rob on Geekshow back in December, and last night I was in the mood to watch it. I have enjoyed wine for a long time (almost 30 years), but my knowledge was limited to what I learned just from my own purchases (and awful homemade stuff my uncle used to make), along with a little bit of knowledge from the movie “Sideways” (which you should also check out if you like Paul Giamatti). So I was also ready to learn more, and I have always enjoyed documentaries.
Main Points:
The movie follows four men as they prepare for their Master Sommelier exam. To put it in perspective, there are only 279 MS in the whole world! I enjoyed this movie. You learn about how incredibly complicated wine can be in terms of flavour profile, the region it comes from, how long it’s aged, how it’s made, stored, and the quality of the ingredients and what foods it should be paired with. It’s like one of the people interviewed said, buying wine is a gamble, and a sommelier helps you to make a good bet.
Clearly shown here is the extreme amount of work and dedication it takes to become a Master Sommelier (some would say obsession), and that even then, only 6 out of 50 people pass the test. I liked how they showed the great history of wine, and that to be an expert in it, you learn that history, along with geography and different languages. The movie shows its age sometimes; the film quality isn’t great, and there are some dated references, like Skype being mentioned, but perhaps that’s just part of its charm. I also enjoyed how they found different ways to knock over wine glasses and make them explode many times throughout the film (for no clear reason).
Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed this movie, but I found it focused too much on the four guys taking the test, with so much footage of them tasting wine, looking at flash cards (there’s another dated reference! Who uses them anymore?), and just fretting before the exam. There was also very little talk about wine pairings, which I think would have been a nice touch. There is some coarse language here, so I would say ages 16+. I enjoyed this and would give it 7.5 out of 10. I was pleased to see there are two more films in the series, and I may check them out sometime as well. I watched this for free on Tubi, where I believe the other two movies are as well.