Mondovino Review

Mondovino
Nossiter delves into the world of vino production. It's not all stolling through the grounds of the chateaux and stepping on grapes...

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

10 Dec 2004

Running Time:

138 minutes

Certificate:

PG

Original Title:

Mondovino

From documentary-maker Jonathan Nossiter comes Mondovino, a full-bodied examination of the surprisingly cutthroat international wine industry. It might be less accessible than Fahrenheit 9/11 or Super Size Me, but Nossiter's film succeeds by broadening its remit to cover issues of class, exploitation, hypocrisy and corruption, as the great wine chateaux of Europe struggle to accommodate their newer, upstart rivals.

Nossiter relishes his subjects' idiosyncracies, giving them just enough rope to hang themselves and singling out the true characters, like the eccentric Hubert De Montille or make-or-break wine critic Robert Parker (not to mention his flatulent dog). But the jerky, MTV-style camerawork is at odds with the topic and begins to grate, while those unmoved by wine will find this a very dry tipple indeed.

Nossiter has chosen his eccentric subjects well, though the chosen shooting style will not to be everyone's taste.
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