A new, massively extended version of controversial wine documentary Mondovino is failing to re-ignite the global wine debate – because it's only available in Africa.
Mondovino: the Series is a ten-parter which promises a deeper investigation into the wine world, and more 'intimate and detailed' portraits of wine families such as the Mondavis and the Frescobaldis than in the original film, released in 2004.
The series has been taken on by the BBC but only for its Africa service. The film's distributors Celluloid Dreams said, 'BBC Prime is showing it in Africa. We are looking for a UK TV channel at the moment.'
They have so far been unable to secure distribution in any other country.
Director Jonathan Nossiter has had praise and opprobrium heaped on him in equal measure for his polemic on globalisation in the wine world.
Many feel that in his portraits of Michel Rolland, the de Montilles of Burgundy, the Frescobaldis, Mondavis and other great wine families he relies on sophisticated editing to get his point across.
Rolland in particular is singled out for demonisation. Using multiple replays of a single shot of the wine consultant laughing in his chauffeur-driven Mercedes, the director contrives to make him appear a malevolent presence.
Similarly, clever cutting canonises figures like Mas de Daumas Gassac's Aime Guibert, or turns the Staglins of Napa into cliches of insensitive Californians.
But while the film has offended many it has garnered high praise from both inside and outside the wine industry. French newspaper Liberation called it a 'passionate…sensational investigation into the globalization of winemaking'.
Time Out, Figaro and other key journals were equally enthusiastic. The main criticism has come from the US, where the film's simplistic message of 'small is beautiful' offended more sensibilities than in Europe.
Nossiter himself has proven less than impervious to criticism. Last year, in a posting on erobertparker.com, he rounded on critics of what he describes as 'a high-spirited humanist expression of love.'
In particular he accused Robert Parker's then partner Pierre-Antoine Rovani of being a Mussolini apologist, indirectly fascist and anti-semitic, 'monolithic and unscrupulously self-serving' after he voiced a negative opinion.
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"Clever" cutting or not, all those wine people actually did say all those things, like it or not and to their regret or not. And, in my recollection, there was no repetitive use of the same clip of Rolland laughing in his car, which, by the way, is not a limo, as many have charged, but actually a modest Mercedes with a driver. JK, New York
What's fascinating is how the wine world has changed since the film was made. The “malevolent” globalizing Mondavi's have been consumed by an even larger player. Aime Guibert is no small time producer, but a wealthy man who developed a brand name for his wine and segmented that into various wine labels to capture more sales. His bias shows when questioned about his opposition to Mondavi but not to a Bernard Magrez/Gerard Depardieu lead invasion of his department. Aren't the French developing their own brands (Chamarré, Premius) to meet consumer demands for clearly labeled, widely available, approachable wines? JK Asheville, NC, USA
I just wanted to point out that Mondovino the Series is distributed as of today in France. It is thus likely to spark more comments than if it were indeed solely distributed in Africa, as many French personalities are featured and the global wine industry v terroir debate is still very much a part of the series. As the film is in its original version with French subtitles, I presume it will be distributed in other countries. Congratulations on the overall quality of your reporting - you're often the first place we read breaking news. Sharon Nagel, Montpelier, France
Nossiter's cut is a borderline alarmist cry. Simplistic and biassed, he leaves little space for an intelligent debate. Things are either black or white. The demonization of Parker and Rolland are proof of bad taste and a lack of elegance that goes for the populist appeal. The positive point is that his fundamentalistic view creates a passionate, antagonic and democratic motion that empowers the basic consumer with a voice against the arrogant and hardly accessible rhetoric of the World of Wine. Paulo Prado, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I refer to the previous comment made on the Decanter website concerning the BBC releasing the above series for 'Africa' only. BBC Food are currently showing the complete series on Sundays and Mondays (2 episodes a week) in the Middle East (and I would think Asia as well). Ian Reynolds, Dubai, UAE
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"Clever" cutting or not, all those wine people actually did say all those things, like it or not and to their regret or not. And, in my recollection, there was no repetitive use of the same clip of Rolland laughing in his car, which, by the way, is not a limo, as many have charged, but actually a modest Mercedes with a driver. JK, New York
