Gérard Depardieu stars in new French wine film

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French actor Gérard Depardieu is the star of a wine film named Saint Amour and dubbed as France's answer to 'Sideways' and set for release in 2016.

Gérard Depardieu, who in 2014 was quoted as saying he could ‘absorb’ 14 bottles of wine in a day, plays one of the lead roles in French wine film Saint Amour.

See the trailer for Saint Amour above (in French only)

The film is set for release in March, in French, and also stars Belgian comedian and actor Benoît Poelvoorde. It was created by Gustave Kervern et Benoît Delépine.

In a plot similar to cult classic Sideways, Saint Amour centres on two men who leave behind the daily grind of life to tour wine regions – only this time, the venue is France, not California.

Depardieu plays Jean, the father of Bruno (Poelvoorde) and his hopeful that his son will take over the the family cattle farm. But, Bruno is much more interested in wine.

Cue an impromptu father-and-son bonding wine trip in a taxi through French vineyards. ‘I’ve never drunk so much wine,’ Poelvoorde told France’s BFMTV.

How well do you know your wine and film? Take the Decanter wine in films quiz here

The film’s planned release comes less than a year after Depardieu was reported as saying he wanted to sell all of his French wine assets. He has repeatedly criticised the French tax regime and he became a Russian citizen in 2013 after handing back his French passport.

Depardieu owns a vineyard in the Loire Valley, Château de Tigné, and also has joint ventures with Bernard Magrez, including La Croix de Peyrolie in Lussac St-Emilion and Le Bien Decidé in the Hérault, Languedoc.

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Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.