I
found the film, Blood into Wine, to
be an incredibly informative film that opened my eyes to all the moving parts
that go into wine making. Even though it was more of a documentary than a film
the “main character”, so to speak, made the wine making process come to life.
Maynard, the rock star turned winemaker takes the film crew through the entire
wine making process, from the purchase of the land to the first bottle. The
film revolves around the town of Jerome, Arizona, and begins with a brief
history lesson of the area. As with all wine making, climate is one of the most
important factors.
When
someone thinks wine, they very rarely think Arizona. Maynard saw the
possibility to make wine on a hillside in Jerome, Arizona and ran with it. The
valley below used to be an ancient lakebed but is now dried up. The soil has a
volcanic aspect to it, which does not necessarily bring to mind ideal grape
growing conditions. Yet Jerome, got just enough rain, but not too much, and got
warm enough, but not too warm, and had all the right climate features to give
growing grapes a shot. Throughout the film, which was shot on location in
Arizona, the soil and environment of the region are shown constantly and in a
way, it vaguely reminded me of the rocky, dry vineyards I visited in Greece a
couple summers back. Most people do think of Greece as a wine superpower like
Italy, but they still grow their grapes and make good wine. I think the same
can be said for Arizona after watching this film. It might not be know for its
wine, but they’re growing grapes and making good wine there. I feel like this
was a central theme of the movie. The film was made to prove to people that
they should not be afraid to experiment and try wine outside of their usual
palate.
Another
one of the central themes of the film was the breaking down of wine boundaries.
Maynard and his crew in Arizona were trying something that had never been done
before. In the first few weeks of class this semester, we talked about how wine
is literally being grown everywhere now and there is no stopping its expansion
(which is a great thing). I think the film serves an inspirational purpose for
aspiring wine makers out there. Who knows, maybe after watching Blood into Wine, some up and coming wine
maker will break into the big leagues and start growing grapes where no one has
grown before. And if those hopeful winemakers out there need some help
determining where to start, this film is the perfect place.
Blood into Wine does an excellent job
going in-depth into the wine making process and shows specific examples of the
varying phases of wine production. In mid-1990 Maynard came to Jerome and
decided that he wanted to begin to grow grapes in the area. Eventually he
settled on some land near a river in the area and purchased the land for
$35,000 per acre. Each acre produces about 3 tons of fruit per year but not
immediately. It took years for Maynard to grow enough grapes and get the right
equipment necessary to begin production, and his first bottle was not produced
until April 10, 2009. The film takes the viewer through the entire process. It
begins in the pruning in late winter and early spring where the crew sets up
the vineyard for the next growing season. Next is the planting season in late spring followed by the
harvesting in late summer and early fall. One thing I found particularly interesting
was the fact that grapes use 1/8 of the water that a house on that same piece
of property would use. I had always assumed that grapes, like many other
agricultural products required substantial irrigation, but in reality the grape
roots go so deep they find their own water naturally, especially if
conveniently located near a body of water like Maynard’s vineyard, “Caduceus”. Following
the harvesting came the processing, where yeast was added to being
fermentation. Once the sediment settled after the 2nd fermentation,
he moved the wine to steel barrels. The last step depicted in the film was the
bottling phase. Maynard and his wine makers believed that blending is the art
of winemaking and that anyone could make good wine from the same grape, but not
everyone can make great blended wines. Maynard’s wines were all blended reds
and he even produced a bottle called “Primer Paso” which blended white and red.
In
conclusion, I honestly enjoyed the film a lot. I thought it was a very
entertaining way to depict the wine making process and get a real look into
everything that happens before the bottle is put on a shelf somewhere. I would definitely
recommend Blood into Wine to a wine
audience. I think it would enhance a true wine drinker’s appreciation for wine
and give greater meaning to the words written on the bottle.
