The subject and object of obsession, of this full-bodied documentary is Bordeaux – the French wine, Chateaux and region. (See trailer here) Initially, Red Obsession presents a variety of wine experts and vineyard owners, such as Francis Ford Coppola, who passionately expound on the culture, traditions and vintages of Bordeaux.
In the second half, narrator Russell Crowe reveals a startling new and voracious appetite for the wine as an emblem of luxury.
In 1855, Napoleon ordered the classification of Bordeaux wines. Today, bottles from the grand chateaux of Lafite, Margaux, Latour, etc. are not only status symbols, but have become highly prized investment commodities.
The Bordeaux vintners present their wines, before bottling, at the annual En Premier event, where wine critics score the years production. Miraculous, both 2009 & 2010 marked perfect vintages. The last production year to receive such acclaim was 1982.
At the 2010 En Premier, the worlds most influential wine critic, Robert Parker, awarded 100s to nine Chateaux. One such appellation, LEglise Clinet, was priced at $5,800 for a case of 12 for their perfect vintage in the year prior, 2009.
During this two-year period, the phenomenal price escalation of Bordeaux wines made them too expensive to drink. The US, with its depressed economy, was priced out of the market. However, when one superpower decays, there is an emerging superpower ready to pick up the slack – China.
Eager to emulate Western cultures sophistication, both Hong Kong’s and mainland China’s Nouveau Riche snapped up cases of Lafite from auction sales.
However, for the country’s 600 millionaires, their red obsession became insatiable. Next, Chinese wine connoisseurs were buying French chateaux. Some transplanted the palatial estates to China, while others planted terroir and established award-winning vineyards in West Chinas Gobi desert.
How long would the passion for Bordeaux endure? Only the next year’s vintage would come to tell.
Red Obsession premiered at the 63rd Berlinale in the Culinary Cinema programme, on February 13th, at the palatial Martin-Gropius-Bau building. Following the debut screening, Michelin-Star chefs Nils Henkel, Michael Hoffmann, Kolja Kleeberg, Hendrik Otto and Tim Raue each served a meal inspired by the film in the elegant Gropius Mirror Spiegelzelt restaurant (Martin-Gropius-Bau).
Red Obsession screens at O Cinema Wynwood, in Miami’s Art District, through September 11th.
Written & directed by Warwick Ross & David Roach, Red Obsession is narrated by Russell Crowe, and features Robert Parker and Francis Ford Coppola.
Running Time: 76 mins./Language: English and Chinese, with English subtitles.