Young Winos of LA

Jordan and I recently had the opportunity to interview the director Randall Miller about his new movie Bottle Shock, which the Winos are screening on Thursday night at the Landmark Theatres (discounted tickets are available until tomorrow — click here). The movie tells the story of the Napa winemakers whose entries shocked the wine world at the infamous “Judgement of Paris” in 1976. We spoke to Miller about his feelings towards wine, the process of recreating 1970’s Napa, and the challenges involved of making a wine movie appealing to young audiences.

Miller with his wife and co-writer/producer, Jody Savin.

YW: This is the story of a wine event that took place a quarter-century ago, and that most Americans have never even heard of. Would this film have been possible five or ten years ago, or do you sense an increased enthusiasm for wine in popular culture that allows a film like this to be made?

RM: To some degree, yes, but the story is still what’s most important. My wife and I are independent producers, and we have a knack for putting indies together. We love great stories. When we heard the story, and when we went up to Chateau Montelena and talked to Bo Barrett, we just thought, “we have to make this.” (more…)

In our first-ever foray into the turbulent world of “wine tasting/film screening” hybrids, the Young Winos of LA are proud to present Bottle Shock, 9:00 this Thursday evening, at the beautiful Landmark Theaters in West LA. The event will feature a wine tasting in the Landmark’s own wine bar, including a meet-and-greet with writer/director Randall Miller, followed by a screening of the film (and a director’s Q&A afterwards).

Best of all, members of the Young Winos of LA receive a 20% discount off the event’s $25 price tag. The tasting and meet-and-greet start at 9pm, followed by the film at 10:15, and your Wino-discount $20 ticket price covers admission to the full flight of events — including a tasting of five wines specially picked by Jordan and Jesse for this evening (additional drinks and food may be purchased á la carte from the wine bar).

Click here to purchase your tickets! The discounted rate is only good until Wednesday night, so act fast. We look forward to seeing a bunch of you there.

Winos,

What could possibly be more exciting, you ask, than a super awesome tasting of eight delicious and well-reviewed Spanish reds that have been pre-selected and pre-bought so that all you have to bring is ten bucks?  How about a super awesome blind tasting of eight delicious and well-reviewed Spanish reds that have been pre-selected and pre-bought so that all you have to bring is ten bucks? (more…)

The blind tasting is always an interesting animal, and often somehow more honest, since you truly go in there without any preconceptions. The Winos’ only prior knowledge was that the bottles in question were all reds from Spain, and that they all cost less than $20. Other than that, though, we had to count on our keen senses of perception to carry the day and discover the winners… and discover the winners we did! Here’s the lineup from our latest brown-bag event.

Wine #1 was ruby red in the glass. Andrew said it smelled like a Zin: fruit-forward and Jammy. Newbie Jonathan thought it smelled more like a Syrah, and Randy picked up some plum notes. Noah said it was earthy, and pegged it early as a Tempranillo. Some heat on the nose (as well as some fruit: Jordan got orange zest, and Jonathan got apple) beckoned us into the pal. (more…)