Somm

I love wine. I like to think I know wine. But I also know I do not know all that much. There's too much to know. When I go to the places where these guys work, I trust them to help me get things right. That's what they do, its beautiful and it is absolutely an art.

These guys chasing the MS designation...THEY know a LOT about wines. More than any one else in the world. Seriously. They have to, just to be invited, even if they don't pass the test. Its brutal.

If you have sat for the Bar or the CFA or something similar, then the tale told here will ring very true. Its the same sort of obsessive all consuming effort required to get prepared.

The film gets very close to conveying what it takes and the methods used to even get to the testing table. And the Fraternity of the participants is absolutely one of the greatest messages that comes out. Its competitive but not in the 'I win you lose' sense. If you can raise yourself to the highest level of expertise in the world then you have a chance of passing. These guys are great.

There's a couple of slow moments but overall this keeps moving by portraying the toll on relationships and the character of all concerned.

Now I cannot judge whether a non-wine person would find it as emotionally immersive as someone that knows just what the hell they are talking about. The fluency and speed of interaction may all pass as a blur that gets boring after the tenth time, I dunno. But for me and the others in the theater, we were rooting for the contestants and making choices of winners and losers. Undoubtedly at some point I will look up at the Somm and it will be one of the guys in this movie.

If you want to know the outcome, you'll have to go cuz I ain't spoiling it here!

Double-blind tastings have as much relevance to real, hands- on restaurant work as the Zodiac does to Astronomy.

What you have, rather, is a trade-show paper- chase that's been cooked up by the pretentiously self-qualified to scam money from the slightly less agile.

Suffice it to mention, moreover, that the 'masters' title has absolutely nothing to do with certification from an accredited college or university.

Real masters, from academia, are given by juries of PhD's to acknowledge mastery over a subject of which they, as individuals, have made a contribution to knowledge. Therefore, I challenge any judge of said 'court' to present qualifications that would demonstrate any contribution on their part. to the knowledge of wine.

'Proper' cigar service, perhaps, expressed as their own opinion of propriety? 'Proper' chilling of whites--ostensibly with far greater reference to Oscar Wilde than Van der Walls? Or how about yet another uselessly digressive, non-chemical explanation of 'tannins'?

Lastly, of course, the use of 'Court' speaks volumes about their collective idiocy. How do they support their right to hold court, or to judge, as it were? Where, pray tell, is there a public textbook that's made available for scrutiny much as, say, physics, chemistry, history, or whatever that's taught over at Dustbunny U?

Without reference to said text that's available for all to see, this self-entitled 'court' ranks nothing higher than podunk inquisitional circa AD1200--or rather a Humpty-Dumpty manifesto that states that things mean exactly what I say they mean at the time that I say it".

So much for restaurant 'professionalism': next, perhaps, chiropractics?

Bill Harris

Compelling look at the dedication needed to pass one of the hardest exams in the world. Each of the candidates featured in the movie had interesting personality quirks that kept my interest... I found myself rooting for all of them, knowing the odds were against them.

This documentary will likely appeal to wine lovers, but perhaps also those who are curious about wine or appreciate obsessions. This documentary reminded me of Kings of Pastry- a similar look at an exam that requires full obsession and dedication. Although not about an exam, the sushi documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi had a similar feel.

The constant background music during dialogue/ emotional high points was very distracting, enough to dock it a point or two.

I didn't really expect to like a movie about wine geeks, but this movie really pulled me into the process that the four lead characters were going through to become members of the very elite master sommelier group. Less than 200 people worldwide have this certification. Jason, Dustin, Brian and Dlynn all had very different approaches to exam, with different strengths and weaknesses. I found all the lead characters extremely likable and you could not help but root for all of them to pass the exam. I thought the cinematography was good. I particularly liked the use of the wine glass as a segue between scenes. The movie did drag a little in some of the exam preparation scenes.

I was fortunate to see this movie at the Napa Valley Film Festival Premiere this past spring. It is a story of four wine professionals working to gain the title of Master Sommelier through a process of practical tasting regimes and intense study. Often times at the lose of much in their own personal lives and relationships.Very well done in extracting the dedication,frustration and sheer work that these fellows put in to achieve their goal. One does not have to be a wine lover to feel the 'pain' and revel at the success that each of them experience at some point throughout the process. I cannot wait for it to come into general release to see it again. Kudos to all involved.