The film Bottle Shock is based on the true story of the 1976 Paris blind-wine-tasting that pitted long established French vintners against the renegade amateurs of Napa Valley. Much to the surprise of winemakers, wine tasters, and pretty much everyone across the globe, the Americans won. In one afternoon, France was pushed off its pedestal of oenological superiority. And to this day, winemakers around the world look to that day as one that changed the landscape of winemaking and wine culture for years to come.

In the movie, the unfolding of this historic event is told through the story of Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman), the owner of the Chateau Montelena vineyard in Napa Valley, and his son Bo (Chris Pine). When the movie opens, the atmosphere at Chateau Montelena is one of disappointment and hardship. Still unsatisfied with the year's vintage, Jim has racked his wine for the fifth year in a row. He owes the bank several times over. And despite his oft repeated reminder that hardship only makes us stronger, he and his vineyard seem desperately close to the point where hardship may very well destroy them.

Enter Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), British wine snob and owner of a floundering Parisian wine shop. The man who has conceived the idea for this first ever showdown between French and American wines, he has come to Napa to select his contestants. When he first arrives, he is arrogant and doubtful of any sort of competition to be found on this side of the Atlantic. But as he travels from vineyard to vineyard sampling wines, we witness that even he recognizes that there is something going on in California's wine country. The question is: will anybody else see it? And the answer is, yes.

In the end, Bottle Shock is a story of dreams recognized and underdogs coming out on top. It is a tale that celebrates the pursuit of perfection and rewards the often difficult navigation of the road less traveled. And when the cork has been popped and the glasses have been poured, it is story that reminds us all that the greatness, beauty, and value of any creation is much less about superficial attitudes and longstanding labels than it is about the dedication and care of the one who takes the time to craft it.

Toward the beginning of the movie, Jim tells his intern Sam (Rachael Taylor), "The vineyard's best fertilizer is the owner's footsteps."

Jim's assistant Gustavo (Freddy Rodriguez) tells him, "The cultivation of the vine is an art form&ellips; a religion that requires pain and discipline and sacrifice."

In fact, through each of the different characters who tends Chateau Montelena's grapes, we see how much truly does go into the creation of a great wine.

For Gustavo, making wine is about patience and understanding. A young man who has lived his life with dirt under his fingers and wine in his blood, he knows wine so well he can taste any bottle and tell you both its type and its vintage. He knows wine better than anyone else in the movie. And as he shows us in a side story involving the creation of his own wine, he also recognizes that giving a wine time to become what it is meant to be is just as important as anything else.

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