Film Reviews
Wine From Here offers a passionate and clear portrait of one of the few movements in the world that are both utopian and utterly concrete. The natural wine movement offers hope for anyone interested in practical actions that improve the planet’s health, fight the industrial-chemical complex, strike a blow for personal liberty….and bring deep and unexpected pleasures to daily life. This film bears convincing witness to the Californian contribution to this worldwide revolution.- Jonathan Nossiter, director of critically-acclaimed wine documentary 'Mondovino'
Wine From Here is a really enjoyable film, beautifully shot and with a series of nicely chosen interviews that deliver a really engaging story of the winemakers, merchants and journalists who are hooked by the pursuit of authenticity in wine. They believe that great wines have a sense of place, and that California has some special places to grow wine grapes – although, up till now, most winemakers haven’t really caught this ‘somewhereness’ in their wines because of overmanipulation in the winery and an addiction to irrigation and sprays in the vineyard. Now it seems that there’s a real counterculture, and Wine From Here is the first film to explore it in depth.- Jamie Goode, London-based wine journalist, book author and blogger
Wine From Here captures exciting moments in the present and future of Californian wines.- Alice Feiring, New York City-based wine writer, book author and blogger
Wine From Here has the tools to give any wine lover a good look at what natural wine is in today’s American wine production. There is a great amount of knowledgeable information in the movie, and some fascinating points of views from the vignerons who seek, first and foremost, to express the particular sense of place of the vineyards from which they draw their grapes. [Read More]- Rémy Charest, Quebec City-based food and wine writer, Palate Press editor, blogger
Wine From Here does a pretty good job of balancing the various sides of natural winemaking story in CA, including not shying away from the thorny topic of how environmental friendliness (another claim widely espoused by organic grape growers and natural winemakers) should be measured. […] Wine From Here isn’t perfect, but if you’re a fine wine geek then it sure as hell ought to get you thinking about how and why [conventional] wine production, in its pursuit of “perfection,” often turns more into craft and recipe-following than it does into genuine artistic expression. [Read More]- Joe Roberts (1WineDude), wine consultant & blogger
The film is a good introduction to the tenets of the natural wine movement for consumers who are not familiar with the concept (probably a lot). It will likely resonate with foodies, who will identify with calls for less processing and knowing the origins of their food. It is earnest in its pursuit of understanding the movement and the people behind it and the viewer feels as if he is undertaking this journey of understanding with the filmmakers. Interview segments are bookended by short montages of the winemaking process […] and could probably stand alone as a lovely short film. The John Williams (no, not that one) guitar tracks in the background give a nice, folksy feel to the whole thing. From a technical standpoint, the film is very well-made and well-edited and the Carel brothers should be proud of their work. [Read More]- Tom Mansell, New York Cork Report Editor, Palate Press Editor, blogger
San Francisco Screening – August 25 2011
- 7.00 pm : Screening
- 8.00 pm : Q&A with both film directors
- 8.30 pm : Q&A with 7 winemakers from the film
- 9.00 pm : After-screening party @ Heart!
The day after drinking with Feiring, I attended a screening of a new documentary on Californian natural wines, Wine From Here. After we watched the film (a lovingly shot, low budget homage to vignerons who spend their lives in pursuit of purity), the winemakers profiled were invited onstage for a Q&A. They represented some of the best natural wineries in the state — Clos Saron, Coturri, Old World Winery, Edmunds St. John, Dashe Cellars, La Clarine Farm, and the Salina and Natural Process Alliance. [Read more]- Caitlin Donohue, San Francisco Bay Guardian Culture Editor
As I watched party-goers line up four- and sometimes six-deep at the bar to score pours like Coturri’s soulful Mendocino Carignane and Dashe Cellars’ electric dry Riesling from Potter Valley, the quiet natural wine movement’s momentum settled in. Battered by numerous elbows and shoves, any of my ruffled feathers were soothed by the graciousness and eager enthusiasm of the documentary’s featured vintners. [Read more]- Courtney Cochran, San Francisco-based writer for SF Eater, certified sommelier
Los Angeles Screening – September 22 2011
- 7.00 pm : Screening
- 8.00 pm : Q&A with the lead filmmaker
- 9.00 pm : After-screening party @ Buzz Wines Beer Shop!