Inevitably, you should have all known that one of my blog posts would be about the movie "Sideways". The indie movie is based on a wine loving, slightly pyschotic yet endearing man played by Paul Giamatti. More interestingly, Miles (Giamatti's character) is completely anti-Merlot and an adament Pinot Noir fan. While many have speculated about the positive effects on the Pinot Noir industry, and the negative impact on merlot, it had never been researched.
For those of you living under a rock around October of 2004, "Sideways" was nominated for five Academy Awards, with $100 million made in worldwide sales. It's a strangely funny yet eerily sad and memorable film.
After much speculation on the effects of the movie on the sales of red wines, someone finally decided to put the theory to the test. Dr. Steven Cuellar examined the trends in prices and cases sold of Merlot and Pinot Noir from 1998 to 2008, both before and after "Sideways" release in 2004 in Wines & Vines.
The movie was a spectacular promotion of the red wine grape- Pinot Noir. A blockbuster movie based on two men taking a trip through California wine country, extolling the Pinot Noir, couldn't be better public relations for the grape. Soon enough, even non wine drinkers were beginning to wonder just how amazing Pinot Noir must be. The experiment used by Cuellar, and following research, proves that people DID buy more Pinot Noir.
Annual case volume of Merlot, Pinot Noir and a control group of non-Sideways promoted red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, were thoroughly analyzed. Using the experimental and control groups, research does indicate that "Sideways" resulted in a definite impact on Merlot & Pinot Noir grapes in the wine industry. Case volume of Pinot Noir grew, while Merlot volume seemed to decrease after the release of the movie. The control group indicates a stable consumption of various other red wines, while Pinot Noir were still increasing.
Following the Pinot Noir PR promotion in "Sideways" the prices also increased. Merlot did indeed suffer a minor decrease in price & sales while Pinot Noir reaped all the public relations glory. While there could be various other validity issues affecting the sales and prices of Pinot Noir following "Sideways" this further proves the influence of media on the "real world"!
It's a good movie, especially if you enjoy watching Paul Giamatti's pyschosis issues unfold. Go grab some wine (give poor Merlot a break) and watch the full movie.
In the mean time...
Movie Trailer
*Cheers!*
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