Taste of Cinema
A road trip through Argentinian vineyards – Nicolás Carreras´ WAYS OF WINE – followed by an amazing dinner inspired by the film and cooked by chef Sonja Frühsammer: the perfect recipe to enjoy cinema.
THE WAYS OF WINE
Cinema is a sensory experience, as food is. For instance, I really discovered wine only after seeing SIDEWAYS, Alexander Payne´s road trip through the vineyards of California's central coast. It gave me the snappy desire to drink a glas of Pinot Noir. Nicolás Carreras’ WAYS OF WINE (Argentina) tastes really different. First, it has the reckless flavor of a Saar Riesling accompanied by grape chutney, goats cheese and dried black olives. We’re following eccentric and extrovert sommelier Charlie Arturaola during his first days in Mendoza, Argentina. He’s been invited to take part in the glamourous event “Masters of Food and Wine”, and he’s supposed to give wine tasting courses to a thirsty but elegant assembly.
But Charlie suddenly loses his palate and with this scary discovery appears a bitter aftertaste of artichoke with paprika. French oenologist Michel Rolland advises him to “wash” his palate with the best wines of the region and Charlie starts a journey from huge wineries through to small vineyards. With the first people he meets, he acts like a complete jerk. But over hours and days, his mood starts to change as he realises that he’s not just trying to rediscover his palate anymore, but looking for his ghosts, roots and family, whom he forgot attempting to become the famous showman with bow-tie and cranky spectacles. Hope is now back with the grave but promising perfume of an Argentinian Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon. Reassured as to the future of our sommelier, we even can enjoy a small chocolate mousse with mate.
THE WAYS OF WINE was one of the twelve films selected by the 5th Culinary Cinema of the Berlinale to be be shown in the Martin-Gropius-Bau theatre. All explore the relationship between cinema, culture, cuisine and the environment with the motto “Give food a chance”. Carreras semi-documentary film was then entrusted to the renowned chef Sonja Frühsammer who had carte blanche to imagine and serve a whole menu inspired by the film to the audience. She did it wonderfuly, using very simple but tasty ingredients from small producers, as far as possible, from within the area.
THE WAYS OF WINE is a puzzling film, hard to follow at first if you don’t know the director’s motivations. One of the reasons is that Nicolás Carreras blithely crosses the borders between fiction and reality. But as the character gains depth and consciousness of his weaknesses, we get more and more involved and really start to enjoy the journey. Combined with this amazing dinner, the film becomes part of an unforgettable experience. Now it really has a taste and a smell. This is the perfect recipe to enjoy cinema.
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