More than one man's saga

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More than one man's saga

Posted by: $author under Wine Updated: January 5, 2010 - 8:58 AM

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OK, I'm a sucker for most any wine-soaked movie, even dreadfully written ones like the Keanu Reeves vehicle "A Walk in the Clouds." I savored "Bottle Shock" more than many folks I know, for example.

That said, I seriously enjoyed a little gem called "From Ground to Glass." It's a documentary about a guy with no wine experience (beyond liking the stuff) trying to make two barrels of his own syrah. But it's actually more about the California industry itself.

So while film maker/aspiring vintner Rob DaFoe sets about growing, crushing, fermenting and bottling some grapes, he seamlessly intersperses that saga with interviews with some of the coolest people in the industry. We're talking Ridge's Paul Draper, Alma Rosa's Richard Sanford, Au Bon Climat's Jim Clendenen and many lesser-known, but every bit as interesting growers and winemakers.

DaFoe is an engaging presence, a former professional snowboarder utterly lacking in artifice or pretention, so his Santa Ynez Valley journey is almost as enjoyable as the interviews with Ken Brown, Brooks Firestone and Joel Peterson are informative.

The semi-bad news: it's not available at either Amazon or Netflix, but can be purchased for $27.95 (with shipping) here. But it says here that virtually any wine lover would relish having "From Ground to Glass," and so it would make a swell Valentine's or birthday gift, just in case you know someone like that. Should be accompanied by a glass of syrah or, heck, whatever you like.