Is it a
documentary? Is it a mockumentary? The film Blood
into Wine explores musician Maynard James Keenan, from the band Tool and A
Perfect Circle and his venture into winemaking.
Blood into Wine is not your
typical film. It begins with Keenan on a
bizarre fake talk show (‘Focus on Interesting Things’) with two strange hosts
complaining about not having Keanu Reeves.
Just as viewers are starting to wonder if the entire film is just this
talk show, the opening credits roll. Blood into Wine is one part serious, one
part humorous, and one part confusion.
Blood into Wine makes it apparent that Keenan is
genuinely interested in winemaking; he is not just another celebrity trying his
hand at the next new thing. This film
highlights the amount of work and expertise needed to run a successful
winery. To create a successful vineyard,
you need a mentor to help you navigate the business. Keenan hires Eric Glomski to help him with
Caduceus, with the intention of eventually being self-sufficient. They later collaborate to create Arizona
Stronghold wine.
Centered in
Verde Valley, AZ and specifically the small town of Jerome, the film explores how
Keenan’s vineyard has affected the area.
Keenan had to secure water rights from the town before he could think
about planting grapes. Luckily, for him,
a vineyard of his intended size uses less water than a typical home. Since vineyard is on a slope, he had to prep
the land and create terraces in order to be able to plant the grapes. This film seemed to have an accurate
portrayal of the area and appeared to have been filmed on location.
When most
think of American wine, they think of Napa Valley. This film challenges this assumption as
Keenan deliberately decides to plant his vineyard in Arizona. Throughout this film, people are questioning
the quality of Arizona wine as opposed to Napa Valley wine. Growing grapes in Arizona is more challenging
due to the more variable climate and harsher conditions, but Keenan and Glomski
take it in stride. The wines produced in
the Verde Valley have a unique terroir that distinguishes them from Napa Valley
Wines.
This film
highlights the cost and labor intensity required to create a vineyard. Establishing a vineyard is not for the weak
at heart. It takes patience and
perseverance. The most important factor
is finding a suitable area to grow grapes.
You need the right soil and climate to have a successful business. Keenan and Glomski are trailblazers; they
challenge Napa Valley and conventional wine making.
Keenan
makes it clear in the film that he makes wines that he likes. He is not trying to appease the critics or
get high ratings. Keenan is simply
producing what he knows is good. Keenan
explains that wine making, like music, is an expression of self. He does not want to be singing about the same
thing all the time. Caduceus mainly
produces blended wines as opposed to varietal wines. A blended wine, Judith, named after Keenan’s
mother is his pride and joy. The best
part of the entire film is when James Suckling, a critic for Wine Spectator, is
flown to Arizona from Italy to taste Keenan’s wines.
Wine making
is an art and so much goes into production.
I appreciate the knowledge and expertise that goes into producing a good
wine a lot more after watching this film.
From harvesting to fermenting to mixing and aging, there is a specific
way to do things so that you end up with a high quality product. There is a sharp learning curve to making
quality product.
I would
probably not recommend this movie to a wine audience. The film was confusing at times and difficult
to follow. Random celebrities visited
Keenan and tasted his wine for no apparent reason. There were too many people in this
documentary and not enough explanation for why they were included. However, I did appreciate the limited footage
of Keenan performing because I had no idea who he was prior to watching this
film. I think the average wine audience
would not care about Keenan or even know who he is. The average wine audience would probably be
more interested in a film about Napa Valley or a classic wine region as opposed
to a brand-new region. Sometimes I could
not tell if Keenan is being serious or if he is joking. I would have appreciated finding out if the
wine critic was able to discern any taste difference between the Arizona and
California wines.
