Wine Film Review- Blood into Wine

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.