This is an excellent documentary, IF you understand what it is and who it's for. What it is NOT is "The Beginner's Guide to Champagne"! It does not try to be and it's not intended to be. If you are a complete novice to wine you may still get something from this but I strongly advice you to do some research on sparkling wines in general and Champagne in particular before you watch the film.

If, on the other hand, you're an intermediary (advanced beginner to beginning advanced) then this film is right up your alley. It does assume some basic knowledge on your part and it won't waste your time going over the very basics of sparkling wine making, what grapes are grown in this legendary region, what the traditional method is and things of that nature. Instead it provides you with a great insight into the realities of wine making in Champagne. On top of that you get many gorgeous views of the rugged landscape and the charming people of the region.

Finally, if you are an advanced wine enthusiast with an intimate knowledge of the style and region, then you won't learn much new here, but you will still enjoy the vistas and personalities.

So, this film is absolutely recommended, as long as you understand what you are watching. The film is slow and beautiful, full of atmosphere and people, like a good documentary should be. Just don't expect it to be a quick guide for those with no knowledge and a short attention span. In fact, why not enjoy it with a glass of bubbly.

(Flash Review)

The intent was to describe a full year, all four seasons, of growing grapes to make Champagne in the northern region of Champagne, France. An uneven amount of the focus was on how hard the cool climate is on the grapes. How much nurturing is needed and how frequently a harvest is fruitless; literally. There were the ubiquitous historic cellar shots with oodles of aging bottles. But nary a 4 minutes spent on why and how Champagne is different from wine; process or the artistic spin growers apply. There was some decent background and behind the scenes insights but maybe it just wasn't picturesque enough or informative enough and the key objective for me was that I was not enticed to go out and buy a bottle. As I had been after watching the two SOMM documentaries. SOMM: Into the Bottle is a much more informative and gets the figurative juices flowing.

I knew the basics for how they made champagne--the region of France, the three grape varieties they use and the process by which they removed sediment from the bottles. But this is only talked about in detail at the very end of the film. What's before that is a look at the life of the champagne producers from several different houses--and how incredibly obsessive-compulsive they all are. This is NOT a process for folks who aren't obsessive....and the rules, rules, rules are often seemingly arbitrary. But all this make for a nice little film. Combining this story with lovely classical music, nice narration and rate glimpses at the families who live, breath, drink and think champagne all make a lovely film--one best savored by those who love this heavenly drink.