By Tadgh Byrne
Introduction
“Wine does not just bring pleasure. It is…a product which has a substantial and far ranging symbolic significance” (Charters, 2006).
Perhaps the most prominent example of the symbolic nature of wine is that in relation to hermeneutics
The symbolic nature of wine is nothing new; Tom Standage (2009) tells us that the ancient Greeks used wine a means of showing off their sophistication. Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, represented not only the intoxicating qualities, but also its social and beneficial influences (Wine in Moderation, 2019). The Greeks were also aware of the importance of semantics – put simply – the study of words and their meanings.
The ancient Greeks had four distinct words to express the nuances of love. “Eros” characterized love driven by lust and sexual passion, for example, and “storge” described the affectionate kind of love that, say, parents feel toward their offspring. Words give the world meaning. Every time we learn a new word, we add a new color to our palette. Not only can we better depict the world for others, but we can also better understand it ourselves. (Peterson, 2016)
This study also examines the use of metaphor, a technique long used by poets, writers and of course film makers. Collins (2019) says “If one thing is a metaphor for another, it is intended or regarded as a symbol of it”.
As noted by Charters (2006), “the relationship of wine to society…. is a vast topic”, which has been explored in great detail. This study will only focus on one tiny aspect – that is the symbolic nature of wine in the 2004 film ‘Sideways’.
In Capital (1885), Karl Marx speaks of ‘commodity fetishism’ of the capitalist society, whereby a disconnect is formed between an object’s ‘use’ value and ‘exchange’ value. This thesis was progressed by economist Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) who coined the terms ‘leisure class’ and ‘conspicuous consumption’ (Coutts, 2001.13). The perceived quality of wine and other “luxury” goods is only partially derived from their material characteristics. Their value stems largely from symbolic qualities ascribed to the products based on interpretation (Beckhert et al 2014). Charters (2006) says “wine consumption can be utilitarian, symbolic or experiential”.
Wine in Film
Why examine this topic? Wine plays an important role in cultures all over the world, with Hollywood filmmaking being no exception (Wine Searcher, 2019). Directors often use particular beverages to create atmosphere or character depth. Speaking of The Godfather, Zahid (2018) tells us
There are three main drinks in the film: scotch, a “man’s drink”; red wine, a family drink; and white wine, a party drink. But the drinks start to blur as the line between what “business” and what’s “personal” begins to blur as well.
Symbolic beverages use can be viewed in the Hannibal Lecter series, James Bond films and Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws amongst others. The Television series Madman employs symbolic beverages throughout. Alexander Payne’s film Sideways was a big, somewhat unexpected, success at the box office. It would go on to have a massive influence on global wine sales, a phenomenon known as ‘The Sideways Effect’. Oudyn (2014) calls it the “undisputed most influential wine movie ever”.
A Brief Summary of the Plot
Put simply, the plot centres two long time friends Jack and Miles and their comical exploits in the Santa Barbara wine country, in the week leading up to Jack’s wedding. Miles is a middle school English teacher, who suffers from anxiety and depression, still coming to terms with his divorce and his ailing ambitions as a writer. Jack is an easy going, b grade actor with a weakness women but little interest in wine. During the week long trip, the pair befriend two women, Maya and Stephanie, both keen wine drinkers, who work in tourism. Both IMDB and Rotten tomatoes flag the movie under ‘drama’, ‘comedy’ and ‘romance’.
Early Symbolic References
From the very outset of the movie, wine symbology is employed. In the second scene we can clearly see that the outside of the first character we introduced to, Miles’s house resembles a corkscrew. We will learn soon after that he is a wine connoisseur. In a later scene, we can see that his mother’s house also has the same style of entrance. According to Wilson (2013), this shows us that Miles is a ‘Momma’s Boy’.
Photo Credit: Screenshot from Putlocker
We are given a series of clues that hint that Miles might be hungover: his car is poorly parked from the night before indicating that he might have driven home under the influence and we can tell from a phone call that he has slept in and is running late for a prior appointment. From this conversation we can tell that this character is a liar, when he says: “I had a bunch of stuff to deal with this morning. But I’m on my way. I’m out the door right this second”. The next scene cuts to him reading a book on the toilet, apparently not in any hurry. His house is seen to be messy and there are books everywhere, giving us clues to his lifestyle, his personality and most importantly, his relationship with alcohol.
We are given further clues that he might be hungover when he orders a triple espresso from a cafe where the barista questions “rough night, huh?” (Sideways Screenplay, 2003).
The next symbolic scene is at his friend Jack’s in-laws house. When Miles is asked to try two different wedding cakes and decides he prefers the dark over the white coloured cake. This may give us a clue that he prefers red wines over white, or that he prefers dark haired women over blondes (we later learn that his estranged wife is a brunette and his new love interest will be blonde). Wilson (2013) expands on this further by explaining that there is a running darkness vs light theme running through the movie.
Within the first 15 mins of the film Miles displaying some of the seven signs of alcoholism, according to Drinkaware UK (2019) : “Appearing tired, unwell or irritable”, “An inability to say no to alcohol”, “Anxiety, depression or other mental health problems”, “becoming secretive or dishonest”. The topic of alcoholism is not really discussed in the movie, however.
The Differences Between Jack and Miles
Back to the symbology of wine, the next scene uses the drink to show the audience the dynamic between the two lead characters Jack and Miles and the ways in which they differ.
It transpires that Miles was at wine tasting, he claims he wanted to buy a special wine for their journey. Jack selects a wine from an assorted box – it’s a “1992 Byron”, a sparkling wine from Santa Barbara County. Miles warns him not to open it as it is rare and not chilled, Jack pops it open anyway and spilling much of it. We can see from this interaction that Jack is of a carefree and playful nature and does not think to deeply about the consequences of his actions. Miles describes his behaviour as “crass”. Miles is seen to be be uptight and neurotic but deeply passionate and knowledgeable about wine.
Jack is confused as to why the 92 Byron, made with 100% Pinot Noir, is white in colour – a legitimate question for someone who knows little about wine. Miles warns him “Jesus. Don’t ask questions like that up in the wine country. They’ll think you’re some kind of dumb shit”. This alludes to the snobbery that exists within the wine community. Spiegel (2014) tells us “the thing about wine is, it’s a world of judgements”.
The Language of Wine
There exist universal forms of capital: economic and cultural capital, which are important from a social aspect (Bourdieu 1993). Cultural capital can be seen as an accumulation of knowledge, behaviors, and skills that can demonstrate one’s cultural competence, and thus one’s social status (Cole, 2019). Those with a high levels of cultural capital assess wine quality differently from consumers with low cultural capital. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for wine if the symbolic position of the wine allows their social distinction (Bekhert et al, 2014)
Peynaud dedicates an entire chapter in his book outlining the complexities of the language of taste. He speaks of “the metaphorical language of taste”, of how wine connoisseurs created their own language:
They have taken everyday vocabulary, and above all, they have applied words to wine in a metaphorical sense, as though discussing an object or a person, as though wine had shape and being.
This point is exemplified in a later scene when the pair are at a tasting and Miles describes a pinot noir “a little citrus, maybe some strawberry, passion fruit, and there’s even a soupcon of asparagus, and just a flutter of a, like a, nutty Edam cheese”. Jack seems completely bewildered, stating: “Wow. Strawberries yeah, not the cheese” and somewhat bored “When are we drinking?”. His lack of interest in the nuances of wine tasting is shown by the fact that he is chewing gum, much to the embarrassment of Miles.
Photo Credit: Grub St
Miles as Pinot Noir
Perhaps the most famous scene in the movie is when Miles is describing to Maya, also wine buff, why he likes Pinot Noir so much. As Gallo (2017) says, “he is describing himself, using the wine as a metaphor for his personality”.
It’s a hard grape to grow. As you know. It’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s not a survivor like Cabernet that can grow anywhere and thrive even when neglected. Pinot needs constant care and attention and in fact can only grow in specific little tucked away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing growers can do it really, can tap into Pinot’s most fragile, delicate qualities. Only when someone has taken the time to truly understand its potential can Pinot be coaxed into its fullest expression. And when that happens, its flavors are the most haunting and brilliant and subtle and thrilling and ancient on the planet.
Miles, like Pinot Noir is needy, complex but has great potential Wilson (2013). The audience, through this analogy, is invited to feel his longing and his quest to be understood (Gallo, 2017). In Psychology, this is known as “transportation theory”. It is a technique commonly employed by film-makers. This scene serves as a prime example of the symbolic nature of wine in the film ‘Sideways.
Maya as a 1961 Cheval Blanc
Maya is impressed that Miles is the owner of a 1961 Cheval Blanc, one of only Premier grand cru classé A, the highest classification in the St Emilion region of Bordeaux. She encourages him to open it straight away, stating “It might be too late, already, what are you waiting for?”. The metaphor at hand here, is that she is in fact the Cheval Blanc now is the right time for him to tell her how he feels about her. When he tells he he is saving it for a special occasion, she replies “anytime you open a bottle of Cheval Blanc it is a special occasion…”
Like the wine she is rare, very special and peaking now. The actress who plays Maya, Virginia Madsen was born in 1961, so we can assume that the character is of the same age and possibly born in 1961 (Wilson, 2013). Miles’ nerves get the better of him and he fails to make his move.
When things turns sour between Miles and Maya, he seen drinking the 1961 Cheval Blanc out of a Styrofoam cup in a local diner whilst eating a burger and onion rings (Steinberger, 2004). This is symbolic of the fact that he has given up on love and that he doesn’t foresee any special occasions ever arising again. Lechmere (2004) views the scene as deflating “the pomposity of the wine world”.
Similarly, when describing his former marriage at its peak, Miles states “We drank a 1995 Opus One with smoked salmon and artichokes but we didn’t care.” This big, tannic wine paired with this food would be considered by most of the wine community to be a sin, but it shows how underneath it all, the time, place and people associated with the wine (and it’s intoxicating effects) overpower the need to drink it in ‘the proper way’. Charters (2006) reminds us that within memory “the symbolic importance of a wine may far exceed any intrinsic worth or an ‘quality’ it may attain.
Jack is a Cabernet Sauvignon
Jack is believed to be the Cabernet, the survivor that Miles talks of. When describing what attributes a Cabernet would have if it was a person, Myers (2015) says “Life never goes anywhere but up for them, thanks to their thick skin and ability to make it through the most difficult of times with a smile”. This seems reflective of Jack’s character in the movie Sideways. Wilson (2013) furthers this point:
Jack seems to be able to adapt anywhere and in any situation. He can act, do voice-over work, is willing to learn his future father in-law’s profession. He even, at one point, considers becoming a grape farmer. He likes every wine he tastes and every woman he sees. Whatever the situation is, he’ll adapt.
Stephanie as a Cabernet Franc
Wilson (2013) believes Stephanie to be a Cabernet Franc. She’s a single mother, she drives a motorbike and has a carefree attitude to life. Whilst working at a Cellar Door, she offers Miles and Jack a tasting of a Cabernet Franc. Jack who is clearly attracted to her says “I like it” whereas Miles states “I’ve come not to expect greatness from a Cabernet Franc, and this one is not different”. Both the wine, and she lack the complexity to capture Miles’s affection. Wilson (2013) describes her as “likeable, ordinary, nothing special but blends well. Steinberger (2004) describes the character as “the saucy tasting-room hostess played by Sandra Oh”. We later learn that Miles feels guilty about judging her so quickly, when he learns she owns has a Richebourg in her wine collection, saying “I had Stephanie all wrong”. Richebourg is a Pinot Noir-based Grand Cru vineyard from Cotes de Nuits in Burgundy.
Merlot
One of the most quoted lines in the film is when Miles shows his disdain for his least favourite grape: “No, if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any f***ing Merlot!” However, it seems that this is another example of the symbolic nature of wine in ‘Sideways’.
Giamatti’s character hated merlot precisely because it was so easy to drink. He wasn’t making a comment on the quality of merlot, but his own antagonistic contrarian tendencies (The Guardian, 2017).
We learn that his ex-wife was fond of Merlot and at the time the film had been released Merlot had been hugely popular the previous decade with American wine drinkers, due to it’s fruity flavours and soft tannins. Gregutt (2010), he tells us, “By the mid 1990s, Washington merlot was everywhere … Merlot was both trendy and spendy”.
As is well documented, Merlot sales took a dive for many years after the movie was released. According to a The Guardian article in 2017, merlot sales were beginning to recover.
Conclusion
As Charters (2006) says, wine can have a symbolic or semiotic significance. We have seen that wine is used symbolically and metaphorically throughout Sideways, as it is in maybe art and cultural forms, the world over. Goode (2007) tells how food and drink have a “symbolic function that extends far beyond the most sophisticated savouring”. Wine has a ritualistic role; it can link its to drinker to the past. In addition, it can help individuals and indeed nations form an image or identity eg: Champagne is symbolic of the French nation (Charters, 2006).
Steinberger (2004) in his review of Sideways and it’s wines, leaves us with a nice quote that reminds us that for the majority of wine drinkers, it is all about the effect.
Sideways casts a bemused eye at wine geek culture generally. It suggests that all the sniffing, swilling, and pontificating is ultimately BS and that, even for an aficionado like Miles, the real point of tasting fine wine is to catch a nice buzz.
Photo Credit: BFI
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Tadgh Byrne 