Somm (on Netflix)
Whether you know nothing about wine or you’re an aficionado I am pretty sure you will thoroughly enjoy Somm. I’ve watched it twice so far and have learned so much even though I’ve been drinking wine for 40 years!
I will never forget a blind tasting a winemaker friend invited me to. I took it very seriously and enjoyed every minute. Later when I talked with my friend about the tasting and told him I got what I thought car exhaust would taste like in one of the wines he simply responded with “That’s good!”
In the movie Somm one Master Sommelier suggests licking rocks to find the equivalent taste of some wine. Another MS admitted he would never compare a wine’s aroma to what another wine “expert” described as a freshly opened can of tennis balls. (Having personally opened many cans of tennis balls over the years, I can’t imagine this comparison either. But as Luis Fernando Oliverri put it: “Wine is the only artwork you can drink.” Some see a Picasso and some see a drawing a 3rd-grader could create.
This documentary movie is all about what it takes to earn the title of Master Sommelier. Only 229 people have achieved the designation! I don’t want to give away too much detail so you can see it the way I did — knowing almost nothing about the process. I love the way this is filmed. I thought preparing for the Series 7 (stock broker’s exam) and the Japanese Proficiency Exam were brutal. The Master Sommelier exam makes those look like child’s play! I really felt like I was right there with the people in the film. Laughter, tears, highs, lows, this film has it all!!
And to show just how strict and secretive the exam process is read this very recent article about cheating on the tasting portion of the exam:
You can find Somm on Netflix. Also, be sure to watch the sequel: Into the Bottle. Somm 3 is on its way to the big screen now. Here’s the trailer for Somm:
