mondovino (2005)

across three continents mondovino weaves together the familiar sagas of the millionaire brokers of napa valley, with the rivalry of two aristocratic florentine dynasties and the efforts of three generations of a family to maintain their estate of a few acres in burgundy. the clamor of these struggles is, however, overcome by the cheerful trades of a mischievous pirate from bordeaux, while spreading the gospel of modernity from italy to argentina to new york. wine has been a symbol of western civilization for thousands of years but, as never before, the struggle for its identity has been so desperate. never have so much money been put into play - and so much pride. the deployments are not, however, those that could be imagined: the local owners against the multinationals, the simple peasants against the powerful captains of industry. in the world of wine it is never the usual suspects.