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Overlooked & Underrated Docs & Features
(click on broll or dschwartz for all his posts)
A Year in Champagne The title says it all. No need here for subtitle.
Filmmaker David Kennard takes us on a chronological tour of France’s Champagne region which is the only legal source of sparkling wines called ‘Champagne.’
"A Year in Champagne" is Champagne 101—a history, a sociology, and outlines of the grape-growing and champagne-making processes. Kennard is an accomplished documentarian and that experience shows in the high quality of all aspects of his production—especially his visual images.
The making of fine wines is quite elaborate and demanding. Adding bubbles exacerbates those demands. How, and why, and that people do that—especially to the exacting standards which have evolved in Champagne—is fascinating.
The year chosen for this film was 2012. There’s one line of thought that for a documentary like this one would order up a meteorologically ideal year. The producers got the opposite. My line of thought is that this was an ideal year for the producers. We see more and learn more about the challenges of growing wine grapes in the most northern point in Europe where those grapes are grown.
Suggestion: Before watching this film make sure you have on-hand a bottle of Champagne to conclude your lesson. And, oh yes, see to it that it’s a first-crush press from a vintage year.