THE SIDEWAYS EFFECT.

If you are passionate about cinematography, you must have seen, at least once, the movie Sideways, of course, but it was nominated for 122 awards, taking an Oscar in 2005 for the best-adapted screenplay and a Golden Globe for the best comedy.

If you work in the wine industry, watching the film should be mandatory because it is a film that got the public talking about wine long after its release, and its effects are felt even now, it managed to change mindsets, consumption habits, and acquisition and visibly improve tourism in Santa Barbara.

If you are passionate about wines, this comedy is worth seeing, which mostly uses slapstick humor, which in some scenes becomes crude but without insulting the audience's intelligence. However fascinating the description of wines in an equally creative and artistic way, makes you want to enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir while watching the film.

In short, Sideways is a humorous story of a week-long trip to a wine country, by a divorced writer, an uninspired and grumpy teacher Miles (Paul Giamatti) with his soon-to-be-married friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church). Miles is a wine enthusiast and a frequent visitor to the wineries and restaurants located in the Santa Ynez Valley, a valley home to 120 wineries, an enchanting place in California where vineyards intertwine with lavender fields and horse farms, all within two hours of Los Angeles. The film humorously juxtaposes Miles' luck and difficulties in love, career, and financial situation with successful actor Jack's search for one last adventure. The duo spends time with two passionate and intelligent friends they meet at one of the wineries, Maya (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie (Sandra Oh) with whom they share experiences, food, wine, laughter, and more wine.

What caught my attention is the fourth character, I could even say that he is one of the main characters, Pinot noir, totally atypical to call him a character from a movie, considering that it is a type of grape, respectively wine. He's a fluid, volatile character, frequently depicted in the most creative ways, doggedly supported by Miles, who seems more in love with Pinot Noir than any woman in his life.

"It's a difficult grape to grow, it has a thin skin, it's temperamental, and it ripens quickly. It is not a survivor like a cabernet, which can grow anywhere and thrive, even when neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. Know? And in fact, it can only grow in those really specific, small, hidden corners of the world. And only the most patient and caring growers can do it. Only someone who truly takes the time to understand a Pinot's potential can discern its maximum expression. Then, I mean, oh, its aromas, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and ancient on the planet." Miles

The general context in which the script and the film appeared:

In the late 1990s, the screenwriter Rex Pickett was visiting the Santa Ynez Valley, at that time the area was not very frequented by tourists or with spectacular sales, having mainly plantations of Pinot Noir, a not very popular variety. Pickett was writing a new script, after a short time ago another script he had made had not been successful, and his personal life was completely turned upside down by the divorce and its consequences. Sideways is largely an autobiographical experience, including a passion for wine and Pinot Noir, which turned into a hit for both cinema and the wine industry.

Pinot Noir is a variety with less plasticity of culture compared to the other red varieties, which reaches its maximum potential in areas with a cool climate, it is a variety that needs a lot of care, being a sensitive variety. The wines obtained from Pinot Noir are red wines with subtle, fine aromas of cherries, sour cherries, berries, and mushrooms, with slightly spicy and earthy notes, it has a light to medium body, with moderate acidity, fine tannins, a soft and velvety texture.

Most consumers are moving towards drinking fuller red wines with stronger and more pronounced tannins with easily perceptible intense aromas, such as wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is said about consumers, that those who turn to wine, will go from heavier, bigger wines to very delicate wines, so they will first understand Cabernet, then Merlot, and only then Pinot Noir wines, according to consumers can go up and down this scale according to their preferences.

How the film changed the world of wine.

Miles creates an idyllic image for Pinot Noir and deeply despises popular wines made from Merlot.

The film, being a comedy, takes any description or dialogue about wine into an area that cannot be very serious, so it manages to address everyone, not just aficionados. Miles' character, the only one deeply into wine, only has strong, rather radical opinions about wine which he shares with anyone who will listen, compared to Jack, who is uninterested in wine, only interested in consuming alcohol for personal pleasure. The tasting scenes humorously demonstrate all that is snobbish about wine, while making wine appealing and accessible to all who want to drink it.

There is a scene in the film, which, despite being extremely short, managed to change the world of wine. Jack, talking to Miles about going out to dinner with his two girlfriends, tries to get him to let the women choose the wine, at which point Miles famously says, "No, if someone orders Merlot, I am leaving. I'm not going to drink an f…. of Merlot".

This seemingly insignificant line, as well as Miles' passion for Pinot, got wine drinkers not only talking about the film and the wine in it but also drinking more Pinot.

In a 2009 case study, Sonoma State University economics professor Steven Cuellar found a measurable decline in Merlot sales of about 2% from January 2005 (the film was released in October 2004) to 2008. In the same time period, sales of Pinot Noir increased by 16%, it is now the second most planted variety in Sonoma, California. Pinot Noir has become one of California's iconic wines.

"California Pinot Noir production has increased by about 170% since the release of Sideways," says wine industry analyst Gabriel Froymovich of Vineyard Financial Associates, noting that total wine grape production has increased by 7-8% over the same period. "I think people who were interested in wine saw the passion for Pinot Noir in the film, decided to explore this variety, and realized what a wonderful wine it is that comes from these grapes."

Another effect of the film is the appearance of the Wine Road, if you are in Santa Barbara and want to visit the wineries featured in the film, you can follow the route, which visits some of the wineries that appeared in the film.

After the release of the film, tourists flocked to the area, wanting to taste the wines from the film and live the same experience. Queues formed in front of the wineries, and people blocked the entrance to the tasting rooms, so even the employees who had the keys to open the tasting rooms had a hard time getting through them.

In a single year, 40,000 self-guided “Sideways” maps were distributed, wineries expanded tasting rooms to accommodate all the people newly interested in Santa Ynez Valley wines, and Los Olivos alone added nearly 20 new rooms for tasting.

The crowds came for the movie but stayed for the wine.

Even now traces of the film can be seen everywhere, The Windmill Inn has changed its name to The Sideways Inn, the bar to The Hitching Post II, the napkins say "forever Sideways" and in the tasting room of The Hitching Post, there are stills from the movie and behind-the-scenes photos and wine bottles made especially for the movie. Winery tour maps are still distributed and there are even guided tours or themed weekends sold by travel agencies.

Today, there are more than a million cases of wine coming out of the valley every year. You don't have to go to the Santa Ynez Valley to taste them, but as "Sideways" fans can attest, the visit is definitely worth the trip.