Wine in Movies and TV: 5 Appearances That Left a Mark on Screen
Wine in movies and TV shows is never just a prop: it tells a story and sometimes it triggers a full-blown wine massacre. A sangria made with one of the most expensive wines on earth, a canned kir royal born in a Netflix series, a film that single-handedly tanked a whole grape variety… On screen, what's in the glass says a lot. 🍷 Here are 5 iconic (or recent) references, each with the fun fact behind it. Spoiler: the last one, you can actually drink.
1. "Barbecue": the Pétrus sangria, sacrilege and proud of it
In the French comedy Barbecue (2014), one scene makes every wine lover wince: a character grabs a Pétrus 1989 a Pomerol grand cru that trades for over €2,000 a bottle and drowns it in a sangria. Ice cubes, orange slices, the works. Somewhere, a sommelier is still crying.
That's the whole joke: sacrificing a treasure for a backyard cooler. Team "drink what you want, how you want," we're 100% on board… but maybe not with the Pétrus, actually.
2. "Emily in Paris": the kir royal in a can (yes, really)
In Emily in Paris, wine isn't set dressing, it becomes a business. In season 3, Emily Cooper has a lightbulb moment for a client of agency Savoir: what if you rejuvenated the kir royal, that drink she just discovered at Camille's family table? Her pitch: an individual format, a mini bottle or a can and the chic aperitif goes portable. A kir royal you crack open.
The wink went beyond the screen: Chamère became a real product, offered in three formats (can, mini bottle and full-size bottle), all glamour and fun. One catch for us: its sale is banned in France. Proof that a series can spawn a brand. ✨
3. "Sideways": the film that crashed Merlot
Sideways (2004) is THE cult film for wine lovers. Its hero, a wine geek on the edge of a breakdown, worships Pinot Noir and openly despises Merlot, which he flatly refuses to drink in a now-famous scene.
The wild part is the real-world fallout: after the film's release, Merlot sales dropped in the US while Pinot Noir took off. Economists even named the phenomenon "the Sideways effect". The moral: one movie line can put an entire grape on the mat. 😦
4. James Bond: 53 years loyal to the same champagne
You can't talk wine on screen without 007. Since Live and Let Die (1973), James Bond and Bollinger champagne have been a love story: 53 years together, one of cinema's longest-running product placements. Bond has changed faces over the decades, but never his bubbles. (Before Bollinger, he did flirt with Dom Pérignon now and then — nobody's perfect. 😉)
5. "The Apostrophe": the bottle that becomes the hero
What if wine were no longer the backdrop, but the hero? That's the bet behind The Apostrophe, the AI series by U'Weini, the world's first AI series dedicated to wine. A U'Weini bottle sends its heroine, Li Wei, on a real adventure, part thriller, part search for meaning. 🤩
The twist: here, the bottle isn't a prop, it's the remote control of the series. You tear off its label, you scan its NFC chip, and the episodes unlock. Wine doesn't just show up on screen: it lets you step inside. And you don't need a €2,000 Pétrus for that, the bottle is yours from €14.90, exclusively at Maison Nicolas (France).
Why is cinema so obsessed with wine?
Because a bottle says a lot without a single line. Wine places a milieu, an era, a relationship to money or pleasure. A grand cru wasted on sangria, a hero's champagne, a snubbed grape: every glass is a character shortcut.
That's also why U'Weini chose to tell wine through fiction rather than a tasting sheet. You don't just drink wine, you live a story. 😉
And because good wine deserves it: please drink responsibly.
Discover The Apostrophe and the U'Weini range, available exclusively at Maison Nicolas.
FAQ — Wine in movies and TV shows
What wine appears in the movie Barbecue?▼
In the French comedy Barbecue (2014), a cult scene shows a character using a Pétrus 1989, a Pomerol grand cru selling for over €2,000 a bottle, to make a sangria. A deliberately provocative clash between an exceptional wine and a casual backyard drink.
What is the Chamère wine from Emily in Paris?▼
Chamère is a kir royal dreamed up in season 3 of Emily in Paris, designed in individual formats (can, mini bottle). It became a real product in three formats, though its sale is banned in France.
What is the Sideways effect?▼
It's the real market impact of the film Sideways (2004): after its release, Merlot sales dropped in the US while Pinot Noir sales rose. The phenomenon has been documented.
What champagne does James Bond drink?▼
James Bond has been associated with Bollinger champagne since Live and Let Die (1973), 53 years of partnership, one of cinema's longest. In some older films, he also drank Dom Pérignon.
What is U'Weini's series The Apostrophe?▼
The Apostrophe is the world's first AI series dedicated to wine, produced by U'Weini. The bottle is what triggers heroine Li Wei's adventure: you can buy it from €14.90 and unlock the episodes by scanning its NFC chip. Here, wine isn't an extra, it opens the story.
