Contest! A DVD for Your Holiday Stocking

I knew I needed to celebrate the launch of our awesome new design with a contest. I need to give back to you guys, but I’m not exactly allowed to give away alcohol. Then I received in the mail two (yes two!) screener copies of Mondovino the Series. I received these free of charge from DVD producers Kino International. One is for me to watch, but the other is for you!

Now, I just got these DVDs in hand. It’s  a newly released, four-DVD set containing 10 hours of video, so I haven’t had a chance to watch – or review – this yet. It’s going to take some time.

But you can beat me to it. If you’re interested, just leave a comment below with a message about why you’d like to get your hands on this screener set. I’ll use a random generator to pick the winner and announce next Thursday. Make sure you include your email address in the appropriate field of the comments. (Email addressses are not tracked, shared, or used for anything except to tell you that you won.)

So, what is this DVD anyway?
Mondovino was a documentary released in 2004 that was fairly controversial. It really pushes the “small is better” theory and is not kind to larger winemakers, including the Mondavis and Staglins. According to Decanter.com,

“Many feel that in his portraits of Michel Rolland, the de Montilles of Burgundy, the Frescobaldis, Mondavis and other great wine families he relies on sophisticated editing to get his point across.

Rolland in particular is singled out for demonisation. Using multiple replays of a single shot of the wine consultant laughing in his chauffeur-driven Mercedes, the director contrives to make him appear a malevolent presence.

Similarly, clever cutting canonises figures like Mas de Daumas Gassac’s Aime Guibert, or turns the Staglins of Napa into cliches of insensitive Californians.”

The original movie was one of only four documentaries nominated for the Palm d’Or at Cannes. The director, Jonathan Nossiter, turned that one film endeavor into a 10-part television series that supposedly is a more in-depth “investigation into the wine world, and more ‘intimate and detailed’ portraits of wine families” as compared to the original film. He covers everything from California to France. The series originally aired, from what I can find, on BBC Africa and BBC Food.

But I want you to keep in mind that this film raised the ire of many in the wine industry, as well as receiving a lot of praise. It’s often been called a one-sided documentary, and it does, in essence, charge Mondavi and Robert Parker with turning wine into a commodity such as coffee at Starbucks. This was filmed over four years at the beginning of the decade as well, and I’d like to think several things in the wine industry have changed over the last 5 years.

But the point of a documentary, even if you don’t agree with the filmmaker, is to make you think about, and consider, the subject.

If you’re interested in learning more, leave a comment telling me why. Maybe you’ll be the lucky random winner!

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13 Responses to “Contest! A DVD for Your Holiday Stocking”

1. writetechnology says:

   December 3, 2009 at 9:19 am

   New on Wine-Girl.net: Contest! A DVD for Your Holiday Stocking http://bit.ly/54MFH6

   This comment was originally posted on Twitter
2. George says:

   December 3, 2009 at 9:21 am

   I’m always up for checking out a piece about wine and wine-making. Especially one that praises the little guy.
3. valereee says:

   December 3, 2009 at 9:22 am

   I’d definitely love to learn more! There was a fascinating story recently on NPR about this subject — http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120846050 — about the fact that most wineries, even those producing very expensive premium wines, aren’t actually make or bottle their own wines any more. It’s all accomplished in a factory, not a vineyard. There’s an article at The Daily Beast, too — http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-03/how-wine-became-like-fast-food/
4. Manon says:

   December 3, 2009 at 9:22 am

   Hello,

   What that’s a nice prize.
   Why I would like to win ? Because sounds like a really nice thing to do with a blanket, a glass of wine some fine chocolates… sounds like the perfect evening.
5. Michelle says:

   December 3, 2009 at 5:31 pm

   I love wine and love documentaries. Cozying up on the couch on a chilly winter night with a glass of my favorite red to learn a little about winemakers sounds like a wonderful way to relax!
6. Wine (Cincinnati) News – Week of December 3 – Uncorked Cincinnati says:

   December 3, 2009 at 10:52 pm

   [...] My Wine Education – A Holiday Contest Michelle over at My Wine Education is running a Holiday contest with the prize being the 2004 documentary film Mondovino on DVD.  Michelle has been covering the wine industry and Greater Cincinnati wine events since 2005 and is definitely a wine blog to follow. [...]
7. twinos says:

   December 4, 2009 at 4:12 am

   #Wine Blogger Post: Contest! A DVD for Your Holiday Stocking http://bit.ly/6y9oA1

   This comment was originally posted on Twitter
8. Featured Cincinnati Wine Events: Dec 5 – 11 « My Wine Education says:

   December 4, 2009 at 11:57 am

   [...] don’t forget to leave a comment on the Contest post. You could win a new screener copy of Mondo Vino the [...]
9. writetechnology says:

   December 5, 2009 at 8:53 am

   Hey everyone! Don’t forget to leave a comment on my Contest post to win a copy of Mondo Vino the Series! http://bit.ly/4KuGZr

   This comment was originally posted on Twitter
10. John B says:

    December 5, 2009 at 7:49 pm

    Hi!

    I met you at the dessert wine tasting. You have a great site and I look forward to following your writing. I’d love a nice controversial DVD about wine. Sounds interesting.

    Thanks.
11. A Visit to the Alaskan Brewery | My Wine Education says:

    December 7, 2009 at 9:26 am

    [...] forget to enter our DVD Contest! A winner will be chosen on [...]
12. Wyndy says:

    December 7, 2009 at 10:00 pm

    I would love to get my hands on this DVD. It sounds very enlightening and educational, especially for the new to wine tasting. I hope I win!!!
13. We have a winner! | My Wine Education says:

    December 10, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    [...] have a winner in our DVD Giveaway Contest!  I used Random.org to pick a numbered comment and the winner was number 7! Number 7 is John, so [...]