The Pinot and Popcorn event in Cape Town filled two cinema theatres with eager audiences.
Two classics united in a vinous celebration this week when three producers of Pinot Noir wines co-hosted “Pinot and Popcorn”, a special screening of cult film Sideways at movie theatres in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The joint screening for wine lovers and trade professionals was held on International Pinot Noir Day, held annually on 18 August.
The event was presented by WCellar in collaboration with Paul Clüver Family Wines, pioneer of Pinot noir in Elgin; Iona Wines; and Haute Cabrière.
Wines offered to attendees included the Paul Clüver Village Pinot Noir and Iona Highlands Pinot Noir, both in the Elgin region. The former is a wine that employs younger vineyards and older barrels for maturation, to produce an accessible wine for daily enjoyment. The latter shows a perfumed, floral nose of rose petals, black and red cherries, strawberries and underlying spice notes.
Furthermore, guests also tasted the Franschhoek-made Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir Réserve, which is aged for 11 months in selected French oak barrels and shows notes of red berries, forest floor and cigar box, supported by well-rounded tannins. The cellar's unwooded expression places focus on fruit and is designed as an easy introduction to the category."
Andrew Gunn of Iona Wines; Tarryn Vincent of Riedel South Africa; WCellar wine buyer Charles Pohl; and Paul Clüver Family Wines cellarmaster Andries Burger.
The Cape Town event filled two cinemas at Ster Kinekor V&A Waterfront with guests eager to see the American comedy-drama that is 21 years old this year. When it was released, the film made that its impact in wine – particularly where Pinot Noir, which increased, and Merlot, which decreased – as “the Sideways Effect”.
Speaking at the 20th anniversary release last year, Rex Pickett, the author of Sideways and its filmmaker, is quoted saying that before the release of the movie, Pinot Noir was 1% of the red wine market in the US, “and now it’s at least 10% to 13%”.
“Merlot was 25%, and now it’s basically a blending variety. And the towns themselves, especially Solvang, which was just kitschy garbage in the ‘90s, now have dozens of tasting rooms and Michelin-starred restaurants.”
Paul Clüver Family Wines cellarmaster Andries Burger says the Sideways Effect had little effect in South Africa. It was, however, coincidental that the very year the film was released, that the Elgin cellar removed all red cultivars from its portfolio and made the decision to focus exclusively on Pinot Noir, a variety it had pioneered in the region in 1987.
These days, says Andries, the cultivar returns to prominence thanks to prevailing consumer preferences for lighter-style wines. The 2024 figures from SAWIS (South Africa Wine Information and Systems) (2024) show that Pinot Noir plantings have slowly increased in percentage of total area from 1.2% in 2017 to 1.4% in 2024 – a trend linked to the popularity of the cultivar as a still wine and Cap Classique, which has boomed in recent years.
Pinot Noir is the only variety of the biggest eight single variety reds to have done so, other than Pinotage. In terms of size, Pinot noir ranks seventh in terms of distribution, with 1 224ha. The biggest wine regions for the variety are the Cape South Coast with 366ha, Stellenbosch with 251ha and Robertson with 243ha.
All are major destinations for visitors, which is another element highlighted by the film. Its story recounts the road trip of two friends reaching middle age – Miles, a depressed, Pinot Noir-obsessed English teacher and unsuccessful writer, and Jack, a struggling actor – who explore Santa Barbara County wine country in the US to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding. It stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Sandra Oh.
A standout quote from the film linked to its influence on wine trends include words uttered by Miles to Jack, just prior to the couple embarking on a double date: “If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any f**king Merlot!”.
Later, Miles explains his fascination with Pinot Noir: “Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavours, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet.”
The event featured a tasting of Pinot Noirs from the various producers as well as snacks curated by WCellar.