Wine film review: Blood into Wine

Jonathan Howard

 Movie Review

Blood into Wine

                        The movie was called “Blood into Wine” and it was made by Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke. The movie focuses on Maynard James Keenan and his counterpart, Eric Glomski, in starting this vineyard in Arizona. Arizona has a world class wine region on the slopes of Verde Valley that has unique soil and environmental characteristics. The film highlights the grape growing process at Caduceus Cellars and the Merkin Vineyards.

            One key theme throughout the movie is how the soil and environment that the vineyards are planted in plays a huge role into the flavors that come out when you drink the wine. The unique natural environment where this vineyard is planted gives the wine a taste like no other and gives it distinct flavors only recognizable from that region. Another prevalent theme throughout the movie is that anyone can obtain a passion for wine and making wine regardless of their history/background. Maynard James Keenan was a rock star for a band called Tool and was known for being wild and crazy. Now, he focuses on growing his vineyard in peaceful Arizona which proves the point that anyone can gain an interest in the wine business. Another theme in the film deals with family and roots being emphasized in the wine making process. Keenan’s grandfather, ‘Spirito’ Marzo had owned vineyards in Italy back in the day. Keenan also talks about spreading his mothers, Judith Marie, ashes over the vineyard to honor her death. His first batch of wine was made with those ashes and named Nagual del Judith. Lastly, another key theme is the concept of ‘trial and error’ in relation to learning the grape growing process. He talks about dealing with animals eating the grapes, harsh weather conditions, and grape vines and how he’s had to alter his vineyard to account for these variables.

            The plot of this movie really is taking a look into Keenan’s vineyard and seeing the hardships that go along with trying to start a vineyard. There are also very comedic scenes where two guys interrogate Keenan in an attempt to make fun of his wine. I believe they make fun of him because so many people don’t take him serious for entering the wine industry after being a rock star. The movie discusses how Keenan links up with his mentor, Eric Glomski, and how they interact with each other. Throughout the movie Keenan talks about the area where he started his vineyard and how he chose that area based on the unique scents/aromas found in that environment. Keenan also talks about getting dirty and laboring hard to ensure that his vineyard comes out to become a success. Some of the chores he talks about performing are watering/pruning the vines, monitoring the acidity in the soil, harvesting, fertilizing, processing, and protecting the vineyard from animals and such. In conclusion, Keenan transitioned from being a rock star into a vineyard owner and is working on making a top notch vineyard in an area where no one thought it could be possible.

            The Verde Valley which is where this movie takes place would not be your first choice to grow grapes since it’s in south-central Arizona which is known to be a dry and humid place. In Arizona, the soil is volcanic and rocky mimicking areas like California and Washington State. Although the soil is unique, it also proves to be a challenge for the grape vines and it makes it hard to survive the Arizona climate. Glomski, Keenan’s partner, talks about the quality fruits along the waterways in the Verde valley and how he was drawn to this valley.

            From class, I remember learning about the fermentation and harvesting process and the film has several scenes where this takes place. Glomski pushes down the cap and shows how the tannins and juices all come together to make the wine. The film also talks about how the grapes have to be picked from the stems and then mushed into must. Keenan is also shown displaying how the vines have to be separated so they don’t tangle with one another stunting growth of the vines.

            Personally, I never listened to the music group Tool or knew who Maynard was before this movie. The fact that his passion for wine took him from a crazy rock band to growing grapes and making wine is amazing to me. I recommend this movie one hundred percent just because it shows the hardships of owning a vineyard and how anyone can do anything they want if they put their mind to it. Keenan in the movie talks about how he put his all into his music and now in this new chapter in his life, he’s putting his all into growing grapes and making wine.