I love movies based on a true story, and the 2008 film Bottle Shock has always been a favorite. But what is actually true and what is artistic license? Read on. 

The climax of the movie centers on the Judgment of Paris from 1976, a blind taste test that put Napa on the radar of serious wine drinkers worldwide. Although Napa was already fairly well known -- the Robert Mondavi Winery was established there in 1966 -- the Judgment of Paris was the catalyst for the explosive growth of the Napa Valley wine industry. 

The roots of winemaking in Napa date to the 1800s. The industry withered significantly as a result of Prohibition, however, until the blind tasting brought credibility back to American wine producers. 

The movie starred Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, Bill Pullman, and Rachael Taylor. Rickman plays Steven Spurrier, a sommelier who owns a struggling wine store in Paris. As a marketing ploy, Spurrier decides to hold a blind taste test to introduce the French to quality wines produced outside their country. The French had a long history of disdain for the wine-producing abilities of outsiders. 

In search of quality wines to be judged alongside their French counterparts, Spurrier visits California and ends up in Napa Valley at Chateau Montelena. He meets with Jim Barrett, played by Pullman, and introduces him to the concept behind the taste test. Barrett is suspicious and believes Spurrier is setting him up to be a laughingstock for the French, so he refuses. Barrett's son Bo, played by Pine, goes behind his father's back and gives Spurrier samples of the winery's 1973 Chardonnay. 

Bo is a Jeff Spicoli-esque surfer type who consistently disappoints his father due to a lack of motivation. Taylor's character of Sam Fulton is an attractive young grad student interning at the winery, but more on those two later. 

One of the turning points of the movie is when the Chardonnay turns brown in the bottles. Out of frustration, Barrett Sr. orders an employee to dump it, not realizing the effect is only temporary, the result of limiting oxygen levels during production. After realizing the Chardonnay is unspoiled, Bo and Sam race against time to save it. In a classic Hollywood moment, Bo's truck breaks down and the circumstances look even more dire. Bo tries to get help by waving down a passing driver but fails; Sam removes her shirt and gets the necessary attention. 

Bo is then invited to Paris for the tasting competition, where he represents his fellow vintners. In a twist that upended the expectations of the global wine industry, the eight Parisian judges named the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay their favorite, with another California wine, the Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 1973, winning the red category. 

As a nod to the significance of the result, the Smithsonian Institution dedicated a display case to the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. A number of follow-up competitions have been held since. The Parisian judges in the first event were confident the American wines would not stand the test of time. In an anniversary contest in 2006, the California wines were placed against their French counterparts again, and California won. 

Though Spurrier asked numerous journalists to cover the first event, only one showed up: George Taber of Time magazine. His article was only four paragraphs long but is the primary reason the event earned any notoriety at all. 

That four-paragraph article has always intrigued me, for reasons that go beyond wine. It is a reminder of how the right words, placed in the right publication at the right moment, can redirect the trajectory of an entire industry, reshape consumer tastes worldwide, and create ripple effects that span generations. The Napa Valley wine economy today, the careers of the Barrett family, the global perception of American winemaking—everything traces back to a few hundred words written by a single journalist who almost did not show up. 

Jim Barrett made wine into his 80s. His son Bo Barrett is the current CEO of Chateau Montelena and the spouse of Heidi Barrett, the individual who inspired the character of Sam Fulton. 

Heidi Barrett is an icon in the American wine industry. Her father was a winemaker, and she has been the creative force behind many famous California wines. The industry is traditionally male-dominated, and her story is compelling for many reasons -- among them that she was one of only four women in her grad school class at UC Davis, where she earned a degree in Fermentation Science. She is also a helicopter pilot and the mother of Chelsea Barrett, who leads winemaking at Materra Cunat Family Vineyards. A favorite from her portfolio is La Sirena Wine. 

As with most films based on a true story, creative licenses are at play. That does not make the movie any less enjoyable. And should you decide to pair it with a Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from 1973, you can get one for around $56,000. 

For those curious about fine wine as a small alternative asset, it has historically outperformed many traditional investments over long periods, though liquidity and storage matter considerably. Wine.com is a good starting point for exploring current vintages, and Vivino is the most widely used app for wine ratings and discovery. 

For more on the intersection of wealth, culture, and aspirational living, see the features on the Greta Garbo estate in Beverly Hills and the 1951 John Lautner house in Long Beach. For the financial side of owning real assets, the stocks vs. real estate breakdown is worth reading.