Watch Sour Grapes

Sour Grapes is a captivating 2016 documentary about the world of fine wine collecting, featuring a cast of renowned experts in the field. At its core, the film tells the story of Rudy Kurniawan, a young Indonesian immigrant who managed to scam the wine industry for millions of dollars by producing counterfeit bottles of some of the world's most sought-after wines. The film begins by introducing us to the world of fine wine collecting, highlighting the immense wealth and prestige that surrounds the hobby. We meet Laurent Ponsot, a French winemaker who hails from one of the most prestigious wine-making families in the world. We also hear from Jay McInerney, a wine critic and novelist, who speaks to the allure and mystique of rare and expensive wines.

The film then introduces us to Rudy, a young man who seemed to appear out of nowhere in the world of fine wine collecting. Rudy began attending high-end wine auctions in the early 2000s and quickly gained a reputation as a wine connoisseur who had access to some of the rarest and most valuable wines in the world. Rudy was known for his lavish spending habits, regularly dropping millions of dollars on rare bottles of wine. He quickly became a darling of the wine collecting world, socializing with some of the biggest names in the industry.

However, as the film progresses, we learn that Rudy's wealth and prestige were built on a foundation of lies. Rudy was producing counterfeit bottles of some of the world's most valuable wines, fooling collectors and auction houses into thinking they were buying genuine bottles that were worth millions of dollars. The film does an excellent job of unpacking the web of deceit that Rudy wove, detailing how he managed to create such convincing forgeries and how he managed to persuade collectors to part with such vast sums of money.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the film is the behind-the-scenes look at the fine wine industry. The film shows how much of the wine collecting world is built on a foundation of speculation and hearsay. Because wines are so rare and expensive, it is often difficult to establish their provenance or determine whether they are genuine or counterfeit. The film shows how collectors rely on the opinions of experts (like Jay and Laurent) to determine which wines are worth investing in, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that drives up the value of certain bottles.

Ultimately, the film is a window into a world that most of us will never experience. It's an intriguing, engrossing look at the life of a young man who managed to scam a group of wealthy and sophisticated collectors out of millions of dollars. But more than that, it's a meditation on the nature of value, authenticity, and the lengths to which people will go to acquire them. The film challenges viewers to consider what it means to truly know something, and to examine our own predispositions towards the things we hold dear.

Overall, Sour Grapes is a well-crafted documentary that is sure to appeal to wine lovers and non-wine lovers alike. The film features a cast of characters that are sure to capture your attention, and the story is told in a way that is both informative and entertaining. Whether you're interested in wine collecting, are a true crime buff, or simply enjoy a good story, Sour Grapes is definitely worth checking out.

Sour Grapes is a 2016 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2.