Study and careerWorking in wine
Sommelier movies: the wine films and documentaries worth watching
From Somm and Uncorked to Sideways and Blind Ambition: the films and documentaries about sommeliers and wine, what each one shows, and which to watch if you're studying.
Updated October 2026
Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier
4 min read
The short answer: watch Somm (2012) to see what preparing for the Master Sommelier exam really looks like, Uncorked (2020) for a story about wanting to become a sommelier, Blind Ambition (2021) for the most moving, and Sideways (2004) for the wine film people still quote.
The watch list at a glance
| Title | Year | Type | Watch it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somm | 2012 | Documentary | The Master Sommelier exam, up close |
| Somm 3 | 2018 | Documentary | Blind tasting and the legacy of the Judgment of Paris |
| Blind Ambition | 2021 | Documentary | Four Zimbabwean sommeliers at a world tasting championship |
| Uncorked | 2020 | Drama | A young man chasing the Master Sommelier dream |
| Sideways | 2004 | Comedy-drama | Pinot Noir, California wine country, friendship |
| Bottle Shock | 2008 | Drama | The 1976 Paris tasting, dramatised |
| A Good Year | 2006 | Romantic comedy | A vineyard in Provence |
| Drops of God | 2023 | TV series | A blind-tasting contest for a legendary cellar |
- Somm
- Year2012
- TypeDocumentary
- Watch it forThe Master Sommelier exam, up close
- Somm 3
- Year2018
- TypeDocumentary
- Watch it forBlind tasting and the legacy of the Judgment of Paris
- Blind Ambition
- Year2021
- TypeDocumentary
- Watch it forFour Zimbabwean sommeliers at a world tasting championship
- Uncorked
- Year2020
- TypeDrama
- Watch it forA young man chasing the Master Sommelier dream
- Sideways
- Year2004
- TypeComedy-drama
- Watch it forPinot Noir, California wine country, friendship
- Bottle Shock
- Year2008
- TypeDrama
- Watch it forThe 1976 Paris tasting, dramatised
- A Good Year
- Year2006
- TypeRomantic comedy
- Watch it forA vineyard in Provence
- Drops of God
- Year2023
- TypeTV series
- Watch it forA blind-tasting contest for a legendary cellar
Documentaries about sommeliers
- Somm (2012). Jason Wise follows four candidates, Ian Cauble, Brian McClintic, Dustin Wilson and DLynn Proctor, as they prepare for the Court of Master Sommeliers' Master Sommelier exam: flashcards, maps and blind tastings at all hours. If you are studying for any sommelier exam, start here.
- Somm: Into the Bottle (2015). The second film turns from the exam to the wine itself.
- Somm 3 (2018). Fred Dame, Jancis Robinson and Steven Spurrier open bottles from their careers, and a blind tasting in New York, inspired by the 1976 Judgment of Paris, puts Pinot Noirs from around the world against Burgundy.
- Somm 4: Cup of Salvation (2024). Wine's place in human history, and its bond with the land.
- Blind Ambition (2021). Robert Coe and Warwick Ross follow Joseph Dhafana, Tinashe Nyamudoka, Marlvin Gwese and Pardon Taguzu, Zimbabweans who built careers as sommeliers in South Africa, as Zimbabwe's first team at the World Wine Tasting Championships. A film about hospitality, grit and pride.
Feature films
- Uncorked (2020). Directed by Prentice Penny, for Netflix. Mamoudou Athie plays Elijah, a young man in Memphis who wants to become a Master Sommelier, while his father, played by Courtney B. Vance, wants him to take over the family barbecue restaurant. The closest a drama has come to the study grind.
- Sideways (2004). Alexander Payne's film about two friends on a week in California's Santa Barbara wine country. Miles loves Pinot Noir and refuses to drink Merlot. It won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and it is often credited with making Pinot Noir fashionable.
- Bottle Shock (2008). The story of the 1976 Paris tasting, where French judges, tasting blind, placed Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay from Napa first among the whites. Alan Rickman plays the organiser, Steven Spurrier. It is a dramatised version: enjoy it as a film, and read the history separately.
- A Good Year (2006). Ridley Scott directs Russell Crowe as a London trader who inherits his uncle's vineyard in Provence, from Peter Mayle's novel. Light, sunny and more about life than wine.
A series to binge
Drops of God (Apple TV+, 2023) is based on the Japanese manga. A young French woman and a Japanese wine expert compete in a series of tasting trials for a famous wine collection. The tasting scenes are gripping, and closer to an exam than most films get.
What the films get right, and what they leave out
- Right: the study. Somm's flashcards and mock tastings are exactly how candidates prepare.
- Right: the passion, and the pressure of blind tasting.
- Left out: most of the job. A sommelier's night is mostly hospitality: carrying cases, polishing glasses, reading a table and finding the right bottle at the right price.
- Left out: the snob is a cliché. The best sommeliers make guests feel at ease, not tested.
If you're studying
Watch Somm before you book an exam, so you know what you're signing up for, then switch off the screen and taste. My guides for each step: the Level 1 practice test, how to become a Certified Sommelier and preparing for the Advanced. For words to live by, see sommelier quotes, and who really said them.
Questions people ask
What is the movie about sommeliers?
Somm (2012), a documentary following four candidates preparing for the Master Sommelier exam. For a drama, watch Uncorked (2020).
Is Somm a true story?
Yes. It is a documentary about real candidates sitting the real exam.
Is Bottle Shock based on a true story?
It is based on the real 1976 Paris tasting, where a Napa Chardonnay came first among the whites. Characters and details are dramatised.
Which wine film made Pinot Noir famous?
Sideways (2004) is often credited with boosting Pinot Noir's popularity, thanks to its hero's love of the grape.
For sommeliers · next steps