Wine Film Review: Blood into Wine

Wine Film Review

Film: Blood into Wine

Setting: Arizona, USA

Tags: wine, Arizona, Tool, Maynard Keenan, Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Eric Glomski, desert, music, Caduceus Cellars, winery, winemakers, commerce, grapevines, New Napa Valley

In the United States, the four major wine growing states include New York, Oregon, Washington State, and California. The film, Blood into Wine, takes place in the Verde Valley of Arizona, an unexpected setting to an amateur wine enthusiast. South-central Arizona is best known for its unique climate, hot summers and quiet, mild winters. Blood into Wine is a documentary that sheds light on the wine making practices of Caduceus Cellars, a winery located in this region.  Owners Maynard James Keenan and Eric Glomski humorously explain the origin of Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards, the phases of the wine making process, winemaker tests and trials, and other challenges in the wine-making industry.

 Verde Valley, Arizona

The Verde Valley has some climate and soil characteristics that are similar to some of the great wine producing regions of the world. Fruit is able to fully ripen in the sunshine and Arizona heat. What is distinct to Arizona is the soil. Keenan explains that the soils are much rockier and volcanic than other soil types in places like California, Washington, and New York. In the film, he describes the point in time where he first considered growing grapes in Arizona. Keenan had no prior intensive experience in wine-making, nor did he know what challenges awaited in producing wine on Arizona soil. Keenan’s Grandfather, “Spirito” Marzo, had vineyards and made wine in Venaus, Italy, North of Turino in Piemonte. Keenan saw that there were a few other winemakers in Arizona’s Verde Valley region and visualized himself cultivating his own vineyard on the same land. Calling on his friend, Eric Glomski, the two were able to succeed in planting grapevines at Merkin Vineyards.

Merkin Vinyards sloped terrain

 Unlike California where yields are fruitful almost every year, the soils and stressful growing conditions force grapevines to struggle to survive in the Arizona climate. Moreover, Maynard’s yield is planted on the face of a mountain, where vines are planted meticulously to optimize sun exposure and reduce erosion in damaging weather. In the movie, Glomski and Keenan drive home the principal that winemaking is 90 percent labor. Wine growers are required to prune the vines, water the vines, monitor soil acidity, fertilize, harvest, processing, and protect the vineyard from other forces of the wilderness (ie. pest control management). Despite the challenges of climate, terrain, and wild animals partaking in Maynard’s grape stock, he and Glomski successfully produced at Merkin Vinyards. This first batch of Cabernet Sauvignon was called “Nagual del Judith,” which was a wine produced to honor the passing of his mother, Judith Marie. Blood into Wine also provides insight on Keenan’s music career and responses from critics on Arizona wines.

 

Keenan with a bottle of Nagual del Judith

For years, Keenan toured with Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer across the globe. However, in the film he explained that he would not tour as he once did after investing in Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars.  Perhaps the information on his music career does not lend insight on the wine making world, but it demonstrates the commitment he needed to make to ensure success in the wine making industry. Keenan explained that his new found passion and career was to be a wine maker, pursue different grape varieties, flavors, and methods of production. Moreover, he was passionate about the region and its opportunity to be a significant player in the domestic and global wine world. However, both he and Glomski argued that sales and perceptions of wine were influenced by industry entities with “power,” namely critics from Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.  Keenan drives home the idea that a person’s individual palate preference(s) should be the main reason why they choose a particular wine, not because of a critic review or opinion. The film features Keenan and Glomski touring new regions to promote Caduceus Cellars wines and grape varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Syrah, Barbera, as well as other varieties and blends.

 Caduceus Wines

The movie also features the story and background of Eric Glomski, Keenan’s business partner. Glomski first took an interest in grape growing after college while doing research and traveling along riversides. He talks about how he remembers traveling and picking berries, apples, and other fruit along waterways and the quality of the fruit. This is one reason that he was so drawn to the Verde Valley. The Verde River is a major tributary of the Salt River in Arizona. As a critical natural resource, Glomski explains that he and Keenan fought to have access to water resources and rights. Unlike other agriculture yields, grape vines require considerably less water, making it a viable crop given Arizona’s water resource limitations.

 Verde River in Arizona

What makes this film relevant to wine drinkers, especially beginner drinkers/enthusiasts, is that it breaks up the wine production process from start to finish. In the pruning season, the film depicts Keenan cutting roots and replanting the vines out on the vineyard in the Arizona heat. Proper training of grapevines is essential to maintain plant size, shape, productivity, and ensure an optimal harvest (all other conditions may change harvest outcomes but vine training is one key part). The film also features another farmer training grape vines in the autumn season, ensuring that the vines are on the arbor system for the coming year of fruit production. The movie also features processes and challenges that happen during wine grape growing season. Keenan stands next to hundreds of grape vines canopies and discusses the problems in managing sun, heat retention and reflection, and the need for net canopies for pest management. The film reviews the harvesting process, where grapes are picked by hand and moved off for the next step-must making. The grapes are separated from the stems and crushed into must. During the fermentation process, the film features Glomski pushing down the cap, showing how all of the tannins, juices and sugars are bubbling together with yeast to make Caduceus wine.  The film continues by highlighting the series of taste testing that occurs during the fermentation, pressing, and settling periods. In the movie, Keenan and Glomski explain that this is the part that they look forward to most- understanding the complexities of the yield, mixing certain varieties together, and measuring each ounce to concoct the right mix of flavors.  

 

Grapes at Merkin Vinyards

Overall, I think that I would definitely recommend this movie to a wine audience, especially individuals who are just starting to learn more about the craft of wine making. The movie provides a realistic perspective of how wine making is not an easy business- it requires a lot of capital, patience, hard labor, and creativity. Keenan and Glomski are both very down to earth and passionate about wine making. Each one offers token pieces of information to the viewer and parts wisdom of what they have learned thus far while working together and in the industry. What I find most important is that they both drive home the same idea that it is important to do what you love. Rather than meet the interests of wine critics and other influential players in the industry, Glomski and Keenan vow to continue to produce wine that they enjoy and that they can share with their consumer audience. I think this movie also provides more transparency on the wine making industry in Arizona and its potential as an upcoming wine producing region in the USA.    

Keenan and Glomski