First, an admission. I like almost any film about food or wine. I guess because I like almost any food or wine. The film, Back To Burgundy, is no exception.

It’s one of those prodigal son returns tales. In this case, his name is Jean and he’s returning to the family vineyard in Burgundy after ten years away in Chile and Australia. Back at the farm, Jean’s brother and sister, Jeremie and Juliette and a seriously ill father await.

The film is about the rifts that often come between generations, about the importance of family, and about the need for forgiving.

“Love is like wine. It needs time. It needs to ferment.”

There are, of course, lots of metaphors between the human condition and the growing of grapes but they’re never stretched beyond reasonable limits. There are also lots of words to get wine enthusiasts excited as well. Though personally unaffordable, I still like to hear words like Pommard, Chambertin and Meursault and I still like to see their intricacies being cheered in a world now dominated by big fruity wines.

Back To Burgundy made me want to do exactly what the title suggests. Thanks to some pleasant cinematography, the film made me want to be there, to be pretentiously swirling and sticking my nose in glasses, to be picking grapes and celebrating the harvest. To be taken to France, what I consider one of the world’s most special countries, without spending ten hours on an aeroplane, is, for me, a nice treat.

Back To Burgundy was released in 2018 to generally good reviews (a 6.9 on IMDB) and, unlike some wine-centric movies, I’m sure it can still put a smile on lips that never touch alcohol.

I’ll give the last words to Don Day’s Wife: “What a charming, little, feel-good movie.”

Back to Burgundy is the closing night film at San Miguel’s 2023 Food In Film Festival. The event runs from February 15 to 19, 2023. You’ll find complete information at https://www.foodinfilmsanmiguel.com.