Society & Economy

Grr... Europe! A wine romance

How do we live in Europe? What do we really know about our ´fellow countrymen´? With its partners, Franco-German channel ARTE inaugurated an ambitious collection of twenty documentaries which explore the lives of various inhabitants of the European Union. Be they squatters, ministers, farmers or holidaymakers, they were followed by young film-makers from their country equipped only with a basic digital camera. These are entertaining portraits which both arouse our curiosity and encourage reflection, sometimes with a provocative and ironic tone.

This story unravels in a French Provencal vineyard, its protagonists are modern Europeans, and its subject is the way they communicate thanks to wine. The main characters are Mr. Knapp, a multi-lingual architect and the vineyard´s owner from Baden-Baden in Germany; Madame Françoise, the share cropper´s wife, who puts as much energy into doing work as criticizing her European contemporaries. Toby is working grape-picking for Mr. Knapp during his gap year. His father, George, never lost for words, is a lover of great wines and a specialist in European business. He was previously an advisor to Lady Thatcher, when she was Prime Minister. Their routes take us across Europe, from the grousing grape-pickers to the social niceties of George´s cocktail parties, from Parisian restaurants to the conclaves of German management. This European-flavored farce will undoubtedly raise a smile with all those who enjoy good food, good wine and a good controversy.