A Closer Look at the Sideways Effect
Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church and Alexander Payne
In the classic road trip comedy Sideways, Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) and Jack Cole (Thomas Haden Church) drown in California wine and women while mourning their fading youth and failed ambitions. The truths behind this fictionalized account based on burnt-out ex-filmmaker and wine connoisseur Rex Pickett's book remain primarily untold until now.
The Authors
Kirk Honeycutt, Mira Advani Honeycutt and Alexander Payne
In Sideways Uncorked: The Perfect Pairing of Film & Wine, Kirk Honeycutt and Mira Advani Honeycutt crafted a book designed to appeal to oenophiles, cinephiles, and armchair travelers. The authors married in this region and Mira wrote about the Santa Barbara wine region for international publications, so they bring to this book an intimate familiarity with The Hitching Post restaurant and other local establishments frequented by Pickett and later director Alexander Payne in his meticulous research for this film. Also, Kirk Honeycutt reviewed the movie at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival for The Hollywood Reporter and was very attuned to Payne's immersive approach to filmmaking, especially following Payne's prior hit About Schmidt starring Jack Nicholson.
Their meticulous research in their roles as film critic and wine journalist, respectively, afforded the authors the singular insights that combined a cinematic analysis of this film and an intricate analysis of how this movie impacted the Santa Barbara wine country. To quote Sideways director Alexander Payne, "The Honeycutts' account of Sideways and its reverberations is so thorough that even I learned things I hadn't known. A delightful, accurate chronicle with great wine tips."
For example, when Peter Rice from Searchlight Pictures, was reading the screenplay for Sideways, he just happened to be drinking a glass of wine and noticed the bottle was a Hitching Post Pinot Noir. "He called that a Kismet-like moment," Kirk reflects.
The Real Sideways Effect
Tourism
Upon the film's initial release, the flood of tourists seeking to replicate their own Sideways experience overwhelmed local businesses and residents. They bemoaned watching their hidden community become another touristy "must-see" destination. This rapid influx of foot traffic created problems such as the sudden need for reservations to visit these formerly hidden gems. But thanks to the Honeycutt's in-depth research into this region, visitors can experience this wine region more as a local than part of the tourist crowd.
Pinot noir vs Merlot
“[Pinot Noir] can only grow in these really specific little tucked-away corners of the world. Only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really; only somebody who takes the time to understand Pinot’s potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. And, then, I mean, oh, its flavors. They’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and ancient on the planet.”
Sideways Uncorked
Even though this film is pure fiction, Miles’ infamous line "If anyone orders merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any f*cking merlot!” proved to have real-life consequences. A 2022 study in the Journal of Wine Economics titled, "A 'Sideways' Supply Response in California Winegrapes" explored "The Sideways Effect," a term coined to describe the impact of this film on the California Wine Industry. This study examined U.S. Department of Agriculture data from California vineyards for the period 1999-2012. Their research concluded that the positive supply response for pinot noir proved to be stronger than the negative response for merlot with a concentration in lower-value Central Valley vineyards.
In their book, the Honeycutts nuanced this report by adding that merlot grapevines were pulled from California vineyards following this film's release in anticipation of a decrease in demand for lower-quality merlot. They add that those pinot noir grapevines planted instead were often in soil deemed unsuitable for this extremely finicky grape. "In essence, bad merlot was replanted with bad pinot," Mira reflects.
This news proved to be of benefit to consumers as those California producers making premium merlots found their elevated wares could now shine in a less crowded merlot market. Conversely, the wine market became flooded with lower-quality California pinot noirs, though those Central Valley vintners known for producing quality pinot noirs continued to find an appreciative and growing audience. These wine aficionados may not mimic Miles’ mania but they share his poetic longing for that perfect elusive and ethereal pinot noir.
In celebration of this noble grape, the Honeycutts conclude their book with a curated roundup of pinot noir wines selected from key pinot noir growing regions: Santa Barbara County and other selected AVAs in California, Oregon's Willamette Valley, Burgundy, and New Zealand. Most of the pinots on their list have a price point between $50 and $100 so to encourage those who are pinot curious to sample these wines without being intimidated by the price point.
Given that about 90% of the people who come to their book signings have seen the movie, the Honeycutts recommend reading this book with a glass of pinot in hand. Consider taking a break from reading to watch the movie one (or fifty) more time(s).
As one who is currently listening to the audiobook of Pickett's novel Sideways, I recommend adding this work to the pinot pile for a full sensory Sideways experience. (Then if you're truly hooked, check out Pickett's follow-up works that explore Miles' wine journeys to Oregon, Chile, and New Zealand with a fifth book in the works.)