Rex Pickett on why wine lovers still love ‘Sideways’

Can we ever get enough of watching “Sideways” in Wine Country? Perhaps pinot fanatics can’t. On Aug. 19, Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma will host a rare showing of the movie, plus a wine tasting. And this might be the last chance for locals to see the movie on the big screen.

The 2004 cult classic follows the antics of two friends, Miles and Jack, on a wine-sipping spree in the Santa Ynez Valley. Miles, a depressed English teacher and wine aficionado, adores pinot and loathes merlot, leading to some memorable one-liners. After the film debuted, pinot sales rose while merlot sales dropped noticeably. Author Rex Pickett, who wrote the novel that was the basis for the movie, will field questions after the screening. Because “Sideways” is largely streamed at home these days, this could be its final commercial theater showing, he said.

“How fitting that it’s in Sonoma, home to some of the most sublime pinot noirs in the world, the grape variety my alter ego Miles (played by Paul Giamatti) made famous,” Pickett said.

A handful of wineries will be pouring their flagship pinot noirs before the screening. Vintner Mark McWilliams of Healdsburg’s Arista Winery will be one of them.

“‘Sideways’ was a pop-cultural phenomenon,” McWilliams said. “I can think of few events that have had such a direct, positive effect on my business as ‘Sideways’ did when it was initially released. ... Pouring before the screening is a fun and authentic way for us to connect with wine lovers and especially pinot noir lovers.”

The vintner said he’ll be pouring his Arista, 2021 UV Lucky Well Vineyard Pinot Noir, priced at $100. Other Sonoma wineries at the tasting will include Nicholson Ranch, Buena Vista Winery, Patz & Hall and Walt Wines.

“The impact ‘Sideways’ had on pinot noir production cannot be overstated,” said James Hall, founder and winemaker of Patz & Hall winery in Sonoma. “It launched California pinot noir into a serious growth phase that has not slowed down since it came out.”

Dubbed the “Sideways” effect, pinot noir production in California has increased by about 170% since the film was released, according to Gabriel Froymovich of Vineyard Financial Associates.

While pinot noir is celebrated as the darling in the film, Miles curses merlot in “Sideways.” “If anyone is drinking merlot, I’m leaving. I’m not drinking any f---ing merlot,” Miles says at one point.

With this colorful line in mind, wine lovers will get a kick out of hearing the song “No Matter How Low We Go” that will be played after the screening. It’s a spin on the opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” deriding merlot in a playful, but bruising, way.

We talked with Pickett about why he thinks the film still resonates with people and his reaction to the “Sideways” effect.

Question: Why do you think “Sideways” still resonates with wine lovers to the degree it does?

Answer: “Sideways” resonates with both wine lovers and non-wine lovers. Non-wine lovers felt they were missing out. Wine lovers finally had a movie they could embrace that celebrated, though Miles (my alter ego), their passion for wine without it being dumbed down. When you get past the bawdy comedy, “Sideways” takes wine seriously. “Sideways” also resonated with people because it’s a very human, character-driven tragic-comedy that we see too little of today. I wrote it in a very low moment of my life, and I bared my soul. On the surface level, it’s a laugh-out-loud comedy. But go down geologically a level and it’s about mid-life crises and relationships. Slip down another level and it’s really about a man staring into the abyss of failure. And that resonates with viewers. Wine may be the setting and the backdrop, but the movie is really about what it’s like to be a flawed human, and that’s pretty much all of us.

Q: Were you surprised the merlot line became so popular and had the effect it had on merlot sales?

A: I was very surprised my merlot line had the effect it did. I had no idea when I wrote the novel that it would be a movie, and I had no idea that line would be in the movie, and I had no idea Paul Giamatti would utter it with the venom he did. These things are out of your control. It doesn’t bother me that people bring it up all the time or have me inscribe it on books, because it shows their appreciation for what I did, and it shows my book lives on, that I’m being remembered for what I did. I know for a fact that Paul Giamatti has grown weary of having to answer questions about that line or going to a restaurant and inevitably some knucklehead ordering a bottle of merlot and having it sent to his table. But I enjoy it.

Q: Do you feel you were fairly compensated for the success of “Sideways”?

A: A lot of people made a lot of money off of “Sideways” and mistakenly think I got rich off of it, but it’s far from the truth. But in no way am I bitter about it. In fact, I’m grateful for all the recognition I’ve received, and continue to receive. It’s so validating. Yes, I’m trying to take more control of the intellectual property I created by doing these events, but it’s wrong to say I’m trying to make a fortune out of it. There’s no fortune to be made out of it. Besides, I love meeting the fans and hearing their enthusiasm and hosannas for the film all these years later. Being remembered is more important to me than money. That’s something money can’t buy.

Q: What is your favorite part of “Sideways”?

A: I prefer the intimate moments, the philosophical asides. But I also like some of the high hilarity. It’s hard to write comedy in a novel. There are very few comic novels. To make people laugh is a great joy. My favorite scene is Jack returning to the motel naked in a complete state of pathetic dissolution. In that scene, Miles laughs for the first time in the movie. And he laughs uproariously, cathartically. Until Jack says they have to go back and retrieve the wallet. Great comedy is when you can pull off those whiplashing moments.

Q: Anything else to add?

A: The question I get asked a lot ... is what engendered “Sideways.” How personal was it? My answer is very personal. So personal, my ex-wife advised me to burn it. And she has an Oscar for Best Live Action Short from a script I wrote and is now chair of NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate film (program). That hurt. So did all the rejections from the publishing industry, over 225. There was a lot of pain to get to that comedy and finally see it in a theater, lovingly and faithfully adapted by master auteur filmmaker Alexander Payne.

You can reach wine writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.