Red Obsession
Narrated by: Russell Crowe
Directed By: David Roach and Warwick Ross
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi

[rating: 3/5]

You could be forgiven if you look at the basic synopsis of Red Obsession and think that this kind of documentary could be a potentially dull viewing experience, especially if you have no interest in the subject matter. While interest will definitely elevate your experience, for the uninitiated the Red Obsession admirably manages not to bore those who don’t give two hoots about the business of wine.

Red Obsession starts off with beautiful shots of the French Bordeaux vineyards and wineries as the dulcet tones of Russell Crowe narrates intermittently. The audience is treated to a quick history lesson and then reassured by an onslaught of purple-toothed Europeans how positively wonderful and life-changing a good red wine can be, as long as it’s cultivated during a ‘perfect harvest’. A ‘perfect harvest’ is something that occurs a few times a century but actually managed to happen two years in a row in 2009/2010 which saw the prices of Bordeaux wines sky-rocket on the global market. We are then whisked to other parts of Europe as people who specialise in selling wine on a global scale talk about the international markets and how crazy-ridiculous prices for these bottles of wine are getting. People are starting to see wine as a long-term investment rather than something to relax to on a Tuesda-er… Friday night. Eventually we head east to Hong Kong and China where grape-wine is a relatively new phenomenon and a recently formed exorbitant Chinese Middle-Class (here I was thinking I grew up Middle-Class, but these people buying $50, 000 bottles of wine are making me question my upbringing) sees obtaining Bordeaux wine as a status symbol, the main problem being that China’s demands may be too much for the wineries back in Bordeaux to handle.

While it does offer an interesting look into Global Economies, Markets and Branding as well as the business of making high-class wines, there’s not much here than a little bit of intrigue. It is definitely more about informing the viewer, rather than seeking to engage, with no real emotional through-line to make you care enough about what’s happening on screen. At times it seems like the owners of the Bordeaux wineries are just complaining about being too successful. It’s as if we’re supposed to sympathise and feel sorry for them because they’re doing so well that they can’t keep up with demand.

It’s a good sign, however, that as someone who has no particular interest in economics or the business of wine, I was never bored by Red Obsession. The majority was quite engaging and interesting to watch which is a testament to how well made this documentary is. That said, I didn’t feel like I walked away with as much as I would have if I was actually interested in the subject matter. There are definitely worse ways to spend 75 minutes, but unless you house passion for either wine or economics, then perhaps it’s best you look elsewhere.