Science on Screen: Exploring Terroir in "A Good Year," the Finger Lakes Region, and Beyond

Ridley Scott’s light-hearted romantic comedy A Good Year (2006) centers on failed London banker Max Skinner (Russell Crowe), who inherits his uncle’s vineyard in Provence, where he spent many happy childhood holidays.

 

Upon his arrival, he clashes with the long-time vineyard manager and winemaker Francis Duflot over the poor quality of the vineyard’s output. Fearful of being separated from his precious vines, Duflot bribes a vineyard inspector into telling Max that the vines are worthless. However, Duflot has a secret: he is secretly producing a mysterious wine called “Le Coin Perdu,” which is celebrated by critics and consumers but grown on unsanctioned vines, planted in collaboration with Max’s late uncle.

 

Like Provence, the Finger Lakes Region of New York — home to Cornell University — is an important wine-producing region best known for Riesling, a white grape variety that grows well in cooler climates. Why do some grapes grow better here than others? Why are certain places better for producing certain types of wine? What factors impact the taste of wine?

 

In this Science on Screen event, Ria D'Aversa, Lecturer in Viticulture in the School of Integrative Plant Science and owner of Ria’s Wines on Seneca Lake, and Cheryl Stanley, Senior Lecturer in Food and Beverage management at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, will offer an introduction to viticulture through the lens of A Good Year. They will begin by exploring questions of terroir, including how a particular region’s climate, soil, and terrain may affect the taste of wine. Next, they will offer a crash course in wine-tasting, using the film to illustrate what to do — and what not to do — to understand and appreciate each bottle’s unique terroir.

Special pricing applies for this event. Tickets are $5 each.

 

Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

About the Speakers

Ria D’Aversa is a Lecturer in Viticulture in the School of Integrative Plant Science and owner of Ria’s Wines on Seneca Lake. She finished her undergraduate degree in Botany and began her career working with plants at the New York Botanical Garden. While there, the 2008 economic crisis nudged her to take a sabbatical during which she traveled to Tuscany to work her first grape harvest. In her travels, many encouraged her to continue working with vineyards by applying to graduate school at UC Davis. She received a Master of Science from UC Davis, focusing on viticulture and soil systems. Since then, she has worked at Broc Cellars in Berkeley, Tenuta Tignanello in Chianti, Treasury Wine Estates in Sonoma, McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma, Constellation Brands in Napa and at Hermann J. Wiemer in the Finger Lakes. Organic, deliberate farming is pivotal to her grape growing, and she continues her love for thoughtful, fresh wines through her own wine brand here in the Finger Lakes. 

Cheryl Stanley is a Senior Lecturer in food and beverage management at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration. She teaches courses on specific elements within the field of food and beverage operations, including Introduction to Wines, Catering and Special Events, and Beverage Management. She combines theoretical education with practical operational applications. Certified through multiple wine organizations, Stanley has conducted research on beverage costing in hotels, bars, and restaurants, as well as hospitality education, and has presented at beverage-related conferences. In 2015, she was awarded the Ted Teng '79 Dean's Teaching Excellence Award. She is a member of the Society of Wine Educators and the United States Bartenders' Guild. She is the faculty advisor for Cornell Cuvée, the blind wine tasting competition team, which has won first place at multiple international wine competitions. In 2017 she was selected as one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine's 40 under 40 Tastemakers.

Part of our "Science on Screen" series. Courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Criterion Pictures.