8. Sideways Led To A 2% Drop In US Merlot Sales
Sideways tells the story of two fortysomething friends as they plan a week-long road trip through California's Santa Ynez Valley. Struggling novelist and wine aficianado Miles (Paul Giamatti) intends to introduce Jack (Thomas Haden Church) to a spot of culture before the latter ties the knot. As much as the film acted as an advertisement for the Valley (and wine in general), the scene in which Miles snaps, in a rather snobbish outburst, ''I am
not drinking any f***ing Merlot!'' had an adverse effect on one particular brand. Suddenly, and somewhat unfairly, the grape had received something of a bad press (as it were) and, following the film's 2004 release, sales of Merlot fell 2% in the United States. All due to those seven little words. But while the film was a bane for some, it was a boost for others: pinot noir, the wine favoured by Miles, reported a 16% increase in sales in the same period. It's a startling reminder of just how we are influenced (consciously or not) by what we see before us; how a throwaway line can impact on an industry. Not to mention proof that Hollywood even dictates how we get ourselves p*ssed.