Red Obsession

22 Nov 2012: It was such a privilege to be invited to the premier screening of ‘Red Obsession’ at Theatre Français in the heart of Bordeaux city. Red Obsession is an interview-based documentary produced by friends of ours from Australia about the Chinese obsession with red Bordeaux wine. In some ways, we feel that we have travelled some of the way with them along this 2-year journey in the making of this film and we were rather eager to see the result. Unlike Mondovino, the mood of the film was not one of controversy. Rather it was an elegant representation of the state of the wine industry in Bordeaux at this point in time, that it’s in a state of flux, that Bordeaux through its 200 year history, had seen ups and downs and had always managed to bounce back (triumphantly). Liv-Ex, the barometer of wine prices, was created on the basis that investment in wine (predominantly classed growth Bordeaux), over a 30-year timeframe, since the 80’s, had still outperformed a number of common investment asset classes. This underlines the premise that Bordeaux wine prices must have the ability to go up and down in dramatic moves.


The movie also served to intellectually explore the Chinese obsession with red Bordeaux, depicting the feverish heights of the obsession with Lafite, Lafite and Laifte, to the inspiration to build a château in China, to the purchase of châteaux in Bordeaux, and to the budding passion in making good quality Bordeaux blend red wine in China. The movie made connection with the rationale or lack of rationale in this obsession with a bitter past in China’s history, but also highlighted that China’s interest in red wine is also in a state of flux…..Brandname recognition and strong marketing effort would go some way to explain the increasing sales and the importance of the Chinese market. Slowdown in economy has not in any visible way reversed the growing trend, which is a good sign that the love of red wine is being embraced by more than just the super wealthy in China. Congratulations to the Red Obsession team on taking on such a much-discussed topic with such level-headedness! Bravo indeed! (And great photography!) We cannot wait till the movie goes on general release so we can see it again, (as we missed the first 10 minutes, thanks to the heavy traffic in Bordeaux city :(!

Our hosts laid on a wonderful cocktail dinatoire after the screening at Café Opera, right opposite the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux. A wonderful venue, housed inside the Grand Theatre, a beautiful 18th Century work of architecture by Architect Victor Louis. The snacks were really tasty! I think everyone (especially the interviewees) were all a little nervous about how this would turn out and it was to everyone’s relief that the result was a realistic, plausible and intellectual interpretation of this point in history.