Maynard's wine movie,

Some cities have an unexplainable affinity for one or two musical groups. For example, my hometown of Las Cruces, NM has perhaps the highest per capita rates of Bone Thugs n’ Harmony fans (also high is the Cypress Hill fanbase). Albuquerque has always seemed to me a Tool town. Bumper stickers, t-shirts and tattoos attest to this observation, as does the turnout for the recent bottle signing that lead singer/winemaker Maynard James Keenan conducted at the Whole Foods on Indian School; where thousands lined up to purchase a bottle or two of wine, and get some face time, while the singer-oenophile signed away. Because of the massive turnout, most fans were no doubt disappointed with the brief encounter with this iconic man.

Albuquerque Tool and wine lovers alike can get a more intimate view of Maynard and the trials and tribulations of attempting to forge a wine frontier in the high desert of Arizona (where Maynard has been creating his Caduceus wines for the past 10 years), on March 13, when the documentary “Blood into Wine” makes its Albuquerque premier at the Guild Theater. There will be only two screenings of this film (5:00 and 7:30 pm – all seats $9). I recently sat down to watch the film, and composed the following tasting notes.

Blood into Wine, 2010
The initial perception is visual, where one is confronted by supersaturated, and digitally manipulated scenes: quite pleasing. Much like the wine created in the film, it has some nice legs (there is a Milla Jovovich cameo).

As the film develops, we get a far more intimate picture of Maynard than we’re used to from this self-consciously aloof performer. A healthy dose of humor perfectly balances the technical aspects of wine making. Very entertaining.

Overall, this is a damn good film. The finish made me long to sip some Arizona Cabernet Sauvignon, maybe while listening to the old standby “Prison Sex,” or better yet, “Sober.”