Although any store you go into nowadays stocks a huge selection of California wines, there was a time when the world didn’t think much of wine produced in the United States. It was the same time that wine produced anywhere but France was considered subpar.

But what happened in 1976 changed all that.

It was the year that a small American winery bested the French wines of the time and sent the wine industry into a tizzy – putting California wines on the map for good.

Based on that true story, Bottle Shock chronicles the events leading up to the famous ‘Judgment of Paris’ tastings, told through the lives of father and son, Jim and Bo Barrett. A former real estate attorney, Jim (Bill Pullman) sacrificed everything to realize his dream of creating the perfect hand-crafted chardonnay. His business, however, is struggling, and he’s not only trying to overcome differences with his slacker son (Chris Pine), but is also fighting off the creditors.

Meanwhile in Paris, unwitting British wine shop owner Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) hopes to revive his own failing business by sponsoring a competition which will pit the traditional French powerhouse against the California upstarts.  Little did Steven and Jim realize that they were both on course to change the history of wine forever.

Anyway, to help promote the film I recently sat down with most of the cast and the interview below is with Chris Pine and Bill Pullman. As usual, I listed what we talked about above the interview. And as much as I would've LOVED to have asked Chris about Trek...sorry to say it didn't happen....

Finally, if you’d like to watch some movie clips from “Bottle Shock,” click here. 

Chris Pine and Bill Pullman

• When you’re going to be filming in Napa Valley and drinking a lot of wine, is it hard to say yes to a project….
• We talk about the wine subculture
• They talk about their characters in the movie – they plan father and son
• Bill then tells a very funny story about what just happened in real life….
• How was the set when they were making the film