It’s a weird one. Honestly, if you went into Niki Caro’s 2009 film A Heavenly Vintage expecting a standard, sun-drenched romance about stomping grapes, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little whiplashed by the time an angel with massive, dirty wings shows up in a dark vineyard.
The movie, originally titled The Luck of the Wine, tries to do a lot. It’s a period piece. It’s a supernatural fantasy. It’s a story about the agonizing pursuit of the perfect Pinot Noir in 19th-century France. But mostly, it’s a movie about the friction between earthly ambition and divine inspiration.
Jeremie Renier plays Sobran Jodeau, a peasant winemaker with big dreams and even bigger frustrations. He’s ambitious. Maybe too much for his own good. One night, he meets Xas (played by Gaspard Ulliel), an angel who smells like incense and possesses a pair of wings that look remarkably heavy and anatomical. This isn’t a Hallmark angel. This is something stranger.
The Sensory Overload of A Heavenly Vintage
Niki Caro has this specific way of filming texture. You saw it in Whale Rider, and you see it here in the dirt and the grape skins. The film captures the grit of the Côte d’Or in the 1800s without making it look like a postcard. It’s damp. It’s exhausting.
The relationship between Sobran and the angel Xas is the heartbeat of the story, but it’s far from a simple mentorship. They meet once a year. They talk about life, wine, and the nature of creation. These scenes are the highlight because Gaspard Ulliel brings this eerie, ethereal curiosity to the role that keeps the movie from feeling too grounded in its period tropes.
But then there’s the human element. Vera Farmiga shows up as the Baroness Aurora de Valday. She’s sophisticated, wealthy, and clearly the intellectual match for Sobran’s raw talent. Her presence creates a complicated triangle—not just of romance, but of influence. You have Sobran’s wife Celeste, who represents the traditional, grounded life; the Baroness, who represents social and intellectual ascent; and Xas, who represents the impossible ideal.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Plot
People often think this is a "faith" movie. It really isn't. While it uses the imagery of an angel, A Heavenly Vintage is much more interested in the secular agony of being an artist.
Wine is the medium, but the struggle is universal.
Sobran is obsessed. He’s trying to create a vintage that transcends the mud he stands in. The angel isn't there to grant wishes like a fairy godmother; he’s more of a witness to Sobran’s life, including the tragedies. And there are tragedies. The film doesn't shy away from the harshness of the era—disease, poverty, and the crushing weight of social class are always lurking in the background of those beautiful vineyard shots.
The pacing is deliberate. Some might call it slow. I’d say it’s rhythmic. It mirrors the seasons. If you’re looking for a fast-paced fantasy epic, this isn't it. But if you want to see how a man’s soul gets poured into a bottle of fermented juice, you’re in the right place.
The Gaspard Ulliel Factor
We have to talk about Gaspard Ulliel. His performance as Xas is probably the reason most people still seek out this film today. He had this incredible ability to look both ancient and youthful at the same time. In A Heavenly Vintage, his wings are a feat of practical effects and CGI—they feel like part of his body, oily and feathered and slightly cumbersome.
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He doesn't play Xas as "holy." He plays him as someone who is deeply envious of human mortality and the ability to feel physical sensations. It’s a nuanced take that saves the movie from being overly sentimental.
Production Design and Authenticity
The film was shot in New Zealand and France, but it feels remarkably cohesive. The cinematography by Denis Lenoir is lush. He uses a lot of natural light, which makes the candlelit interiors feel intimate and the outdoor scenes feel expansive.
The wine stuff is actually fairly accurate, too. They focus on the concept of terroir—the idea that the soil, the climate, and the geography all manifest in the flavor of the wine. It treats winemaking as a form of alchemy.
Why the Critics Were Split
When it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, the reactions were... mixed. Some critics found the blend of gritty realism and high fantasy jarring. It’s a tough needle to thread. How do you transition from a scene about the domestic struggles of a peasant family to a scene where a celestial being is hanging out in a tree?
Honestly? It doesn't always work. There are moments where the tone shifts so fast you get a bit of whiplash. But the ambition of the film is what makes it worth watching. In a world of cookie-cutter biopics and predictable romances, A Heavenly Vintage takes big, swing-for-the-fences risks.
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It’s based on the novel The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox. Fans of the book often have strong opinions about the adaptation, particularly regarding the relationship between Sobran and Xas. In the book, the bond is much more explicit and spans decades in a way that feels more expansive. The movie condenses this, focusing more on the visual metaphor of the wine.
The Themes of Loss and Legacy
At its core, the movie asks: what do we leave behind?
For Sobran, his children are his legacy, but so are his bottles. There’s a bittersweet reality to the film—the idea that the "heavenly vintage" might only happen once in a lifetime, and the rest of your years are spent trying to recapture that one moment of perfection.
It’s a very human feeling. That's why the movie resonates even when the angel stuff feels a bit "out there." We’ve all had those moments where we felt touched by something greater, only to have to go back to the mundane reality of our daily jobs the next morning.
Practical Ways to Experience the Story
If you're planning to watch A Heavenly Vintage, do yourself a favor and set the mood. This isn't a "background noise" movie.
- Find the right bottle: You don't need a 19th-century Burgundy, but a decent Pinot Noir will definitely enhance the experience. Look for something with "earthy" notes to match the film's aesthetic.
- Read the book first: Elizabeth Knox’s The Vintner's Luck is a masterpiece of magical realism. Reading it gives you a much deeper understanding of Xas’s backstory and why he’s so fixated on Sobran.
- Watch for the details: Pay attention to the way the color palette changes as Sobran ages. The film moves from bright, hopeful greens to deeper, more somber ambers and browns.
- Check the regional history: If you’re a history nerd, look up the real-life wine crises of the 1800s in France, specifically the phylloxera epidemic. While the movie is a fantasy, it’s set against a very real and terrifying time for European winemakers.
Ultimately, this film serves as a reminder that greatness usually requires a bit of madness—and maybe a little bit of help from places we don't fully understand. It’s a beautiful, flawed, and deeply atmospheric piece of cinema that deserves a spot on your "weird but good" watchlist.
To get the most out of your viewing, track down the director’s cut if possible, as it smooths out some of the pacing issues found in the theatrical release. Compare the portrayal of the wine-making process to modern techniques; you'll find that while the technology has changed, the obsession with the "perfect year" remains exactly the same.