Mondovino

Now that we’ve all been turned on to Pinot Noir thanks to Sideways, here’s a documentary to explain why that same film so brutally maligned Merlot. Mondovino is a two-hour-plus primer on the controversies and conspiracies that make up the deliciously lurid wine world, investigating the grapes and the growers, the winemakers and the wine sellers. Set on three continents and told in five languages, the film attempts to make sense of a business that is built on emotion, opinion, family, and a host of other altogether intangible values. Fascinating and often quite funny, Mondovino makes it clear that, terroir (loosely translated, the hallowed ground in which grapes grow) aside, what really matters when it comes to the character of a wine is the odd people behind each bottle. 612-825-6006; www.landmarktheatres.com