Sideways

I saw Sideways last night with my friend, Laura. This has probably been posted all over the web by now, but I thought this was a brilliant scene:

MAYA
Wow, this is really starting to open up.
What do you think?

MILES
My palate’s kind of shot, but from what I can tell,
I’d dub it pretty damn good.

MAYA
Can I ask you a personal question?

MILES
(bracing himself)
Sure.

MAYA
Why are you so into Pinot? It’s like a thing with you?

Miles laughs at first, then smiles wistfully at the question.
He searches for the answer in his glass and begins slowly.

MILES
I don’t know. It’s a hard grape to grow. As you know.
It’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s not
a survivor like Cabernet that can grow anywhere and
thrive even when neglected. Pinot needs constant care
and attention and in fact can only grow in specific little
tucked-away corners of the world. And only the most
patient and nurturing growers can do it really, can tap
into Pinot’s most fragile, delicate qualities. Only when
someone has taken the time to truly understand its potential
can Pinot be coaxed into its fullest expression. And when
that happens, its flavors are the most haunting and brilliant
and subtle and thrilling and ancient on the planet.

Maya has found this answer revealing and moving.

MILES (CONT’D)
I mean, Cabernets can be powerful and exciting,
but they seem prosaic to me for some reason.
By comparison. How about you?

MAYA
What about me?

MILES
I don’t know. Why are you into wine?

MAYA
I suppose I got really into wine originally through
my ex-husband. He had a big, kind of show-off
cellar. But then I found out that I have a really
sharp palate, and the more I drank, the more I
liked what it made me think about.

MILES
Yeah? Like what?

MAYA
Like what a fraud he was.

Miles laughs.

MAYA
No, but I do like to think about the life of wine,
how it’s a living thing. I like to think about what
was going on the year the grapes were growing,
how the sun was shining that summer or if it
rained... what the weather was like. I think about
all those people who tended and picked the grapes,
and if it’s an old wine, how many of them must be
dead by now. I love how wine continues to evolve,
how every time I open a bottle its going to taste
different than if I had opened it on any other day.
Because a bottle of wine is actually alive -- it’s
constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is,
until it peaks -- like your ‘61 -- and begins its steady,
inevitable decline. And it tastes so fucking good.

Now it is Miles’ turn to be swept away. Maya’s face
tells the moment is right, but Miles remains frozen.
He needs another sign, and Maya is bold enough to
offer it: she reaches out and places on hand atop his.

MILES
(suppressing his panic)
But I like a lot of wines besides Pinot too. Lately I’ve
really been into Rieslings. Do you like Rieslings?
Rieslings?

She nods, a Mona Lisa smile on her lips. Come on, Miles.
Finally --

MILES (CONT’D)
(pointing)
Bathroom over there?

MAYA
Yeah.

Miles gets up and walks out. Maya sighs and gets
an American Spirit out of her purse.

Tags: Movies