‘The Truffle Hunters’ Directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw Look for the Perfect Wine in ‘Burgundy’: ‘A Great Glass of Wine Changes How You Perceive the World’
Documentary filmmakers Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, known for "The Truffle Hunters," have made a new film called "Burgundy," which explores the world of French winemaking through the eyes of winemakers, sommeliers and a critic who tastes over 100 wines a day. The pair, who specialise in immersive documentaries about vanishing traditions, spent time building relationships in the region before uncovering the stories that shape the film, which premieres at the Venice Film Festival.
The documentary follows several characters, including Enzo, an outsider trying to break into the tightly closed, wealthy world of elite winemaking, and Céleste, an aspiring sommelier reconsidering her path; both briefly abandoned their original ambitions during filming, a twist the directors say deepened the film's themes of class and reinvention. Dweck and Kershaw describe Burgundy as having become "the centre of the wine world" over the past three decades, attracting huge wealth while remaining almost impossible for newcomers to enter without inherited status or great riches. The film is sold by Charades and produced by Beautiful Development Company.
- Truffle Hunters directors' new film "Burgundy" premieres at Venice.
- Follows winemakers, sommeliers and a critic tasting 100+ wines daily.
- Explores class barriers and reinvention in elite Burgundian wine world.
New here? Start with this
Enzo, an outsider, tries to break into a world that has traditionally passed down through inherited land and family names rather than opportunity for newcomers. Céleste, training as a sommelier, is shown questioning whether that path is really what she wants. Both experience wavering commitment during the making of the film, which the directors say gave the documentary an unexpected layer about class and starting over.
Dweck and Kershaw previously made "The Truffle Hunters," a documentary about elderly Italian truffle foragers, and are known for spending long periods embedded with their subjects rather than using a conventional interview-led approach. "Burgundy" is being launched commercially at the Venice Film Festival, a major platform for arthouse and documentary films to attract distributors, with sales handled by the company Charades.