The grapes of rock: Metal muso's trip from band to land

There's a new wine movie on the way.
Well, it's not a wine movie in the Sideways sense, it's more a feature-length documentary in the Mondo Vino sense - but it only focuses on one tiny winery and its struggles in America rather than a myriad wineries in ye olde France.
So in actual fact it's totally different to Mondo Vino, and this is why I'm not a movie critic.
Generation Xers out there will be especially interested in Blood into Wine because, while the film is mostly about starting a vineyard, it is also about Maynard James Keenan, singer/songwriter and frontman for the "industrial metal" band Tool and one of the more mysterious figures in rock.
Throughout the early 1990s, Tool toured with Rollins Band, Fishbone and Rage against the Machine, and with hits like Opiate, Sober and Schism, they also became regulars on the Lollapalooza circuit.
Keenan has long eschewed publicity, so a feature-length documentary is a godsend for Tool fans.
But, according to the reviews coming out of the US, fans won't learn much about their hero, who remains a cryptic sort.
So, to cut a long story short, 16 years ago Keenan sank his money into growing grapes in Arizona's high country and a couple of years back began producing wine.
The film, which I'm hoping will find its way to film festivals in New Zealand soon, chronicles the sweat, tears, false starts and massive expenditure involved in getting such an operation up and running.
Making visits are Milla Jovovich, the actress/model/singer who sometimes shares the stage with Keenan, and comic Patton Oswalt, who has some funny comments on wine snobbery. Have a squiz at bloodintowine.com for more detail about the film - and pester your local movie theatre to play it.
A taste of India
Bangalore experienced its first taste of a wine festival last week, with enthusiasts turning up in droves to sample a large range of wines over the two-day event held at White Petals, Palace Grounds.
Organised by the Karnataka Wine Board, the event featured 10 local Indian wineries who are producing eight different grape varieties between them.
According to Dr Krishna, managing director of the Karnataka Wine Board, who was interviewed by www.dailyindia.com,the consumption and production of wine in India is steadily on the increase.
"Wine production has increased from 1.5 million litres to 2.5 million litres and the area planted in grapes has increased from 600 to 1800 hectares" - a good sign for the industry and employment in the Karnataka region.
Dr Krishna hopes to see another 10 wine producers added to the festival over the next five years.
The quality of India's wines is also being given the nod by experts, who say they taste good, which is why it might not take long for India to position itself on the world stage.
India's mushrooming middle class has a growing appreciation for Western wine styles, and that's exciting news for Kiwi producers.
Our crisp, fragrant and luscious aromatic whites work especially well with all manner of Indian cuisine - viognier and vindaloo, anyone?