Red Obsession

For centuries Bordeaux has commanded an almost mythical status in the world of wine as a symbol of wealth, power and influence. While its great estates have beguiled kings, emperors and dictators alike, its prosperity has always been tied to the shifting fortunes of global economies. As great nations rise and fall, so does the fate of Bordeaux. Now, something unprecedented is happening, and that something is China. Traditional customers like the United States and the United Kingdom are bowing out, unable to compete, as the Dragon economy’s new wealthy push prices to stratospheric levels. While China could bring untold wealth to Bordeaux, the terms of engagement are different from any other customer in the past. This massive emerging market is seductive and voracious but also unpredictable, and with Bordeaux’s fine wines now elevated to luxury goods status, they have fallen victim to the world’s most rampant and notorious counterfeit trade. Will the China market be the bubble that never bursts or the biggest threat yet to Bordeaux’s centuries old reputation? Narrated by Academy Award© winner Russell Crowe, and filmed for the big screen on the new Arri Alexa cameras, Red Obsession follows a modern-day silk road through the prism of Bordeaux’s ethereal wines. It observers the extraordinary financial risk people are prepared to take in pursuit of their passion. The film confronts the modern dilemmas facing the Bordeaux vigneron at a time of great global uncertainty, where one poor decision could put at risk a reputation built over hundreds of years. And in this ‘Asian Century’, the film confronts our pre-conceptions and easy stereotyping of other customs and traditions. Set against the stunning landscapes of Bordeaux and China, Red Obsession is the story of two disparate and powerful cultures finding common ground over their love of a delicate wine.