He is famous for his Martinis, but a bit of scrutiny shows James Bond 007 was a spy who knew and loved his wine<\/h3>\n
Recently, the Jancis Robinson website announced the topic for this year\u2019s annual wine writing competition. The topic for this one was a great pairing \u2013 for once, writers were not expected to focus on pairing wine and food.<\/p>\n
Wine and the movies? The pairing has been around for decades. It is only fairly recently that movies focused on the subject of wine have hit centrestage, so to speak. Ask any wine enthusiast-movie buff, and they will rattle off the names Sideways, Bottle Shock, Uncorked, and lots more, where vineyards are used as convenient, pretty backdrops for a light rom-com.<\/p>\n
But I think they are missing an famous movie protagonist whose movies have spanned decades and whose devotion to wine (among many of life\u2019s good things) is well-documented.<\/p>\n
I refer to James Bond.<\/p>\n
But isn\u2019t he a Martini man, you might ask? Of course, he is. The Vesper Martini is the stuff of legends. But in all the brouhaha about Bond\u2019s proclivities for fast cars and faster women, his fundamental love for wine is often overlooked.<\/p>\n Bond movies are studded with little wine gems for the discerning eye to catch. And it is rarely about just the pairing or the wine itself. In the movies, Bond\u2019s choice of wine is linked to illustrate character, expose a villain, or create a thrilling moment. Take 1963\u2019s From Russia with Love<\/em><\/strong>. Bond uses the long-validated pairing of white wine with fish to expose SPECTRE villain Red Grant, who exposes his lack of sophistication and thus, his fake persona by ordering a Chianti with Dover Sole: a dead giveaway. To which Bond quips, \u201cRed wine with fish? That should have told me something.\u201d<\/p>\n In 1971\u2019s Diamonds Are Forever<\/em><\/strong>, Bond uses wine again to expose the fact that his sommeliers (killers in disguise) are not who they are. Bond\u2019s comment that he expects the sommelier to serve a claret, rather than the Ch\u00e2teau Mouton-Rothschild they have opened, causes consternation. The killers, not being wine savvy (but naturally), are unaware that Mouton is actually a claret.<\/p>\n Ch\u00e2teau Angelus appears in 3 movies and has firmly entrenched itself as Bond\u2019s shift from Left to Right Bank Bordeaux. In Casino Royale<\/em><\/strong> (2006), Bond and Vesper Lynd drink a bottle of\u00a0Ch\u00e2teau Ang\u00e9lus. It\u2019s not just any vintage, but the legendary 1982 vintage, which sets the stage for their great love story. Who can forget 2015\u2019s Spectre<\/em>:<\/strong> During the pivotal luxury train ride through the Moroccan desert, James Bond and Lea Seydoux (playing a white-satin-clad Madeleine Swann) share a romantic dinner where a Ch\u00e2teau Angelus 2005 appears, firmly establishing Bond as a Right Bank man. A superb vintage, the wine is all power and seduction, spot on for the occasion.<\/p>\n Bond is a true wine connoisseur: the kind who doesn\u2019t wear his knowledge of wine on his sleeve but whose enjoyment of it is instinctive and occasion-linked. But over the years, his preferences for wine over other beverages (save the infamous Martini, said to be a personal passion of Bond\u2019s creator Ian Fleming) have caused many wine-loving Bond fans cause for much joy.<\/p>\n The famous scene in Casino Royale <\/em>where Vesper and Bond enjoy a bottle of Chateau Angelus 1982 on a train to Montenegro<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Bond was also a die-hard Dom P\u00e9rignon fan, 1962\u20131977 \u2013 he shares his love for the wine and his knowledge of its vintages several times \u2013 in Dr. No, the eponymous doctor presents Bond with Dom P\u00e9rignon \u201955. Bond quips he prefers the \u201953, and in On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service, he drinks the 1957. When the villainous Nick Nack offers Bond a bottle of Dom P\u00e9rignon \u201964, Bond replies that he prefers the \u201962. In The Spy Who Loved Me, he jokes, \u201cAny man who drinks Dom P\u00e9rignon \u201952 can\u2019t be all bad.\u201d Bond and Dom are both classics, addictive and long-lived, with legions of lovers.<\/p>\n But soon after, he changes over to Champagne Bollinger. This love proves to be long-standing. Bollinger appears regularly from 1973 to 2021 in Live and Let Die<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>and Moonraker<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong> Later, this segues to Bollinger RD in Octopussy<\/em><\/strong> and The Living Daylights<\/em><\/strong>. Bollinger La Grande Ann\u00e9e vintages appear soon thereafter in GoldenEye<\/em><\/strong> and The World is Not Enough<\/em><\/strong>. His love life might be varied, but his love for classic champagnes, especially the prestige cuvees, remains steadfast.<\/p>\n In fact, in the 1960s and 1970s, Bond was a steadfast Dom Perignon fan. In fact, he tells Jill Masterson (the Bond girl who was killed most creatively by being painted from head to toe completely in gold) in Goldfinger<\/em><\/strong> in 1964, that to drink Dom Perignon any warmer than 38 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) is a huge no-no, likening it to \u201clistening to the Beatles without earmuffs!\u201d I wonder what Paul McCartney would have had to say to that!<\/p>\n From later in the 1970s, Bond switched loyalties to Bollinger \u2013 it is said due to the iconic Lily Bollinger\u2019s influence on Bond producer Albert \u201cCubby\u201d Broccoli. In fact, though less documented, Bond is said to have flirted with Krug, Taittinger, and Veuve Clicquot as well. In fact, some say, he has indulged in far more champagne than he has of spirits, including the famous Martini.<\/p>\n In short, there is absolutely no doubt that Bond is, has, and will be \u2013 a man of exceptional taste.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rumasingh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/110515lunchbollinger1_960x540.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\nFirst, his love for Bordeaux<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\nBond and bubbles<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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