Wine in Cinema: Classic French Comedy Quotes to Savor

1) "Un Singe en Hiver" (1962): “You have small wine and petty drunk, in the end, you don’t deserve to drink!”

We start with a quote from Henri Verneuil's film Un Singe en Hiver. This is a true ode to drunkenness and the sense of escape and freedom it provides to Albert Quentin (Jean Gabin) and Gabriel Fouquet (Jean-Paul Belmondo), who are far from having "small wine and petty drunk"!

2) "Les Visiteurs 2" (1998): “Oh, some goblets! Goblets of swill!”

With the famous "day-night" quote, "goblets of swill" is one of the iconic lines from Jean-Marie Poiré's wildly medieval trilogy. This cult line is spoken by Jacquouille (Christian Clavier) when he and his master, Count Godefroy de Montmirail (Jean Reno), make a dramatic entrance into a wine cellar and burst open the wine bottles one by one, drinking them in large gulps… hilarious!

3) "Le Grand Restaurant" (1966): “I prefer a semi-dry”

We never tire of the scene from Le Grand Restaurant, featuring the great Louis de Funès as Mr. Septime, a snobbish Parisian with ridiculous pretensions who asks for a "semi-dry" wine from the waiter, only to dismiss him moments later… A scene to be enjoyed without moderation!

4) "Le Dîner de Cons" (1998): “I put vinegar in my Château Lafite. It’s a trick to turn a great wine into plonk!”

We saved the best for last: this famous scene from Le Dîner de Cons, where Pierre Brochant, played by Thierry Lhermitte, fears a visit from a tax inspector and François Pignon (Jacques Villeret) and Juste Leblanc (Francis Huster) suggest serving “a cheap wine.” But Pierre Brochant only has a bottle of Château Lafite to offer…

And you, what is your favorite quote? Feel free to suggest other iconic French cinema scenes related to wine!