Earlier this month we wrote that California had been bested when it comes to winery videos, claiming that Pennsylvania’s minuscule Grace Winery had set the bar for creativity with their Great Gatsby-themed commercial, which was set to the tune of 2pac’s “California Love.”

Now, California’s Jordan Winery is striking back. 

Cab Wars: The Fruit Strikes Back, the winery’s Star Wars parody, is the clever vineyard video California deserves.

Cab Wars is set, unsurprisingly, in a galaxy far, far away — and in a period of conflict. The rise of the Malolactic Empire, lead by Darth Tannin, has gained power. With its legions of oak warriors, the Empire's mission is to mask the true flavor of wine with American oak, the sworn enemy of fruit. This has brought a disturbance to the force of Cabernet, and the Wine Republic, defenders of balanced winemaking, is going to protect flavor at all costs. 

As the floating prologue opening the film states: “Fruit or tannin — which is the true backbone of a great Cabernet Sauvignon? The Empire and the Wine Republic will now decide.”

The film originally was conceived as an elaborate Halloween party invitation for Jordan Winery's 2014 bash. Written by Jordan and his marketing team, the film stars members of the winery staff. The depiction of the battle between good and evil (complete with laser guns and light sabers) to save Cabernet Sauvignon’s integrity from the clutches of oak cost an estimated $20,000 in post-production effects, costumes and an amazing hand-built set inspired by Star Wars Episode IV’s opening sequence.

Jordan Winery has been making parody videos for some time. From their horror movie-inspired night harvest film depicting Chardonnay grapes being slashed in cold blood to their “Blurred Lines” parody, “Blurred Vines,” it's no wonder that fans of Jordan howled in its defense after we called out California wineries' deficit of video creativity.

Matt Miller is a freelance writer and wine specialist with certifications from SWE, CMS, WSET. You can follow his wine choices on Delectable & he tweets at @lawinewriter Want more L.A. food and drink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

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