What Does America in 1959 Have to Do With "Red Obsession"

My husband, Mary and I went to see "Red Obsession" at Rosecliff in Newport, Rhode Island on Thursday, September 19th. It was one of the top 10 days of summer and we enjoyed the drive to Newport. When we arrived at Rosecliff, we were one of the first ones there so we quickly grabbed a glass of Jonathan Edwards Pinot gris and some appetizers and watched as people trickled in. The movie began with a look at Bordeaux from the eyes of chateau owners, winemakers and vineyardists. The sense of history is accentuated as the camera pans into a shot of the tree lined entry into Chateau Margaux or listens to Christian Moueix speak about his passion for wine. Then the camera cuts to the glittering world of China. There is a scene in the movie during an auction where Kelly Cheng raises her auction paddle and bids 1.5 million for a bottle of Chateau Lafite (I hope it was a large format bottle). Shocking! Never mind that it is Hong Kong dollars which is the equivalent of about $200,000 U.S. She did it because she was tired of the slow progress of the bidding.
This is a movie about the impact that wealthy Chinese are having in the world of luxury goods, including first growth Bordeaux wines. I found a quote:
The _______s had the money, and now they were interested in wine. It was a heady combination. Because they concentrated their interest on Chateau Lafite and other first growths, the wines that had previously been the favorites of the English, their effect on the Bordeaux market was dramatic.... Many in the British wine trade, used to purchasing those wines at much lower prices wondered what would hapen if something went wrong with the growing ______ market. The international market was now being built on these high prices, and if the _______s dropped out, it would surely crash. Who else but the _______s would pay so much money for wine?¹
In the blank, put in "American" and the year 1959 but in watching the movie, the "Chinese" would be a more correct fill-in-the-blank choice right now. I found this quote in The Emperor of Wine, The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste written by Elin McCoy.
After the movie, there was a discussion lead by Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival Wine Director, Michael Greenlee. If you are into wine and interested about the impact of the Chinese on the wine market, I would recommend seeing "Red Obsession".
Here is the link to the trailer to whet your appetite: Red Obsession
Reference:
1. Elin McCoy, The Emperor of Wine, The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste, 2005, HarperCollins, New York, pg. 32.