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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2007 16:52:01 GMT
Oz And James's Big Wine Adventure Ep 4/8
Tuesday 20 November
8.00-8.30pm BBC TWO
In Santa Cruz, Oz and James are halfway through their tour of the best that Californian wine has to offer.
The boys set off to visit legendary winemaker Paul Draper from Ridge Wines. However, the journey is interrupted by James crashing the RV in a gas station. The road up to the winery is hazardous and exhausting for James and his mood gets worse when he realises he won't be able to drink any wine as he will have to drive back down later. He is also getting fed up with Oz taking him to his posh mates who make inaccessible wine.
In revenge James tees up an extreme tasting challenge for Oz, making him guess the variety in a dodgem car at the boardwalk. As James crashes into him wine goes all over Oz – he's not happy!
Randall Grahm is regarded as one of the most eccentric and great blenders of New World wines. At his winery, James is somewhat baffled by his methods but enjoys the wine. Over dinner, he and Oz continue to bicker about James's quest to find an unpretentious, affordable wine over boutique expensive ones.
James gets his wish fulfilled when they meet Fred Franzia, a wine tycoon known as Two Buck Chuck who makes wine and sells it for $2. He operates from a massive factory in the Central Valley. His wines are hugely popular but sneered at by wine connoisseurs. However, both Oz and James can't help but be impressed by the great standard of his wine.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2007 16:54:01 GMT
Oz And James's Big Wine Adventure –
Search For The Original Californian Grape Ep 5/8
Tuesday 27 November
8.00-8.30pm BBC TWO
Oz Clarke and James May hit the San Francisco Bay area on a mission to delve deeper into the history of Californian wine. They investigate prohibition and seek out vineyards that are over a hundred years old.
Cline Vineyards in Oakley is their first stop. Here they meet Fred Cline, an old-school winemaker keen to carry on the heritage of old vines while resisting selling out to the urban sprawl of San Francisco.
Oz and James also find their favourite grape variety – Zinfandel. One of the best producers is Kent Rosenblum, whose winery is in downtown Oakland.
The boys explore San Francisco and head over the Golden Gate Bridge to see how the fog of the Bay area affects wine. They do it in style, in an old classic British Mini.
On a night out they go to Vino Venue, a wine bar which has vending machines selling wine. James and Oz decide to do some of their own blending and try it out on some of the customers.
Finally, Oz and James meet up with Joel Peterson of Ravenswood, who produces fantastic Zinfandel wine. They meet at Infineon raceway and James challenges Oz to do a circuit in a go-kart.
There is also a revelation for James – he finds out that Joel's wines not only go well with an all-American hamburger, but they also cost less than £10 in UK supermarkets. At last Oz has delivered James's quest to find a great, affordable, accessible American wine.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2007 16:56:09 GMT
Oz And James's Big Wine Adventure Ep 6/8
Tuesday 4 December
8.00-8.30pm BBC TWO
Oz and James head for the world-famous Napa Valley in search of fine wines and the low down on what makes Californian wine cool.
The boys base themselves in the posh area of Calistoga, but unfortunately they are parked up in a desolate car park, bereft of any comforts. After emptying the dreaded black waste tank, they are on the lookout for a good bottle of sparkling wine. They head off to meet Eileen Crane from the Tattinger estate, a winemaker who believes she was born to make bubbles. James, who dislikes champagne, is surprised by how much he likes it.
More bubbles are downed at the Schramsberg estate with another maverick winemaker, Hugh Dennis. The boys are challenged in a game involving sparkling wine bottles with Ramon, a Mexican also known as "the Riddler". They get thrashed.
Oz and James end up in a vast cave, tasting more sparkling wine. It culminates in a big argument about how bubbles affect taste.
In an effort to surprise Oz, James backs out of a wine-tasting session to hire a Mustang Shelby. Both are sick of the slow RV, so now they have a sports car to suit the expensive wine region.
The final destination is to hook up with the intimidating and eccentric Su Hua Newton. She treats Oz and James like naughty schoolboys and, when he is left by himself, James tucks into her wine – incurring the wrath of both Oz and Su Hua.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2007 16:57:40 GMT
Oz And James's Big Wine Adventure Ep 7/8
Tuesday 11 December
8.00-8.30pm BBC TWO
Oz Clarke and James May continue their tour of California and, tonight, meet some of the most powerful and eccentric wine-makers in the sunshine state. They head for Sonoma, an established wine region now competing with the best that the famous Napa Valley has to offer.
First up is Mike Benziger, a bio-dynamic wine-maker who believes that Mother Nature can help him to make the perfect organic wine. His estate is stunning and includes an insectry. It's a place where he nurtures specific bugs to live – and feed off bugs that could damage his grapes. Even the sceptical James is impressed by Mike's vision. He is even more impressed by the sauvignon blanc.
Gina Gallo is next – the latest figurehead of the world's most successful wine-making family whose affordable wine has saturated the world market. Gina is as glamorous as she is business savvy and Oz and James are charmed by her. They do manage to fall out about mass-produced wines, though, much to the confusion of their host.
The total opposite to the Gallo dynasty is the eccentric Sean Thackrey, who gets his grapes from vineyards where nobody has a clue what the grape varieties are. He looks like a mad professor, operates out of a hill-billy shack by the Sonoma coast and his whole philosophy is based on ancient wine scriptures going back a thousand years. Oz and James are, at first, bemused, but then wax lyrical about the wine they are tasting – despite not having a clue what variety they are drinking.
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Post by xjsarah on Nov 20, 2007 17:14:35 GMT
Oooh, thanks for posting all this, MG. Can't wait to see it on TV!  Roll on tonight! It's been so loooong!! ;D |
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Post by Sloopy on Nov 20, 2007 17:22:36 GMT
Can't wait for this!! It seems like weeks since they canned the show for that bloomin' badgerwatch.  ;D ;D  ^^^^I saw this smilie and for some reason it reminded me of Oz Clarke.  |
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Post by lew on Nov 20, 2007 19:19:03 GMT
;D......it's the round head  |
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Post by xjsarah on Nov 20, 2007 19:22:54 GMT
You mean the Giant Grape, Lew! ;D Only 35 minutes to go.... |
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Post by lew on Nov 20, 2007 19:27:15 GMT
;D.....and that |
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Post by xjsarah on Nov 20, 2007 20:01:35 GMT
It's on at last!!! Yeeehaaaaa!!!!!! ;D
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Post by lymaze on Nov 20, 2007 20:33:44 GMT
I like James and his fight for the common man. Quite agree - it is very boring listening to the wealthy rabbit on about their expensive wines. How many of us can afford £50 a bottle after all. I get the feeling I've drunken quite a bit of that cheap but pleasant mass produced stuff in my time.  Anyway, like his bad temper when he pranged the bus, and arguing with Oz. And the blue shirt made an appearance as well. Superb.  |
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Post by lew on Nov 20, 2007 20:33:48 GMT
Well what can I say, James the peoples man, excellent, did feel so sorry he crunched his van, I hate it when I/kids break things, it sends me in a real temper, but as aways a brilliant episode |
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Post by cheeselova on Nov 20, 2007 20:39:23 GMT
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Post by glam on Nov 20, 2007 20:43:06 GMT
yep, poor James. I have to go and take a moment when things like that happen to me too.
Do you think he as weighing up getting into a "discussion" with 2 buck chuck on the Jesus claim?
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Post by lew on Nov 20, 2007 20:45:46 GMT
Fetzer a Californian wine, do a lovely Rose wine, about the only one I like (£6.99), not too keen on Zinfandel, too sweet, but I'm sure they'll have a £60.00 bottle that taste's wonderful |
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Post by cheeselova on Nov 20, 2007 20:49:24 GMT
Fetzer a Californian wine, do a lovely Rose wine, about the only one I like (£6.99), not too keen on Zinfandel, too sweet, but I'm sure they'll have a £60.00 bottle that taste's wonderful Will have to look out for that. Can you get it in any supermarket? My mum's the one for Rose. I like the White Zinfandel cos it's got more of a "kick" to it, i find. |
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Post by lymaze on Nov 20, 2007 20:51:17 GMT
I think 2 buck chuck had a large gun under his desk for dealing with anyone who questioned the superiority of his wine or indeed Jesus's. |
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Post by inky on Nov 20, 2007 20:51:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2007 20:53:15 GMT
James was fab! and the Giant Grape (sorry Oz!), and James's hippy thoughts on paper and holes. Oz lost me a bit!
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Post by cheeselova on Nov 20, 2007 20:57:56 GMT
Where did Oz lose you, hun?
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Post by lew on Nov 20, 2007 20:58:09 GMT
Cheese, it's like strawberries and summer fruit ;D you'll love it...Oz loses me all the time, but he knows his stuff (big bro in the wine game and very handy)....Ink there's nothing wrong with Blossom Hill drunk it many a time ....and then fallen over ;D |
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Post by Eclair on Nov 20, 2007 21:01:16 GMT
I like James and his fight for the common man. Quite agree - it is very boring listening to the wealthy rabbit on about their expensive wines. How many of us can afford £50 a bottle after all. I get the feeling I've drunken quite a bit of that cheap but pleasant mass produced stuff in my time. Anyway, like his bad temper when he pranged the bus, and arguing with Oz. And the blue shirt made an appearance as well. Superb. Hello All! Looking forward to seeing this! James got cross when he pranged the bus eh? Who could blame him...maybe he was embarrassed too since he did that before in the TG carvanning episode....  ;D |
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Post by cheeselova on Nov 20, 2007 21:04:17 GMT
Hmmm, good point, Eclair ;D
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Post by lymaze on Nov 20, 2007 21:04:38 GMT
He did well not to lose it completely. If that was me I would have kicked the bus so many times it would have had an even bigger dent. |
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Post by wings on Nov 20, 2007 21:05:29 GMT
aww when james pranged the RV, and he got all sad, it was so cute, i wanted to hug him. |
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Post by glam on Nov 20, 2007 21:06:05 GMT
I think 2 buck chuck had a large gun under his desk for dealing with anyone who questioned the superiority of his wine or indeed Jesus's. yep, he was a touch scary wasn't he? James should come and meet some of the young people I work with I had a discussion with one recently about underage drinking which went like this yoof " I don't drink Buckfast any more" Glam " oh right, what do you drink?" yoof "I like a table wine at the weekends" Glam trying to stifle giggles " why's that?" yoof " you can get 3 bottles for £10, much cheaper" |
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Post by wings on Nov 20, 2007 21:09:00 GMT
I think 2 buck chuck had a large gun under his desk for dealing with anyone who questioned the superiority of his wine or indeed Jesus's. yep, he was a touch scary wasn't he? James should come and meet some of the young people I work with I had a discussion with one recently about underage drinking which went like this yoof " I don't drink Buckfast any more" Glam " oh right, what do you drink?" yoof "I like a table wine at the weekends" Glam trying to stifle giggles " why's that?" yoof " you can get 3 bottles for £10, much cheaper" *laughs head off* ahh the youth of today, lol |
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Post by lymaze on Nov 20, 2007 21:12:57 GMT
Very sophisticated. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2007 21:13:04 GMT
I know how James felt, I get a bit like that when I cross at myself.
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Post by Eclair on Nov 20, 2007 21:14:09 GMT
He was sad, he was scary....I'm looking forward to this myriad of James emotions.... ;D Your Yoofs Glam, don't meant to get all stereotypical on you but I thought you would have to deal with a lot more serious er....vices than alcohol, not that alcohol's not a serious vice...er...that's come out all wrong...  |
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;D ;D 
Not a wine i would buy. Ever. Look forward to learning about Zinfandel next week (yes i can drool over James and be educated at the same time) as it's a lovely red & makes the best Rose (White Zinfandel) as far as i'm concerned...and i'm not a Rose fan. James in that navy shirt again oboyoboyoboy 
I held you, you felt me, I touched you, you kissed me.......
