PBS series.
The formula is simple. Three good looking women (the first series had two) trotting around the world, going to beautiful vineyards, tasting the wines and matching with food.
As with most wine programs, it is not easy to produce something that works. In this case, again sadly it doesn’t. Part of the problem are the hosts. They interject far too much, they talk to show off what they know, they ask dumb rhetorical questions for instance whether the chef can do justice to some weird ingredient.
In the second series, they brought in a third host to do the wine. She seems a little better than the original, which as a pretty low bar to start with. The foodie, Yolanda is the weakest of some weak links. Many of the food matches such as artichokes are bizarre. Last episode tomatoes and cherries with red wines. While I can understand testing the chef occasionally, two wine unfriendly components in a single program shows either a lack of knowledge, or a willful attempt to screw winemaker and chef.
OTOH, sometimes there are some really good segments. The same episode was about sustainability in several Chilean properties, and when they let the winemaker speak, it was interesting and good television. The flock of geese running through the vineyard, stole the show. The photography is magnificent, and turning on the mute button and using fast forward has worked beautifully.
I do pity the poor chef at each venue, who has to deal with Yolanda’s weirder choices. They do a decent job, and the winemakers who have to approve the wine food match, are unfailingly polite, but I can’t help but wonder what they are thinking privately.
Of course I understand that it is not made for people who know a lot about wine. The sumptuous views and the interviews with winemakers if somewhat superficial, are interesting, and should appeal to people looking to get into wine. But equally they may be put off by hosts so into themselves that it is very distracting.