Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure

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Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure
Presented by Oz Clarke
James May
Country of origin Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
No. of episodes 14 (at end of series two)
Production
Producer(s) Nick Shearman
Simon Kerfoot
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC Two
Picture format 720x576, anamorphic 16:9
Original run 2006 – present
External links
Official website

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure is a BBC television programme of which, thus far, there have been two series. It is presented by wine expert Oz Clarke and motoring journalist James May (of Top Gear fame), the former taking it upon himself to educate the latter about wine.

Contents

[edit] First series

The first series focuses on French wine and was first broadcast in the autumn of 2006. It is accompanied by a book. (See below.) For several weeks, Clarke and May travel around France's wine regions in an 1989 Jaguar XJ-S convertible that has been modernized by Knowles-Wilkins Engineering[1]

Although at times it gets quite technical, the programme is light in tone, much of its entertainment value deriving from the personality clashes between the refined gourmet Clarke and May, whom the former at one point describes as "an utter scruff". (This is ironic given that on Top Gear May positions himself as the gentleman of the three presenters.)

May is a far from ideal student and often behaves rather rudely and grumpily, being more interested in drinking wine than in talking about it. When he thinks Oz starts rambling too much, May blows on a whistle, dubbed the "Ozillator" (a pun on oscillator).

At the beginning of their journey, May is someone who likes to drink wine, but knows next to nothing about it. Clarke teaches him the basics about smells and texture and about grape varieties, shows him how wine is made, what wine goes with what food and also focuses on the culture surrounding wine. The two visit wine makers of all kinds, from ones in small sheds to prestigious operations like Champagne Krug. Clarke quizzes May a few times, often with embarrassing results, but ultimately May does pick up certain things.

Original Air Dates:[2]

[edit] Second series

This time, Clarke and May travel through California sampling new world wines, going from Venice Beach all the way north to the Napa Valley. The mode of transport this time was a Monaco motorhome and in some episodes, a Ford Mustang.

Highlights include Clarke tasting wines whilst swimming in a lake and whilst driving dodgem cars, May hitting various objects with the motorhome, and a recurring need for hangover cures. May's search for a good bottle of typically Californian wine available in the UK for under £10 ends with a bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel in episode 5.

Original Air Dates:[3]

[edit] DVD release

  • The first and second series of Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure are now available on DVD in the UK.

[edit] Book

[edit] References

  1. ^ May, James. "A postcard from France", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-12-08. Retrieved on 2007-02-07. "To that end, I bought a 17-year-old Jaguar XJ-S V12 convertible, partly in the hope that it would do the decent old-Jag thing and leave me stranded in Kent, where I could just have a nice pint instead. Sadly, no. It has so far brought us all the way to Bordeaux. This is in part the fault of Knowles-Wilkins Engineering, purveyor of subtly refettled XJ-S and Series III Jaguars, which worked continuously on the car from the day I bought it to the evening of the day before I left." 
  2. ^ BBC - Food - TV and radio - Episode guide
  3. ^ BBC - BBC One Programmes - Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure - Episodes in 2007