| Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure | |
|---|---|
| Format | Documentary |
| Presented by | Oz Clarke James May |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Nick Shearman Simon Kerfoot |
| Location(s) | France, California |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Two |
| Picture format | 720x576, anamorphic 16:9 |
| Original run | 2006 – 2007 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Oz and James Drink to Britain Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas Oz and Hugh Raise the Bar |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure is a BBC television programme of which two series have been broadcast. It is presented by wine expert Oz Clarke and motoring journalist James May (of Top Gear), with Clarke aiming to educate May (a committed bitter drinker) about wine while undertaking a road trip. The first season focused on France and the second on California. The sequel series Oz and James Drink to Britain, broadcast in 2009, made the change to a focus on the variety of beverages available in the UK.[1]
Contents |
Although technical at times, the programme is light in tone, and much of its entertainment stems from the dynamic of personality clashes between the wine connoisseur, Clarke, and the more pragmatic May whom Clarke at one point describes as "an utter scruff". (This is in contrast to May's position as "the gentleman" of the three presenters on Top Gear.)
May acts the part of a difficult student and often behaves rude and grumpily, more interested in drinking wine than in talking about it. When he determines that Clarke rambles on pompously, he blows on a whistle, which he calls the "Ozillator." At the start of the series, May declares he likes to drink wine, but knows little 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 exposes May to the culture surrounding wine. They visit various types of winemakers, from those who make wine in small sheds to prestigious producers. Clarke frequently quizzes May, and May gives Clarke challenges. Ultimately May does pick up some knowledge.
The first series focuses on French wine and was first broadcast in the autumn of 2006. Over several weeks, Clarke and May travel around France's wine regions in an 1989 Jaguar XJ-S convertible that had been modernized by Knowles-Wilkins Engineering.[2]
Repeats on commercial digital channels have split the extended-length (54 minute) first episode into two parts (each focusing on one region) for ease of scheduling, making a six-episode series suitable for broadcast in a set half-hour time slot.
In the United States, it was broadcast on BBC America as "James May's Road Trip" in 2011, running immediately after Top Gear.
| Episode | Subject | Airdate[3] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bordeaux and Languedoc-Roussillon wine: basic winemaking. | 22 November 2006 |
| 2 | South West and Provence: wine and food matching. | 29 November 2006 |
| 3 | The Rhône Valley, Châteauneuf-du-Pape: wine blending. | 6 December 2006 |
| 4 | Alsace and Burgundy: terroir, barrel-making. | 13 December 2006 |
| 5 | Champagne. Champagne production | 20 December 2006 |
Clarke and May travel through California sampling local wines and meet winemakers, travelling north from Venice Beach to the Napa Valley. The chosen vehicle of this series is a Monaco motorhome, and in some episodes, a Ford Mustang.
| Episode | Subject | Airdate[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Barbara County: Pinot noir. | 16 October 2007 |
| 2 | Paso Robles AVA: terroir. | 23 October 2007 |
| 3 | Monterey AVA: Chardonnay. | 30 October 2007 |
| 4 | Santa Cruz Mountains AVA: artisan wineries, corporate wineries. | 20 November 2007 |
| 5 | San Francisco Bay AVA: Zinfandel. | 27 November 2007 |
| 6 | Napa Valley AVA: sparkling wine. | 4 December 2007 |
| 7 | Sonoma Valley AVA. | 11 December 2007 |
| 8 | Napa Valley AVA: cult wines. blends. | 18 December 2007 |
The following series, retitled Oz and James Drink to Britain, aired on BBC Two on 6 January 2009. This series features the duo driving around the United Kingdom in a 1982 Rolls-Royce Corniche, in an effort to discover the wide variety of drinks on offer to Britons. For this series, the beverages are no longer limited to wine, with the very first drink consumed a pint of Yorkshire bitter.
These titles are all distributed by Acorn Media UK.