Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure
| Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Presented by |
Oz Clarke James May |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original 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 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Picture format | 720x576, anamorphic 16:9 |
| Original release | 26 November 2006 – 18 December 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 | www |
Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure was a BBC television programme of which two series have been broadcast. It was presented by wine expert Oz Clarke and motoring journalist James May (at the time, a presenter 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 United Kingdom.
Although technical at times, the programme was 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 described as "an utter scruff". (This was 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 behaved rude and grumpily, more interested in drinking wine than in talking about it. When he determined that Clarke rambled on pompously, he blew on a whistle, which he called the "Ozillator." At the start of the series, May declared he likes to drink wine, but knows little about it. Clarke teaches him the basics about smells and texture and about grape varieties, showing him how wine is made, what wine goes with what food and exposed May to the culture surrounding wine. They visited various types of winemakers, from those who make wine in small sheds to prestigious producers. Clarke frequently quizzed May, and May gave Clarke challenges. Ultimately, May does pick up some knowledge.
The first series focused on French wine and was first broadcast in the autumn of 2006. Over several weeks, Clarke and May travelled around France's wine regions in an 1989 Jaguar XJ-S convertible that had been modernized by Knowles-Wilkins Engineering.
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.
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