Pulling The Cork

Attention Wanna Be Winemakers - The Winemakers On PBS

Well maybe I am late to this party but have you heard about the new reality show set to air on PBS September 1st called The Winemakers?  You have?

Really, you have?

Well I guess I have been under a rock or something because I was clueless about this until I visited this Paso Robles web site getting a few minor details gathered for an upcoming post on a Sauvignon Blanc from Clayhouse.  When I Googled it the only blog I found that mentioned it is Drink The Good Stuff. 

From the About The Show section of the website:

THE WINEMAKERS will plunge a diverse group of twelve men and women head first into one of the most uniquely challenging and rewarding professions in the world: the business of making wine.

Over the course of six half-hour episodes, this real-life cast of characters will experience every aspect of the wine industry from the ground up — with one goal in mind — to win the chance to launch their own wine brand.

It is set in Paso Robles and if you are thinking you might want to be on the show they are casting for season 2 now. 

I have to admit I am probably going to check this out just to give it a taste (ha, pun intended).  Based on the videos on their website it does look interesting and since it is about wine it can't be all that bad can it?  I guess it could be - have you seen The Great American Road Trip?  Ouch!

I am a bit of a reality show junkie but I only give a reality show one episode to get me interested and hooked.  If it doesn't, I move on to something else like re-runs of Full House or something.  So The Winemakers gets one shot to make me want to come back. 

One of my fears with this show is that it will end up completely downplaying and over simplifying the blood, sweat, tears and soul that winemakers and vineyard owners put into crafting their wines.   It seems most things on television and in movies these days get dumbed down so much that the reality goes missing missing from reality TV.  Even in movies this is true where, in the interest of supposedly making a movie more interesting or relevent, filmakers take liberties with the truth and mess up a perfectly great story.  See Bottle Shock for a wine related example of this. 

The Winemakers might be a standout compared to many other "not so reality" shows because it is on PBS.  For the most part PBS programming is more genuine and "real" than most.

If you're still reading and want to see a clip from the series, one of 10 on the website, I chose one below that I liked the best. 

Pulling The Cork On Drew Matich

Drew Matich here.

Most of the time, I work as a producer on primetime TV shows (most recently, In Plain Sight on the USA Network).  Of all the shows I’ve been involved with, Dawson’s Creek was the most fun…check out the rest on IMDB if you’re curious.   Most often, my job responsibilities involve post production—editing, music, sound, visual effects, and such.  Given the seasonal nature of the work, I’m not always working.  Like now.  But working or not, I can always find a reason to enjoy a glass (or two) (or three) of wine.

The wine thing started pretty late for me…when I was 35 and on a trip to Paris to visit some friends.  The wine/cheese/grapes followed by late dinner lifestyle was quite infectious, and a 1997 Lalande-de-Pomerol started my journey.  The passion emerged over the years, but this geeking out process has taken me to another level in the last 2 or 3.  I’ve managed to mix my wine and work worlds pretty effectively, instituting “Wine Friday” on my shows, on which I bring a bottle or two from different parts of the world for tasting.   We also started opening a bottle or two during our final sound mix, when the studio executives and a few other assorted chiefs come to screen a finished episode.  We found out quickly that an open bottle of wine mellows things out just perfectly.  Now lest you think we’re a bunch of lushes, there are usually 8 people or so in the room…so no worries.

What do I love about wine?

I love that my passion for wine has almost exceeded the enjoyment derived from my day job. 

I love that no matter how many bottles I’ve opened, every new bottle is a chance at discovering a flavor combination I’ve never tasted. 

I love that the learning curve is completely open ended. 

I love that the taste or smell of a wine can provide a wonderful snapshot of a special time and place.  

I love that the person you’re with can make wine that much more special. 

I also love that more wine can make the person you’re with a little more special.

Speaking of which, I’ll be marrying a very special woman in a few months.  Sue and I met in early 2008, and we have enjoyed numerous wine trips and many bottles of wine in a pretty short time, with a lot more to come.  I especially look forward to choosing the wines for our upcoming December wedding.

My collection (DrewM on CellarTracker) has more Bordeaux than anything, but while that is getting its cellar time I’ve gravitated towards wines from Spain.   Absolutely love ‘em.  I visited Penedes and the Priorat in the summer of 2009, and will visit the rest in the coming years.

I live in Glendale, California, and you can occasionally find me prowling on Twitter (@drewmatich).