Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Vintage banter
THE WINE SHOW Channel 5, 7pm
TWO thirsty thespians getting slowly sozzled on plonk. It doesn’t sound like a good idea for a TV show.
And yet, despite fearing some irritation for two plummy hosts larking about in a Provencal villa, this is actually quite entertaining.
Matthew Goode – you may know him best from Downton Abbey or The Crown – is joined by James Purefoy who’s starred in films such as High-rise and Churchill.
There is a lot of wine tasting, posh banter and some bad jokes as the pair behave like naughty school boys on their boozy tour.
They don’t know a lot about wine, but that’s OK. They seem to realise that they are there for their good looks and on-screen charm alone.
It’s actually down to expert Joe Fattorini, a brilliant presenter, to talk us through various historical and cultural facts about the good stuff.
And even if you haven’t got a clue about wine (trying your luck with a medium-priced bottle from Oddbins like the rest of us) it’s an interesting insight.
In this episode, we learn that the oldest wine culture in the world is actually in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Some fossilised grape pips there date back to over 6,000 years BC.
Elsewhere, James and Matthew, in chino shorts and shades, head off for a fabulous lunch at the famous La Palme D’OR restaurant in Cannes.
But little do they know the chef has decided they need to work for their lunch, meaning they are handed some chefs’ whites in the kitchen. Doesn’t he know who they are!?