Somm: Cup of Salvation

Wine is confusing…overwhelming even. So where do you start if you want to learn more about it? Join John Cleese on an entertaining and personal look at the world of winemaking and discover: how to find wines that taste good to you, how to make sure you get the best value and how to keep and serve wine at home.

The Aszú of Tokaj, a sweet wine of Hungary, was once cherished by King Louis XIV, Queen Victoria, Peter the Great, Goethe and Beethoven. But the world has since forgotten the noble Aszú, two world wars, the enforced collectivisation of the Communist regime and the deadly filoxera epidemic had all wreaked havoc on the vines. Three dedicated heroes, one passion: to create The Great Wine that can return to the most refined tables of the world.

By telling the human stories behind the entire value chain that gives life to the Spanish wine with the greatest international projection, ‘Rioja, Land of the Thousand Wines’ portrays a currently blooming wine region underpinned by the talent and the work of the new generations of winemakers that operate side by side with the region’s historic wineries. The film puts the focus on the match between territory and product, wisdom and tradition, and lays a bridge between the origins and the future of Rioja. An immersion into a fascinating world that, through captivating cinematography and careful editing, attempts to find the keys to understanding what Rioja wine is and what makes it so special.

With renowned wine importer Martine Saunier as our guide, we journey into Portugal's spectacular Douro Valley to explore the mystery and complexity of the world of port

This documentary follows seven wine-making families in the Burgundy region of France, delving into the cultural and creative process of making wine. You'll never look at wine the same way again.

This documentary features extraordinary people whose passion for wine led them to create another career as a vintner, including: David Coverdale, lead singer of Whitesnake and Deep Purple Dick Vermeil, coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs Tamara Mowry-Housley, star of "Sister, Sister" and "Tia and Tamera" Bob the Steer, former slaughterhouse steer Jonathan Cain, songwriter and keyboardist of Journey Carmen Policy, president of the San Francisco 49ers- Just to name a few!

Three characters, three stories of "heretics", three food producers who think in a different way to describe the transformation of our Country in what in “Langhe Doc” Giorgio Bocca calls the Italy of warehouses. We're in Langhe, a unique territory, universally recognized as one of the most beautiful places in Italy, fresh candidate for Unesco World Heritage but afflicted by uncontrolled economic development, urbanization, overbuilding, abandonment of the less profitable areas. Those of Maria Theresa, Silvio and Mauro are stories of people who have insight into a future they do not like and have chosen to refuse it. Their challenges are still open, they're not yet fully met and perhaps they never will: these heretics move in one direction, while the world moves in another, quite the opposite one.

The story of a group of friends, the "rebel boys" who made italian wine become so great, between generational conflicts, brilliant insights and never silenced controversies.

Ashes

A uniquely Kiwi story capturing the incredible highs and heartbreaking lows of making world-class wine in New Zealand. Stu, Nick, Ollie and Jess take you on a journey of the all-consuming harvest period known as vintage and the passion and hard-graft that goes into every bottle.

101 million Americans drink wine. Over 1/3 of that wine comes from overseas and a vast majority of the remainder comes from Northern California. We've all heard of Napa, Bordeaux and Burgundy. What about Paso Robles? Or Austin, Texas? How about wine from Michigan? Did you know Canada makes world-class wines? Mexico too? The list goes on...and we're going to take you along with us as we explore each of these new world-class wine regions and the people that make them so awesome to visit.

Ab Fab stars Jennifer Saunders & Joanna Lumley share 25 years of friendship. The two funny ladies head to the Champagne region of France to find out how their favourite glass of fizz is made.

Spago restaurant maître d’ Bernard Erpicum hosts this program featuring Hollywood stars as they share tips for choosing the best wine for any occasion. Dudley Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Seagal, and Peter Weller are among the guests. Added advice is provided by Robert Loggia, Kelly LeBrock, Herbie Hancock, and Shelley Hack. Other topics covered include quickly ordering from a restaurant's lengthy wine list and selecting the proper stemware for home entertaining.

The curtain is raised into the seldom seen world that surrounds the wine we drink. How many people understand how wine is produced? How it is grown? What goes on in the cellar? From those questions to how many hands touch a bottle, to why wine costs what it costs, to how certain wines end up on a wine list, this is a never before seen look into the world of wine.

"For years, there has been an effort to discover the exact origin of the most popular American grape variety and wine, Zinfandel. Thanks to modern technology, forensics, and DNA analysis, the collaboration between American and Croatian laboratories has borne fruit: Zinfandel is the Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski."

Exploration of the art of barrel making, which has a rich history dating back to ancient times.

Three Danish entrepreneurs embark on making cherry wine on the island of Lolland.

Open to cameras for the first time, the story of Lafite Rothschild told by Baron Rothschild and Saskia Rothschild through vintages that represent the beginning, the triumphs, the hard work, and the human condition in a bottle of wine.

A documentary on the recent history of Australian wine. How a small group of enterprising Australian winemakers took on the elitist world of wine - and won.

Ermanno Olmi has returned to documentary filmmaking and makes a journey through valleys, living rocks and the culture of the Valtellina hillsides.