VINTAGE DISPLAYS THE DIVERSITY IN WINE

The appeal of some things are global. Affinity for them seems to cross nearly all national, cultural, religious, economic, and political boundaries. That’s a very tall standard and while it isn’t unanimous, the love of wine comes very close; closer than just about anything else. Which elicits the query, what is it about wine that makes it appealing to so many different types of people? Oenophiles deliberate on the virtues of wine for countless hours but the majority of us simply know what we like and what we don’t. Still, the reasons for the popularity of delicately fermented grapes is so embraced that one wonders what is the key to its ubiquity. Peter Backeberg was so intrigued with the concept and his own love of wine that he created a television production around it. Vintage: Napa Valley has aired on three-hundred sixty-one PTV channels covering eighty-eight percent of U.S. TV Households. The program’s National Average Household Rating equates to 6,355,000 Gross Household Impressions and 7,694,000 Gross Person 2+ Impressions. Vintage consistently out-performed all other programs of its ilk during a nine month run, proving that the interest in wine is congruent to the popularity of the beverage itself. All this data serves to give credence to the notion that not only do a lot of people love wine but they are interested in learning more about it. Backeberg created the series as a means of educating and entertaining this community which he considers himself a vested member of.

Vintage: Napa Valley a six-part documentary series airing on PBS stations across the United States (www.vintagetvseries.com). Each half hour episode takes viewers behind-the-scenes at three renowned Napa Valley wineries, tracing the crop from cultivation to harvest and finally production. Studied wine aficionados are familiar with the substantial differences which create the taste of different wines. Vintage explores the fermentation, weather, temperature, and individual production process resulting in a positive or negative harvest; key in determining what is a good or bad bottle of wine. Rather than sifting through all of the information yourself, Vintage offers a VIP experience that most travelers could never receive. Already an immense hit, the first season which began in the Napa Valley will change location for season two. The programs associate producer Alex Scrymgeour is excited about the numerous location opportunities for upcoming seasons. Alex recognizes the varied opportunities for the show and states, “There are many different regions globally that are known for their wine making. In season one Vintage visited Napa Valley, California. For season two we are exploring options such as Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Niagara, Canada, Italy, Spain, and of course France. Each country has a unique culture and climate which makes for a different palate experience and an interesting season for Vintage. The harvest time in Chile is different than the harvest time in France, Niagara, Canada, and so on. Each region has its own unique grape which produces a different tasting wine of that region.”

Vintage: Napa Valley received massive praise and interest at 2017’s MIPCOM which verifies the interest of the global community. Wine is beloved everywhere on Earth. For a show which traverses the globe discussing its differences, the understanding that it’s always harvest time somewhere on the planet assures Vintage has a story to tell year-round.

Author: Kelly James