John Cleese - Wine for the Confused

John Cleese - Wine for the Confused


Starring:John Cleese, Alice Faye Eichelberger
Director: David Kennard
Studio: KOCH VISION
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Monty Python alums have made good second careers hosting documentary programs, such as Terry Jones's Crusades. Now John Cleese turns his attention to the subject of wine in Wine for the Confused, originally broadcast as a special on Food Network.

Listen to our interview with John Cleese.

"Don't let anyone ever try to tell you what wine you like, because people have different tastes and we shall honor that," he heralds at the start. The point of the program is clear and simple: to help you find and describe wines you like; to show how to buy wines at a good value; and to provide tips on how to get the most enjoyment from the wines you do buy. With this attitude, his considerable charm, and his gentle wit, Cleese is the perfect host for this material, and right off the bat he strikes just the right tone--instructive, but light-hearted. The result is delightful.

First covered are the six major varieties of wine-producing grapes (first the whites, then the reds, just as at a tasting), the fermentation process, and tasting notes to help you learn what you like and how to describe it ("Quality should be judged by your own taste."). Next is "Buying Wine." Now that you know what you like, learn how to find it at a good value for the money. Finally there is "Storing and Serving Wine," with simple tips for savoring your purchase.

Novice wine lovers will find Wine for the Confused helpful and reassuring as well as inspirational; don't be surprised if you find yourself turning off the DVD and heading straight to the wine shop with newfound confidence... and that's just what Cleese would want for you. --Dan Vancini

Raise a Glass with John Cleese

Monty Python Store
Starring John Cleese
Life after Monty Python

Wine on DVD and Beyond
Wine Accessories
Why watch wine when you can drink it?


Description
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.
John Cleese - Wine for the Confused
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Disappointing
  • Getting snobbery out of wine drinking.
  • informative, but not too much
  • Still a bit confused
  • Improve your knowledge and appreciation of wine
 John Cleese - Wine for the Confused
Starring: John Cleese , and Alice Faye Eichelberger
Director: David Kennard
Manufacturer: KOCH VISION
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009NZ6P2
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Amazon.com

Monty Python alums have made good second careers hosting documentary programs, such as Terry Jones's Crusades. Now John Cleese turns his attention to the subject of wine in Wine for the Confused, originally broadcast as a special on Food Network.

Listen to our interview with John Cleese.

"Don't let anyone ever try to tell you what wine you like, because people have different tastes and we shall honor that," he heralds at the start. The point of the program is clear and simple: to help you find and describe wines you like; to show how to buy wines at a good value; and to provide tips on how to get the most enjoyment from the wines you do buy. With this attitude, his considerable charm, and his gentle wit, Cleese is the perfect host for this material, and right off the bat he strikes just the right tone--instructive, but light-hearted. The result is delightful.

First covered are the six major varieties of wine-producing grapes (first the whites, then the reds, just as at a tasting), the fermentation process, and tasting notes to help you learn what you like and how to describe it ("Quality should be judged by your own taste."). Next is "Buying Wine." Now that you know what you like, learn how to find it at a good value for the money. Finally there is "Storing and Serving Wine," with simple tips for savoring your purchase.

Novice wine lovers will find Wine for the Confused helpful and reassuring as well as inspirational; don't be surprised if you find yourself turning off the DVD and heading straight to the wine shop with newfound confidence... and that's just what Cleese would want for you. --Dan Vancini

Raise a Glass with John Cleese

Monty Python Store
Starring John Cleese
Life after Monty Python

Wine on DVD and Beyond
Wine Accessories
Why watch wine when you can drink it?

Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Disappointing.......2007-03-31

The John Cleese name made me think this would be witty and informative. It was neither. He does make one good point - that people often are intimidated into feeling they "should" like something expensive, which needn't be the case. If you need convincing on that point then buy & watch, otherwise save your money.

5 out of 5 stars Getting snobbery out of wine drinking........2007-03-02

For those that love John Cleese, you will be twice pleased, as this is also a serious hour of fun education on wines. This was broadcast as a special on the Food Network chanel. I bought this dvd to loan to friends that never got to enjoy the special on tv.

4 out of 5 stars informative, but not too much.......2007-01-30

Wine for the Confused with John Cleese is a very informative video. The information is very basic and useful. It doesn't go too far into detail to the point where the audience is lost and confused, helping them loosen up about the topic of wine and accepting the art of winemaking and drinking. Cleese gives tips about how wine is made, how to describe wine and decide which wine is good, how wine is priced and the proper way to drink wine. For example, he goes to several different vineyards and discusses the variations between Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which are the six main types of grapes that wine is made from, three red and three white, which happen to be the most important factor in the taste and presentation of wine. He also enlightens the audience about how different lengths and forms of fermentation produce unique tastes. Cleese then goes on to give details on how the taste of wine can then be described using words such as light, heavy, sweet, dry, fruity, spicy, crisp, and fresh. Everything is concise and descriptive, helping you to follow the video easily and effectively. It is a very appealing video because the study of wine and winemaking is an actual interest of John Cleese, therefore making the documentation more intriguing and attention-grabbing. Cleese also provides humor throughout the video with his foolish jokes that are so silly they are funny. A few times the video cuts off randomly and picks up at different settings, but it's all because of editing and such and, in my opinion, absolutely does not take away from the abundance of information. Overall, the video is a very cheesy, but good, one which I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to know the basic information behind winemaking, tastes associated with wine, and the pricing of wine. It is full of a good amount of useful information that is easy to absorb and remember without overdoing it to the point of confusion and boredom. It's short and simple to the point with a host who has a great personality and funny sense of humor. Watch this movie and you will learn oodles of information about wine that you never even knew existed and remember: "Don't let anyone tell you which wine you should like," one of Cleese's favorite mottos. Relax about drinking wine and enjoy it for what it's really worth!

3 out of 5 stars Still a bit confused.......2007-01-22

If your experience with wine is such that you can tell the difference between a red and a white wine then this DVD will be quite useful. If you are beyond that level then it may still provide some useful insights but you may not feel that it was worth the expense.

5 out of 5 stars Improve your knowledge and appreciation of wine.......2007-01-12

John Cleese's low-budget film on wines and wine-making is both amusing and educational. "Don't let anyone tell you which wine you should like" is one of Cleese's key messages. Wine-makers in the Santa Barbara region talk to Cleese about the characteristics of their wines including Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Cleese also talks to others in the wine business about prices ("would you like an expensive wine better than an inexpensive one?"). In blind wine-tasting tests with friends he shows that liking a wine has nothing to do with the price and that people cannot necessarily differentiate a white from a red wine by taste alone. I've watched this film several times among family and friends all of whom loved it.

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