This BBC series aired on U.S. television as James May's Road Trip, a testimony to the reality-TV draw of costar James May, of Top Gear fame. In this cuisine-travelogue series evidently designed to lure Top Gear fans as well as foodies, the long-haired, unpretentious May is paired with former Old Vic/Royal Shakespeare Company actor and high-profile wine critic Oz Clarke on a tour through France's wine country in James's Jaguar XJS. Can upper-class Oz successfully educate James on the varietals, techniques, and culture of fine wine? Conversely, can James—who's quite well-spoken—teach Oz to stop his ivory-tower lectures and express his passion in the language of the common folk? After a slow start, the show begins to grow on you (like a vine), with especially funny bits when Oz and James treat a très chic female vintner to an evening out—not at a fine restaurant but at their roadside camp with beans and Spam over a fire (with complementary wine, of course). And there's an amusing sortie to a New Age “magical” establishment in which power crystals, monolithic stones, and phallus-shaped totems attempt to focus earth-energy—or something—onto the grapes (surprisingly, both men agree the wine is quite splendid). Still, some viewers may agree with James when he concludes one segment complaining, “What exactly was the point of that visit?” Compiling all five episodes, this is recommended, overall. Aud: P. (C. Cassady)
Oz & James' Big French Wine Adventure
(2006) 2 discs. 180 min. DVD: $32.98. BFS Entertainment & Multimedia (avail. from most distributors). Volume 26, Issue 6
Oz & James' Big French Wine Adventure
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