Smoooth wine — in a country where wine is a way of life — will never make the natives happy. A tip o’ the WC’s fedora to Aaron Bratcher for his video and voiceover skills. The original video is courtesy of Julay via YouTube.
And who knew Italian boars were so interested in wine?
The Wine Curmudgeon has long lamented wine’s lack of marketing acumen, where Orson Welles and the Roo are considered state of the art. Little did I know that Saturday Night Live’s 2013 cast figured it out, too.
Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong are spot on taking off every silly luxury wine commercial we’ve poked fun at on the blog (both puns fully intended). Yes, it’s a little long in the middle, since it is SNL, but not to worry: “Remember what bubbles sound like? Pfft … pfft… pfft. …”
And who knew Justin Timberlake could do comedy? “Monica and Chandler’s Champagne,” indeed.
Video: Courtesy of Saturday Night Live via YouTube
Does anyone still wonder why so many people make fun of wine drinkers? If so, watch Thomas Lennon in this scene from 2009’s “17 Again.” How well does Lennon parody entirely too many people who taste wine in a restaurant? It’s so well done that it’s even funnier than his sport coat.
And a big tip of the WC’s fedora to Leslie Mann, whose reaction says as much about wine’s pretensions as Lennon’s gurgling.
Video: Courtesy of Mike Lee via YouTube
The wine business has been puzzled, mystified, and perplexed about reaching younger consumers for years. Comic Cam Bertrand, no Baby Boomer, has some words of wisdom – stop being so snotty about wine.
And Bertrand is damn funny about it, too. His merlot sipping and sniffing pantomime is spot on – and why can’t merlot pair with a Doritos Locos Taco?
Video courtesy of Dry Bar Comedy via YouTube
One criticism of the blog that has been consistent since it started: The Wine Curmudgeon doesn’t know anything about wine. Why else would I recommend cheap wine? This has come from blog visitors, sommeliers, and even other wine writers.
So I offer this, from legendary chef Jacques Pepin. He has cooked for several presidents of France, including Charles de Gaulle; written 36 cookbooks; earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree at Columbia University; and taught classes at colleges around the country. So he may know a thing or two about the subject.
Pepin talks about the role wine played on his series of cooking shows in the 1980s and 1990s, at the beginning of the U.S. wine boom. He thought it was important to introduce U.S. viewers to the joys of wine and food. He also thought it was important to point out that wine doesn’t have to be expensive: “I am not a snob about wine, you know. I usually buy a bottle under $10 or whatever, if you know what to buy.”
Which is where the WC comes in — because I have been here for 15 years helping you know what to buy.
This interview comes from a series Pepin recorded for the Television Academy Foundation, which has taped thousands of interviews with people from the history of TV — actors, producers, writers, hosts, and the like. The Pepin series is worth watching, and especially when he discusses his friendship and working relationship with Julia Child.
More about wine and cooking shows:
• Jacques Pepin loves cheap wine
• Christopher Kimball: “Wine is too hard”
• Julia Child and wine, both local and cheap
Remember all those corny 1970s TV wine ads we’ve dissected on the blog? Who knew someone would make the same kind of ad almost 50 years later?
But that’s the case with this effort from Australia’s Brokenwood Cellars, which does everything but call on the shade of Orson Welles to chant, “We will sell no one wine before its time.” Does the narration really say (around 0:30) that Brokenwood makes wine “to be drunk and enjoyed, savored and admired?” What else are we supposed to do with it? Spit it out?
Brokenwood wines aren’t readily available in the U.S., but appear to be critically respected. Which makes the ad that much more difficult to figure out — if you’re already well thought of, why bother with this? It’s the kind of faux image building that less respected brands do to puff up their reputation. If you make quality wine, why gild the lily with a shot of someone’s gnarled hands?
More about TV wine ads:
• TV wine ads: Does Stella Rosa’s sweet fizzy red commercial do what Big Wine can’t?
• TV wine ads: San Giuseppe Wines, because you can never have too much bare skin in a wine ad
• TV wine ads: King Solomon wine, because “Tonight … the king is in town”
Video courtesy of Rollingball Productions via YouTube
One of my favorite moments teaching wine students came when I demonstrated the various corkscrews. The students, most of whom had never used one of any kind, were especially baffled by the waiter’s corkscrew, which is standard restaurant equipment. This video, from the great Ray Isle of Food & Wine, would have been a huge help.
Isle, one of the best wine critics in the country, covers all of the bases, showing how each corkscrew works and why the waiter is the best of a bad lot. Because, as regular visitors here know, all wines should have screwcaps.
Video courtesy of Food & Wine, via You Tube, using a Creative Commons license
