Klaas de Jong
Wine Masters: Douro
The table wine Revolution. When Dirk Niepoort stepped into his family's small Port merchant business, he had big dreams and plans that his father did not support. Despite that, Dirk persevered and turned it into one of the most successful wine companies in Portugal. A few years ago he handed over the daily management to son Daniel, who has the same quirky and creative streak and love of wine.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Provence
The famous benchmark rosé we all know, is the Provence pale rosé. When Lucien Peyraud received a pre-phylloxera bottle of Bandol from his father-in-law on his wedding with Lucie (Lulu) Tempier, this inspired him to re-start the production of the mixed-grape wines of Bandol with Mourvèdre as the dominant grape. Lucien and Lulu became the ambassadors of the Bandol appellation. Two generations later, there is no family heir to the estate.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Beaujolais
Georges Duboeuf, “the King” of the Beaujolais, is inextricably linked to this region. He introduced the celebration of the new Gamay harvest, the Beaujolais Nouveau, and made it a worldwide famous festivity. Thanks to this popularity, also Beaujolais Cru’s like Fleurie, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent finally get the attention they deserve. His grandson Adrien Duboeuf-Lacombe was chosen as his successor at a very young age.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde, literally "green wine" is both the DOC and the style of wine. Luís Cerdeira runs the Soalheiro winery on the Costa Verde, the green coast of northern Portugal, along with his mother and sister, who is a veterinarian and introduced organic farming to the estate.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Alentejo
Until recently the Mouchão winery in Alentejo had no access to electricity, so they were forced to stick to ancient traditions. This is one of the only places where these traditions are upheld, and it turns out that these wines have the best aging potential in the world. The Reynolds family lost Mouchão during the Carnation Revolution and regained it years later in a completely neglected state.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Port
Port is central heating for adults. It's rich, it's sweet, it's comforting, it's reassuring. Charles Symington is certainly one of the most important wine makers in the world because of the range of wines he is in charge of. Of all the British families that have entered the Port trade in recent centuries, the Symington family is one of the few that is left in Porto.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Champagne
Historically, the base wine of Champagne was almost undrinkable. Champagne needed bubbles and dosage to produce an amazing wine. Pierre Peters was one of the first Champagne Growers, after being exploited by the big brands. Grower Champagne brought the wine lover back to the region.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Southern Rhône
Known as the wine of the popes, it was however Robert Parker who put the entire southern Rhône valley on the wine map at the end of the last century. Today many people see Beaucastel of the family Perrin as the benchmark of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Apple TV
The Wild Side of Wine: South Africa - A Wine for Mandela
South African wine conjures images of picture-perfect winelands – but also a painful past. In this eye-opening mini-series, Peter Richards MW explores a country not shying away from the past, but actively re-discovering its own identity. Where wine offers both salutary lessons and hope for a brighter, more inclusive future. Brace yourselves for adventure, inspiring people and captivating stories.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: The Most Expensive Wine in the World
This controversial wine documentary is about Loïc Pasquet, who was sentenced to jail because he didn't follow the agricultural rules and practices of Bordeaux. Now his wines, Liber Pater, are the most expensive wines in the world: 30.000 dollars per bottle. Yet according to Loïc, Bordeaux will be dead soon.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Burgenland
The land around the shallow lakes of Burgenland in the flat and gentle part of Austria, is the ideal environment for the Kracher family to make stunning noble sweet wines out of grapes infected by noble rot.
Apple TV
Wine Masters: Mosel
When you say Mosel, you say Riesling. Wines from this noble grape variety grown in the beautiful Mosel valley in southeastern Germany can age for many decades. Riesling covers the entire spectrum of white wine: from the honey sweet Trockenbeerenauslese to the super dry Grosses Gewächs and everything in between.
Apple TVWine Masters: Wachau
The Austrian Hirtzberger family has put the Wachau on the quality wine map. Three generations of Franz Hirtzberger have turned Grüner Veltliner and Riesling grapes into wines that can be enjoyed for decades to come.
Apple TVWine Masters: Baden
In Baden, the hottest region in southwestern Germany, the Heger family has been growing Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder -the German versions of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc- on the terraces of the beautiful and majestic Kaiserstuhl.
Apple TV
The Wild Side of Wine: Lebanon - Bacchus was here
In 'The Wild Side of Wine: Lebanon - Bacchus was here’, Peter reveals how crucial Lebanon is to wine and wine history: much of today’s wine world owes its origins to Lebanon’s ancient Phoenecian traders, and the country’s epic wine history is captured in breathtaking fashion at the Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek, near the Syrian border. And yet history has not been kind to this volatile region: we explore how wine is helping heal the scars of war, and how vinous heroes battled through conflict to make their precious ferments. Along the way we encounter playful goats, cluster bombs, mighty cedar forests, a 2,000-year-old Roman cellar - plus Peter tries his hand at making tabbouleh, orgiastic dancing and balancing rosé wine while paddle boarding.
Apple TV
Wine Masters Class: Austrian Whites, California, Western Loire Valley
Austria makes some of the greatest dry white wines on the planet, both in terms of value and overall quality. The Danube River going through the north-eastern part of the country provides ideal conditions for the rock star white grape varieties Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. You will learn to train your palate and all about the Austrian wine regulations, one of the strictest wine laws in the world and be surprised about two wine and food pairings. Although California is quite a young wine growing area in comprising with the most of the European wine regions, it has a lot of history. You will learn about the ups and downs in the region, including the Judgement of Paris which has put California wines on the map. Learn about the bold Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa and Chardonnay from Sonoma and Zinfandel from the Sierra Foothills. The experiment will explain how wine is made from grapes. The Loire Valley is most famous for its castles along the longest river of France, but it is also a very divers wine region. We focus on the western part of the Valley, discussing the wine regions of Touraine, Anjou-Saumur and Nantais. Sur Lie, a wine term that can be found on label of Muscadet wines, will be explained in our experiment. WineMasters Class will help you achieve your (WSET) Wine and Sommelier certificates.
Apple TV
Wine Masters Class: Eastern Loire Valley, Campania, Alsace
This eastern segment of the Loire Valley is the reputed birthplace of Sauvignon Blanc and it is here where you can find the two most famous appellations of the Loire; Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. We will explain one of the fundamental traits in wine; acidity, which we will explain more in detail in our experiment. Besides Sauvignon Blanc we will also speak about Pinot Noir and other appellations like Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Quincy. The fame of Campania was well described by the Romans, they knew the region as Campania felix, which translates into English as 'land of bounty and joy'. Its fame as a great wine-producing region faded with the collapse of the Roman Empire. But today, Campania counts some of the highest densities of DOCs and DOCGs (quality wine-areas) within Italy. Campania is thriving with re-planted ancient varieties that once grew on these lands some 2,000 years ago and were buried under volcanic ash and pumice in 79 A.D. The Alsace area is known for its aromatic, fruity intense and spicy white wines, primarily from Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat which are the 4 noble grapes varieties. Alsace wines tend to be dry, but these days wines can be more divers in styles including some residual sweetness but that is not often indicated on the label, so that can make it challenging for us drinkers. We will help you understand the wines more in detail. We will also highlight the Alsace sweet wines; Vendange Tardive and Selection de Grains Nobles. The term vintage will be explained and what is needed to create great wines. WineMasters Class will help you achieve your (WSET) Wine and Sommelier certificates.
Apple TV