Season 1 Episodes

Our European odyssey begins in Tuscany, in the ancient medieval town of San Gimignano, famous for its towers. There we meet 18th generation winemaker Pierluigi Giachi. This Tuscan wine producer is simply one of the greatest charcters we have ever met, and is the inspiration for this series. He has a special gift for teching wine appreciation with an unrivaled sense of passion and humor. Unlock the secrets of wine tasting with Pierluigi as your guide. Swirling, sniffing, pairing, and etiquette are all covered in a way that will make you learn and make you laugh. With a segment on Tuscan food preparation and lots of beautiful scenery, live, and learn, the Italian way with a wine Tasting in Tuscany.

The Barolo region is unmatched for its scenic beauty and quality of its red wines. Home of Italy's most treasured red, Barolo, made from nebbiolo grapes, Barolo has a lush beauty that is unique. This area is famous for more than wines, however; it's also one of the few places on Earth where you can find the white truffle. This pungent, garlicky smelling fungus grows naturally in the presence of certain types of trees, and makes the cuisine of Piedmont truly extraordinary. On this very special trip to Piedmont you will join us for a truffle hunt, visit the world-famous truffle fair in Alba, watch the harvesting and making of Barolo wine, explore the region's fantastic cuisine, and get to know the wonderful Gagliasso family at their home and winery in the ancient village of La Morra, in the land of the white truffle. The highlight of our time here was certainly the harvest feast, an institution that is dying out in Italy but remains a treasured event here in Piedmont. The Gagliassos have the same team of friends to help them harvest each year, a combination of young and old alike. After a few courses of the feast and a few more rounds of wine, the songs pour forth, beautiful and haunting, an enduring legacy of this region still rooted in tradition. Do not miss this episode.

Would you like to take a hair-raising four-wheel drive tour to some of the steepest vineyards in Europe? Afterwards you can relax to intimate harvest lunches, four-star meals with Rhone wine pairings, and a visit to a goat-cheese farm. Sound like fun? Then get ready, because we're taking you on a wild tour of the "crazy vineyards" of the Rhone region, France's hottest new wine destination. Our guide is Edouard Labeye, one of the Rhone's most insane and beloved winemaking consultants. These mad Frenchmen are guaranteed to make you laugh.

When speaking of wine, you have the old world and you have the new world. Then you have the cellar at Chateau St. Cosme. Hewn from solid limestone bedrock, the old cellar was built sometime in the 2nd century by the Romans. After it was destroyed in 280, a "new" cellar was built in 1490, right after Louis Barroul's family purchased the chateau above it. Join us Louis takes us on a fascinating trip back into the oldest world of wine, as we examine the remains of ancient Roman presses, taste Grenache from 120-yr. old vines, feast on Mediterranean cuisine, and tour the incomparably beautiful countryside of Provence.

The French take the notion of terroir very seriously, and nowhere is it more pronounced and celebrated than in the Burgundy region. In this episode we untangle the mysteries and philosophy of terroir as we visit with some of the finest winemakers in Burgundy. A tour of the "secret" cellar of Burgundy and a visit to the famed Domain Jacques Prieur Grand Cru vineyard in Mersault are just a few of the highlights. A must-see for both seasoned and newly-converted wine enthusiasts, discover firsthand terroir, unearthed.

Eduard Labeye is a French wine broker, wine maker, and wine consultant who breaks all stereotypes. With his infectious laugh and boundless enthusiasm, Eduard is one of the generation of new French winemakers with a foot in the old world and a foot in the new. The consultant behind many well-known brands, Eduard wears many hats and consults all over the world. We meet up with him at his home in Provence, for a wild tour of the southern vineyard areas of France as we see what a busy wine consultant does for a living. Thought you knew France? You need to see our Travels with Eduoard.

Not far from Barcelona is Spain's undisputed new rising star of fine wine: the Priorat region. Rugged, remote, endowed with a difficult climate, it is a notoriously difficult environment to grow grapes. But the region is breathtakingly beautiful and the wines, when done right, can be astounding. Find out why a small community of international wine fanatics is now calling this place home, and why they say "in most of the world, there are wine makers, but in the Priorat, there are wine dreamers."

Spain is made up of three distinct regions,each with its own distinct language and culture. There is traditional Castellano Spain, which is all of the central, western, and southern parts of the country. There is the Catalan region, up in the northeast with Barcelona as its capitol. Then there's the Basque region, which stretches along the entire northern border from France to Portugal. This region is lush, cool, and mountainous. Home to sheperds, farmers, and fishermen, theres a wealth of natural products and thus an incredible culinary tradition with a heavy focus on seafood. San Sebastian sits right on the Atlantic ocean and is the capital city of the region. Broken into roughly two parts, Donostia and San Sebastian proper, it boasts great surf beaches, a dynamic summer lineup of jazz and music festivals, a formidable football team, incredible natural beauty and the highest concentration of tapas bars anywhere in the world. In this episode we spend a few days in San Sebastian, exploring the myriad food choices and figuring out the best way to attack the pinxo bars. We find the best pinxo on earth, meet up with a local guide, surf (kind of) one of the rowdiest breaks in Europe, and party all night with a whole cast of crazy locals and visitors. San Sebastian turned out to be one of our favorite places in Europe, and after you see this episode, you'll know why.

Philip Holzberg is passionate about the French tradition and style of wine, and not afraid to speak his mind about it. Together with his wife Sophie, and their two children they've created an idyllic lifestyle centered around family, food, and of course, wine. Join us for an intimate look at the other side of Bordeaux, as we feast on French home cooking, ride horseback through the vineyards, explore the stunning medieval town of St. Emilion, and enjoy lunch with the local boys. Find out how Philip, a former Canadian, became the Earl of Cardinal, discover wine's place in the world, and see for yourself what, exactly, is the Nardou Bar and Grill.

During our stay in the countryside of Bordeaux we are treated to an amazing tour of the Left Bank - perhaps the most famous and exclusive wine region in the world. Get past the velvet rope with us as we tour the Chateaus, vineyards, cellars and restaurants of this famed, and often hard to access region. Learn why Bordeaux is king, and meet some of the friendliest wine makers in France, as the Wine Travelers go Inside the Left Bank.

There is simply no city in all of Europe like Florence. The art, the architecture, the markets, the fashion, the shopping, the food, the music, and the wine...ah, the wine, all set in a postcard perfect location in a river valley ringed with olive groves, vineyards, and the soft hills of Tuscany. We bring you our experience of Florence, as we follow the day and discover its secrets. A side trip to the nearby Antinori Tignanello estate, a conversation with a famous art historian, and a visit to a local olive press are but a few of the highlights. Do not miss this visual feast of the Renaissance city.

While we take you to the action, the Wine Travelers usually step back and let the winemakers tell their story. In this episode, however, you'll join us behind the scenes as four American friends pilot a van across Europe, battling language barriers, poorly marked highways, traffic accidents, theft, being lost, and mysterious roadside foods and attractions. It's an amusing look at what happens when a young American video crew takes on Europe, as we take you Behind the Wine Travelers.