[.ca] Jancis Robinson's Wine Course

From Amazon.com:
Over the course of five videos, Jancis Robinson gives us a basic understanding of wine: how it is made, how to appreciate it, how to properly store, open, and drink it. Robinson is an expert in the field, editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, as well as a columnist for the Wine Spectator. These tapes, though, are not just about the drink; just as interesting is her look into the people behind the wines. Each video introduces a new locale and the people who cultivate the grapes and turn them into nectar. Robinson never speaks down to her viewer--she points out that wine should not be a serious subject, that its point is to provide pleasure--although she is frequently a bit condescending to the vintners in her interviews, making the show all the more amusing. Some of the best moments occur when she offers a winemaker a taste of the competitor's wine--somehow they never think it is quite up their own standards. She revels in revealing the scandals and failures of the wine world, providing a gossipy feel. While the wine course is more than enough reason to watch this series, the cinematography is spectacular, beautifully highlighting the wine-growing regions of the world--from Australia to Chile to Oregon to Europe. Mixing history and culture with nuts and bolts, this set is a perfect place to start if you have little or no previous knowledge of wine. --Jenny Brown

Learn how to taste wine:
This DVD series comes in a box set of 5 DVD's (2 series per DVD). The first DVD is an introduction to wine, with the second program being about the grape variety Chardonnay. DVD 2 is about Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc. DVD 3 Syrah/Shiraz, and Riesling. DVD 4 is about Pinot Noir, and Merlot. DVD 5 is about fizz, and grape invaders. I first saw this BBC series on TV Ontario, a few years ago, and since I missed a few programs I decided to buy the series on DVD. I'm glad I did. Jancis takes a sensible view of wine, and wine tasting. This program is not for wine snobs, but for those people who want to know how to understand and appreciate wine in general. If you know how to taste a wine, then you'll know how to enjoy what appeals to your own taste buds, and not what you think you should like based on intimidations from others. You can also tell if someone tasting a wine knows what they are doing from the way they smell, and taste the wine to the way they hold the glass. Likewise if you order a wine in a good restaurant it helps to know if they are serving it correctly (in an appropriate glass, and at the right temperature), else they shouldn't be charging high prices for a product they don't know how to serve. I always liked Julia Child because she taught the viewer the science of cooking. Jancis's Robinson does the same thing. She shows you the science of wine, and how it's made. I particularly like the program on fizz. It opened my mind to sparkling wines from other regions of the world other than France and champagne... especially since the series revealed that many of these sparkling wines from around the world are being produced with French methods by French companies. Is it necessary to let a wine breath? What does corked mean? Jancis answers these questions. I also found it surprising to know that most wines should be drunk when they are young. Only a few wines need to be aged. I've seen wine tasters appear on tv shows (Eg: Martha Stewart). They taste wines and ramble on about how good it is etc etc. However none of these experts show people what to look for when tasting. They don't show you how important the sinuses are in tasting. It's all fine and dandy to watch Martha Stewart look at the experts and agree that the wine they just tasted is excellent. They however neglect to show you how to do it yourself, and fine out what you consider to be excellent according to your own likes and dislikes. Jancis does show you in this series. Wine tasting is a personal thing... what one taster likes another dislikes. Since watching the series I've decided to try Australian, New Zealand, and Chilean wines. I'm glad I did. Jancis is not afraid to place wines from these new wine countries, up against the best that Western Europe can offer. Jancis has opened my mind to wine. I recommend this series to anyone that seriously wants to learn how to consume wine. It's also handy to have Jancis Robinson's book as well "Jancis Robinson's Wine Course" BBC Books ISBN 0-563-37098-X.

Very misleading title:
I bought this video based on good reports. I know a thing or two about wine. I love good wine. But I really don't feel that I know all the subtle differences between the many varieties. I would surely fail a blind taste test. Though somewhat interesting, this video taught me nothing about wine itself, it focused primarily on the politics, society and industry that surrounds it. If you want a wine "course" that teaches you about the aspects and qualities of the different wines, this IS NOT for you. If you like to watch rich people sipping expensive wine at fancy dinner parties, then maybe you'll like this. I consider this a huge waste of money. My worst Amazon purchase to date.

This is not a "course" as you might expect....:
This video set is not necessarily a "course" about wine. This video compilation is more about Jancis Robinson crusading all over the world being seen with all these important vineyard owners. These videos are not for those who have moderate or less knowledge of wine and there seems to be nothing of substance for those who are trying to figure out why Chardonnay's, Cabernet's, etc...are the way they are. The information that is given is often vague and the dialogue is hard to follow. In the strictness sense, its a waste of money.

An enjoyable series but not a course:
I received the box set as a gift from my wife. She thought with a title containing "course" that I would actually learn something. I enjoyed watching the videos very much, but they were strange. I kept on asking myself "what is Ms. Robinson trying to teach us here?" I didn't really learn very much about the aspects of wine. I got to see how a few producers put their wines together and some nice French scenery. If you are trying to learn about wine for the first time try starting with the Wine for Dummies book and/or tape.

And to top it all off.........................she's a dog.:
This woman is so overrated it's a sin. At a Wine Spectator event many years ago, she insisted the white wine being served was a White Burgundy and the bag of hot air even insisted on the region..............and then it was revealed to her it was a 1988 Chardonnay from Gristina Vineyards on Long Island. Oh well, it sure stinks to be a know it all. Not only is this not a course, it's such a pretentious piece of fluff I wanted to vomit.