The Show
Breaking the mold of past wine-related television series, VINE TALK strives to dramatically increase the excitement and comfort surrounding the selection and drinking of wine by creating a welcoming environment for viewers. Actor, writer, director and long-standing foodie Stanley Tucci (read his bio here) serves as celebrity host and leads an ever-changing celebrity panel through a blind tasting each week. The panel sniffs, swirls, and sips wines as they talk about their current projects and of course wine. Each week, a different wine region from around the world serves as the inspiration for a lively and engaging conversation. “It has not taken long to determine that most anyone can come together, enjoy almost any type of wine, engage in compelling conversation–and even pick up good basic wine education in the process,” says Tucci.
Taped live at The Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City, an eclectic group of over 40 celebrities and celebrity chefs blindly pick their favorite wine from each show’s offerings and compare their choice with that of a studio audience tasting.
Food & Wine’s Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle serves as VINE TALK’s primary wine expert. Isle along with a rotating group of experienced sommeliers, are on hand to answer celebrity and studio audience questions about the wines and the region they come from.
The wines featured on VINE TALK were selected by an independent panel of industry experts — sommeliers, distributors, retailers, restaurant wine directors and wine writers – who chose the 96 wines featured on the first season of the show from a group of approximately 400 wines. All the wines consumed on the show are purchased by VINE TALK. We thank our panelists and Astor Center, which hosted our selection panel event.
Corporate Underwriters
Metrokane designs and manufactures the world’s leading line of wine accessories, which are marketed under two well known brands—Rabbit® and Houdini™. The Rabbit Corkscrew, introduced in 2000, is the famous lever-style corkscrew that opens a wine bottle in three seconds flat. Rabbit and Houdini brands offer the widest selection of wine accessories to open, serve and preserve wine. For more information about Rabbit and Houdini products and where to buy them, go to metrokane.com.
Marketing Partners
About FOOD & WINE
FOOD & WINE is the modern, stylish, trend-spotting, talent-seeking epicurean brand. Created by American Express Publishing, the luxury-lifestyle authority, FOOD & WINE includes a monthly magazine with a circulation of 925,000, a books division and the website foodandwine.com, with updates on Twitter (@fandw) and Facebook.
Production Partners
VINE TALK is a production of Jersey Wooly Productions, Inc., co-produced by OLIVE Productions, Inc. and WLIW21 in association with WNET New York Public Media – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. U.S. public television distribution by American Public Television (APT). The series is distributed by American Public Television (APT).
About OLIVE Productions
In 2008, Stanley Tucci partnered with his friend for more than 20 years, Steve Buscemi and Wren Arthur to form OLIVE Productions, a New York based film and television company. One of OLIVE’s mandates is to cast a wide net when developing film and television material, with a portion of the projects to be earmarked for Stanley and Steve to direct. OLIVE is a co-producer of VINE TALK, and additionally has other TV shows in development at HBO and AMC.
About WNET New York Public Media
WNET New York Public Media is a pioneering provider of television and web content. The parent of THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and Creative News Group, WNET brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Tavis Smiley, Need To Know, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps and Cyberchase to national and international audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET pursues a single, overarching goal – to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America and the world. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.
About APT
American Public Television (APT) has been a leading distributor of high-quality, top-rated programming to America’s public television stations since 1961. In 2010, APT distributed nearly half of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles. Among its 300 new titles per year are prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies, including For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots, A Ripple of Hope, Rick Steves’ Europe, Newsline, Globe Trekker, Simply Ming, America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Lidia’s Italy, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, Murdoch Mysteries, Doc Martin, Rosemary & Thyme, The Rat Pack: Live and Swingin’, Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful! and John Denver: The Wildlife Concert. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. In 2006, APT launched Create® – the TV channel featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming. APT is also a partner in the WORLD™ channel expansion project.