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Special Features
- Includes visits to wineries seen in the film Sideways
- Features extended conversations with wine experts
- Additional wine tips from John Cleese
- Special appearance by Brendan Frasier
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Monty Python alums have made good second careers hosting documentary programs, such as Terry Jones's Crusades. Now John Cleese turns his attention to the subject of wine in Wine for the Confused, originally broadcast as a special on Food Network.
 Listen to our interview with John Cleese. |
"Don't let anyone ever try to tell you what wine you like, because people have different tastes and we shall honor that," he heralds at the start. The point of the program is clear and simple: to help you find and describe wines you like; to show how to buy wines at a good value; and to provide tips on how to get the most enjoyment from the wines you do buy. With this attitude, his considerable charm, and his gentle wit, Cleese is the perfect host for this material, and right off the bat he strikes just the right tone--instructive, but light-hearted. The result is delightful.
First covered are the six major varieties of wine-producing grapes (first the whites, then the reds, just as at a tasting), the fermentation process, and tasting notes to help you learn what you like and how to describe it ("Quality should be judged by your own taste."). Next is "Buying Wine." Now that you know what you like, learn how to find it at a good value for the money. Finally there is "Storing and Serving Wine," with simple tips for savoring your purchase.
Novice wine lovers will find Wine for the Confused helpful and reassuring as well as inspirational; don't be surprised if you find yourself turning off the DVD and heading straight to the wine shop with newfound confidence... and that's just what Cleese would want for you. --Dan Vancini
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Product Description
Wine is confusing…overwhelming even. So where do you start if you want to learn more about it? Join John Cleese on an entertaining and personal look at the world of winemaking and discover: how to find wines that taste good to you, how to make sure you get the best value and how to keep and serve wine at home.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By J. Dorman
Format:DVD
This is a great primer for all you beginning wine buffs out there. I think John Cleese does a great jod of keeping an intimidating subject lower key and very modest. Look for the great reaction when he doesn't realize the power of fermentation and he puts his head into the vat!!! The bottom line: he is trying to prove that wine doesnt have to be intimidating and scarry!!! Good show and I reccomend it to all.
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Snobbery abounds in the wine world. Proof of this is hereby demonstrated on this video with Cleese's winetasting party where he has maybe twenty guests vote on which is the cheap bottle vs. the expensive bottle of same grapetype. There wasn't a clear majority who could identify not knowing the label, price.
So, whole point of this well done work on wine is find what you like to drink and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. This is important, since there is so much namedropping in wine drinking world. Buy and drink what you like, and try new things, as Cleese demonstrates with his own wine drinking ventures into new realms never explored by his palate before.
It is well done, with basics covered with hands on shots and interviews. Not an overdo of his humor [which is monumentally good] but very warm and inviting format and hosting on his part.
I tremendously enjoyed this, especially the discussion about the terrario (spelling?), the whole envioronmental scene where grapes on grown, which solidified much of wine discussion for me in a great way.
I believe this will be enjoyable and valuable resource for all levels.
So, whole point of this well done work on wine is find what you like to drink and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. This is important, since there is so much namedropping in wine drinking world. Buy and drink what you like, and try new things, as Cleese demonstrates with his own wine drinking ventures into new realms never explored by his palate before.
It is well done, with basics covered with hands on shots and interviews. Not an overdo of his humor [which is monumentally good] but very warm and inviting format and hosting on his part.
I tremendously enjoyed this, especially the discussion about the terrario (spelling?), the whole envioronmental scene where grapes on grown, which solidified much of wine discussion for me in a great way.
I believe this will be enjoyable and valuable resource for all levels.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good basic intro to wine, but also proves that wine is still intimidating
February 1, 2006
Format:DVD
John Cleese's "Wine for the Confused" is an excellent DVD for the novice wine person like me. Wine-wise, I have the mixed blessing of living in Portland, Oregon, which is a short drive from dozens of excellent assorted Willamette Valley vineyards. Which means that I am able to try a lot of good wine, but also that I have to deal with a lot of wine snobs.
John Cleese's DVD will surely help me with the more enjoyable task of figuring out just what wine I like and how to explain it. Essentially, Cleese brings his considerable wit and star power to bear in de-mystifying the process. When John Cleese says, "Just use your own words to describe the wine, and tell me what you like and don't like," everyone has to listen. (It's a shame that Cleese doesn't have a companion DVD entitled, "John Cleese -- Taking Wine Snobs Down a Peg or Two.")
Cleese puts his advice into action by hosting a wine tasting at his house and also visiting a few wineries. At the wine party, he proves how challenging (and silly) (and fun) wine can be, he asks his guests to price several bottles (ranging from $5 to $200) based on taste alone. It's comforting to know that his guests (including a near-drunken Brendan Fraser) are as likely to properly identify the $200 bottle as they are to guess that it's worth $5.
But it's also interesting that while Cleese's guests are having a good time at his party, several of them get hesitant when he asks them to give their opinions about the wine they are drinking. This serves as confirmation that we need more wine education like this -- even in the comforting environment of a casual wine tasting, you can tell that Cleese's friends, like most of us, are afraid they might come across as "unsophisticated" or even worse, a "beer drinker."
Cleese's quick walk-through six different types of wine is also helpful, and one wishes that he could have explored a few more. He focuses on three whites (Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc) and three reds (Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon). Again, while I wish he had chosen an even wider range, this section is an excellent primer.
One thing Cleese is not able to do is to take the pretension out of the wine people that he's talking to. They don't come across as obnoxious French types, but it's still pretty clear that if these folks weren't talking to a star like John Cleese, they might not be so tolerant of his rudimentary questions. While pleasant folks, they are also the types of people who wax poetic because a certain vineyard's "terroir" (a word Cleese helpfully defines) includes nearby eucalyptus trees. One thing I've learned living in wine country, wine fans who profess to taste the influence of nearby foliage are generally the folks with whom you don't want to discuss wine.
Tips on buying wine are also helpful because Cleese points out some of the gimmicks in the trade, from the snobby waiter to the layout at your wine store, and how you can use them to spot some real values.
This DVD only gets four stars because it stops so soon. Chock full of helpful hints and basic elementary knowledge, this DVD leaves you wishing that this was the first in a long series. And that's not a bad thing. I'm just not sure this isn't a more suitable candidate for a rental than for a permanent slot in the film library.
John Cleese's DVD will surely help me with the more enjoyable task of figuring out just what wine I like and how to explain it. Essentially, Cleese brings his considerable wit and star power to bear in de-mystifying the process. When John Cleese says, "Just use your own words to describe the wine, and tell me what you like and don't like," everyone has to listen. (It's a shame that Cleese doesn't have a companion DVD entitled, "John Cleese -- Taking Wine Snobs Down a Peg or Two.")
Cleese puts his advice into action by hosting a wine tasting at his house and also visiting a few wineries. At the wine party, he proves how challenging (and silly) (and fun) wine can be, he asks his guests to price several bottles (ranging from $5 to $200) based on taste alone. It's comforting to know that his guests (including a near-drunken Brendan Fraser) are as likely to properly identify the $200 bottle as they are to guess that it's worth $5.
But it's also interesting that while Cleese's guests are having a good time at his party, several of them get hesitant when he asks them to give their opinions about the wine they are drinking. This serves as confirmation that we need more wine education like this -- even in the comforting environment of a casual wine tasting, you can tell that Cleese's friends, like most of us, are afraid they might come across as "unsophisticated" or even worse, a "beer drinker."
Cleese's quick walk-through six different types of wine is also helpful, and one wishes that he could have explored a few more. He focuses on three whites (Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc) and three reds (Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon). Again, while I wish he had chosen an even wider range, this section is an excellent primer.
One thing Cleese is not able to do is to take the pretension out of the wine people that he's talking to. They don't come across as obnoxious French types, but it's still pretty clear that if these folks weren't talking to a star like John Cleese, they might not be so tolerant of his rudimentary questions. While pleasant folks, they are also the types of people who wax poetic because a certain vineyard's "terroir" (a word Cleese helpfully defines) includes nearby eucalyptus trees. One thing I've learned living in wine country, wine fans who profess to taste the influence of nearby foliage are generally the folks with whom you don't want to discuss wine.
Tips on buying wine are also helpful because Cleese points out some of the gimmicks in the trade, from the snobby waiter to the layout at your wine store, and how you can use them to spot some real values.
This DVD only gets four stars because it stops so soon. Chock full of helpful hints and basic elementary knowledge, this DVD leaves you wishing that this was the first in a long series. And that's not a bad thing. I'm just not sure this isn't a more suitable candidate for a rental than for a permanent slot in the film library.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Its ok.
I liked it because I love wine & documentaries. However for informational purposes there are better titles out there. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Rlnn H.
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the best.
He uses everyday terms for everyday people like you and I. He uses a little humor but is mostly serious and is definitely NOT a snob
Published 19 days ago by leo knisely
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good primer for Wine
Very good primer for Wine. John Cleese is a great presenter in his brand of humor. Very entertaining and enlightening.
Published 1 month ago by Chuck Roderique
5.0 out of 5 stars
Humorous and educational
Love it! Quite humorous with wine education also! New to wine and wine sobs alike will enjoy.Sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy!
Published 4 months ago by Wine lover
5.0 out of 5 stars
WARNING: Not for Wine Snobs!
I was a little surprised at how informative the video was! I had expected a tongue-in-cheek look at wine, but really learned a lot! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Colleen M. Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice To Be Reminded of the Basics
I watched this short film with my wife and we are definitely not wine-confused. It is our drink of choice, and we try to learn as much as we can about it, and we try to visit... Read more
Published on May 5, 2011 by ITS
5.0 out of 5 stars
This DVD is a hoot!
I bought 4 of these for friends and the local library. It is the best down to earth wine information ever recorded. Trust me, I drink a lot of wine.
Published on June 6, 2010 by HAL 2012
1.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry John Cleese... I like you but not this video
John Cleese is obviously a funny man and great actor, but this video is truly a low quality, badly filmed home movie that should've never hit commercial distribution. Read more
Published on November 23, 2008 by Nada Vergili, Italy Guide & Language Teacher
5.0 out of 5 stars
cleese rules
John Cleese gives a no-nonsense look at enjoying all kinds of wine. You don't have to get involved in all the potential descriptors and aspects of wine. Read more
Published on July 13, 2008 by Raymond
4.0 out of 5 stars
paintlady
fun to watch--more fun than informative, although I did learn some things about wine culture.
One CAN have fun and learn at the same time.
One CAN have fun and learn at the same time.
Published on September 7, 2007 by D. G. Windle
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