Product Details

• Actors: Dobri D. Kiprov, John Champion, Tim Hanni
• Directors: Dobri D. Kiprov
• Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• DVD Release Date: May 15, 2003
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000A0A6M
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,432 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time or money, January 31, 2004

By 

Laurence W. Davidson "Larry the Wine Guy" (Bainbridge Island, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wine Fundamentals (DVD)

This DVD is not worth your time. It is so overly simplistic that it's insulting and obvious that it is the result of someone's desire to travel, take nice local video shots, get paid and write it all off. The ego's from chefs to sommeliers to the useless woman who is your "guide" through Quick Tips to ordering wines - they really don't have much to say and it all detracts from much of what you really want to know that it is annoying at best. The glossary is a joke and should not be allowed to be included as an extra feature, and the quick tips for ordering wine is as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle. There are no real guidelines here - just repetitve suggestions without any explanation as to why certain wines work with certain foods. It's a shame that Tim Hanni MW, lent his name and credibility to this project! Oh yes - the DVD ROM feature also does not work - it just flashes up a screen repeating that you need a DVD ROM drive to use these features - funny enough - that's exactly what I viewed this DVD on.

If you are looking for a wine-related DVD that has real information, but is not quite so "nice, and oooh - look - they're in Burgundy today..." find a used copy of OZ Clarks DVD - it's hard to find now but blows this useless silver platter off the map!

24 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not helpful for beginners; inaccurate for experts, February 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Wine Fundamentals (DVD)

Sadly, this DVD isn't a great introduction to wine. Instead of providing a good, solid introduction to the subject, it makes all kinds of mistakes, leading beginners down useless, boring detours. Tainted by a weirdly Eurocentric approach to the subject, you can spend minutes hearing about different Bordelais appelations [yawn] - which is of course useless if you have no idea what grapes are in those wines or whether or not you'd actually like them. And as far as grape varieties go [not varietals, as they say on this DVD], would you agree that Gamay is worth talking about but not Zinfandel? As an American wine drinker, I sure don't. Zin isn't even mentioned except in passing [in reference to white zinfandel... yuck].

Worse yet are the persistent mistakes made in the presentation: for example, the presenter insists on saying "meritage" as if were a French word [it's not], and one graphic actually refers to "cabarnet [sic] savignon [sic]."

Oddly, though, it seems like this isn't an outright ripoff, but merely an only halfway competent DVD thrown together by some Californians with good intentions. It's a shame it's so amateurish.

If and when Jancis Robinson's wine DVD returns to print, it's probably a much better idea to start with that.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, great for beginners, January 6, 2008

By 

Aukake Jaye "Mosley fan" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wine Fundamentals (DVD)

I rented this video from the public library and I plan to purchase this video and add it to my collection. I am a beginner in acquiring information about wine and found this to be a great introduction. It was not insulting to me at all. It is understandable and I appreciate the visual representations. I also appreciate the comfortable style used by the host and other guests in presenting the information. The information mirrors much of what I have read in books and magazines. I like the tips provided. I wish that I could download recipes, and other from the DVD.