Uncorked: Wine Made Simple

Ted introduces the series on wine by meeting a selection of people who have devoted their lives to it: grape growers, wine makers, wine writers, and chefs who cook with wine. After visiting some vineyards, Ted talks to Food&Wine magazine editor Lettie Teague, who explains how she educated Rolling Stone magazine critic Peter Travers, who she calls "the most wine ignorant man she knew." Ted then moves on to the technical side, defining wine terminology, and teaching how the senses smell, feel, sight and most importantly taste are used to appreciate wine, ending with him...

Ted visits the Napa Valley, and begins by learning about Cabernet Sauvignon, long considered the 'king' of the Napa Valley. He visits a winery built with Hapsburg era stones imported from Austria, before moving on to the American Center for Food & Wine, and a place he calls "the DisneyWorld of wine and food." Lastly, Ted and the team recreate the famous Paris Tasting of 1976, when a light hearted Bicentennial event in Paris, pitting French and American wines against each other in a blind tasting, which ended up launching the billion dollar California wine industry.

Uncorked travels to Sonoma, to learn about northern Californian wines. First, the show takes a look at the history of the region, learning about Agoston Haraszthy, the eccentric Hungarian immigrant and chemist who moved to north California in 1849 and helped launch wine production in the area. Then we meet self-appointed "Queen of Pinot" Merry Edwards, one of the area's first women wine makers, at her vineyard. This leads to a lesson in Pinot Noir wine, including the history and some things about growing the delicate grapes. Lastly, an investigation into new vineyard growing and wine-making techniques, such as the use of biodynamics, and processes used to make sparkling wine.

A look at French wines includes segments on winemaking traditions, how the wines are made, and where they are sold. Also: the various kinds of grapes used; and the impact of soil, climate and location on the taste of wines.

Four of France's wine-producing regions are visited. Included: Loire Valley, where Sancerre wines are made; Burgundy, known for its red wine; southern France; and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.