Whether the thought of purchasing a bottle of wine excites or frightens you, DrinkThisTV.com is here to guide you.
Recently started by wine media executive Bob Asher and hosted by Amy Christine and Eduardo Porto Carreiro, the show is a fun, fresh take on wine and spirits tasting.
A longtime TV producer in Hollywood who considers himself an amateur wine geek, Bob researched the wine space from a content-and-marketing perspective when he realized that the wine business was being dangerously slow to embrace the Web 2.0 revolution.
“Literally I felt like many brands and retailers were stuck in a 1970s mentality. The ‘content,’ such as it was, was dull, pretentious or useless from a consumer standpoint. So I created DrinkThisTV.com to bring the wine and spirits business kicking and screaming into the 21st century,” Bob told The Examiner.
With very entertaining features like “Spit or Swallow,” Eduardo and Amy only recommend wines they have tasted blind. Unlike most critics, they spend a significant portion of the show telling viewers what they like rather than what they don’t like and why. They also refrain from giving sponsors any special treatment. Their commitment to providing useful, credible and accessible information on wine and spirits is sure to please even the most experienced wine connoisseur. The “wacky” presentation will easily attract the younger, Web-savvy crowd, or what Bob calls “Millenial drinkers,” to the pleasures of wine tasting.
There is so much prejudice that comes from seeing the label of a bottle of wine and knowing how much it costs, Bob says. “Once you remove the cues that come from a label, the tasting experience is much more interesting and satisfying. Amy and Eduardo have really liked wines they NEVER would have been caught dead buying. But it’s great to see their reactions when they realize they really like a bottle of wine that’s sold in supermarkets all over America.”
When choosing who would host the show, Amy was a natural choice for Bob. They have been working together for years on food and wine programming. “She’s just totally a unique talent. What’s amazing is she can communicate her passion to people like me who aren’t nearly as sophisticated as she is without being condescending,” he said. He met with several wine pros to find someone to pair with Amy.
“I wanted someone who could keep up with her wine knowledge but also bring a different sensibility and palate to the show. When Amy introduced me to Eduardo, it was like, ‘He’s it.’ He has it all: passion, tremendous experience in the wine world without all of the arrogance of so many wine experts … plus they have great chemistry, which makes it all work.”
Eduardo is the wine director and sommelier at Amy and Neal Fraser’s acclaimed GRACE Restaurant in Los Angeles. Amy is director of California Sales for Veritas Imports, sommelier at A.O.C. restaurant in Los Angeles and also makes a syrah called Hocus Pocus, with her winemaker husband, Peter Hunken.
Bob would like to see the show evolve to include celebrity tasters and some different segments. “We’re starting with wine because that’s the area that’s desperate for interesting and engaging programming. But we will do beer tasting, vodka, sake, coffee, and I think it would be great to do a water tasting! I’d love to see Amy and Eduardo’s reaction when they prefer tap water to Evian!”
DrinkThisTV: Q&A with Amy and Eduardo
What’s the biggest mistake people make when purchasing wine?
AMY: I think the biggest mistake people make when purchasing wine is assuming that if it has gold medal stickers all over it, that means the wine is actually good. I also think another big mistake people make is sticking to brand names only and drinking the same wine night after night. Try branching out to a new region, a new place. Gold medal stickers are a way that a brand adds value to a bottle and they are used as product differentiation to make the consumer believe that the product that has won a gold medal is better than another one that hasn’t. Winning a gold medal at the Regional East Bumble State Fair doesn¹t hold a lot of weight in my book. Where did the judging take place? Who were the judges? Are they qualified to judge? Even if they are, a recent study by the American Association of Wine Economics shows that these competitions are seriously flawed. 90 percent of the judges could not replicate their decisions over a period of time if given the same wines.
What’s your take on people like Maynard James Keenan (from the band Tool) and film director Francis Ford Coppola having their own wines?
EDUARDO: I actually happen to know Maynard and have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Here is a rock star who has, over the years, amassed an incredible wine collection. He is passionate, inquisitive, and just bonkers over wine. I think for anyone to actually dive into the business like he has, it’s a sheer demonstration of how much of a labor of love it is. Keenan’s Caduceus label and Coppola’s Rubicon are both examples of high-profile collectors who wanted to take the ultimate step of getting their hands dirty and putting their name on something they love. These aren’t cases of celebrities just licensing out their image — there’s passion in those projects. As for Paris Hilton having her own Merlot. … I’ll argue that whatever brings attention to the wine industry and might sway someone who otherwise would not have enjoyed a bottle, to sip some, is a good thing.
I would love to see you guys take the show on the road. Would you be open to traveling?
EDUARDO: Absolutely. Traveling is one of my favorite things in the world! Sign me up.
AMY: Yes! We want to travel A LOT. Even though Eduardo and I argue incessantly — mostly because he’s always wrong — we still make good travel partners. And Bob isn’t so bad either.
One of the most common wedding gifts these days is a membership to a “wine-of-the-month” club. What do you guys think of those?
AMY: I got married last year and we registered with the Wine House in Los Angeles, so wine as gifts is at the top of my list for friends who are getting married. I think wine-of-the-month clubs are cool, but, personally, I would work with a local small retailer to put together a wide and interesting selection for your friends and just give them a case on their wedding day. It¹s more environmentally friendly to ship it all at once anyway, and far more personal to select the wines yourself.
EDUARDO: Wine-of-the-month clubs are a fantastic way to explore different kinds of wines that you might not have picked out yourself. The more you explore, the more you understand your own palate and ultimately figure out what tastes great to you.
If people have questions for you guys, how should they contact you?
AMY: Facebook is a great way to get in touch. Both Eduardo and I have personal pages and we, of course, have one for DrinkThisTV. We will totally add a Q&A section and, yes, blogging is in the future. Alas, I hear from Bob that we are going to have to start Twittering. I have been avoiding that for a long time, but I guess people like the Twitter. People want the Twitter. People love the Twitter. And we love the people, so we will Twitter.
Spring has just arrived in Washington. What should our readers be drinking? Anything seasonal that they would enjoy?
EDUARDO: Spring is a perfect time to move away from all those big and bold red wines and start ushering in some lighter styles. I¹m a big fan of German Riesling for the springtime.
AMY: Bag-in-box and Tetra Pak for the beach! Do the alternative packaging thing, It¹s environmentally friendly and the wines are getting so much better! Eduardo and I tried a great little chardonnay from Black Box wines on the show — episode is yet to air — and even Eduardo, a bag-in-box naysayer, liked it. It comes in individual serving sizes, because I don’t know about you, but I do not want to share my chardonnay. That said, what I will be drinking this summer is red wine from the Loire. Cabernet franc and pinot noir. Everyone has heard of Sancerre and most people think it’s only for white wine, but there are great pinot noirs from Sancerre. Cabernet franc is the other major variety in Loire and I love wines from Chinon, Saumur-Champigny. Both of these wines offer fresh bright red fruits, have moderate alcohol levels (12 to 12.5 percent) and high acidity, perf for sum! You probably can¹t get these wines at Costco or your local supermarket, so go and visit your local small retailer. Change it up, support local!
Joana Suleiman is the design editor for The Washington Examiner. She can be reached at [email protected].
