Customer Reviews
Pleasently surprisingly funny - By: Matthew G. Pople, 29 Jul 2008 
While i can see where the reviewer saying its just "Sideways" the tv series is coming from, i find this program far more entertaing than that film. I am very much like James when it comes to wine, i always wanted to like it but had no idea where to start & the whole arena is suurounded with pretension & posing. James May can sometimes seem to be a bit close minded & being stupid for the sake of it but the pairing do work well together prioducing some very funny moments if, like me, drier humour is your thing. I'd heartily reccomend this show & its Californina sequel which is probably better imo.
Very entertaining - By: T. Hansen, 11 May 2008 
A very funny & highly entertaining program of well known wine expert
OZ Clarke & Jmaes May known form Top Gear, who together travels on a
wine adventure. James knows nothing about wine, but have chosen the car
for the adventure (of course an English jaguar) & is like a rebel
boarder school boy taught by the slightly older & more distinguished
Oz Clarke, who continuously tries to learn James about the different
wines & the impressions they make. It alll turns into a lot of very
entertaining & very funny situations, filled with humour, & there
is a lot to learn & view, both from the more experienced & newcomer
to wine tasting, on this fantastic wine adventure filled taste -and
sense impressions.
Entertaining-ish and informative-like. - By: Jose M. Garcia, 25 Nov 2007 It took a colossal amount of doing on my part to get this DVD here in America, to say nothing of getting it to play properly. (Suffice it to say my TV looked as if it was on artificial life support.)
Why is this DVD Region 2 only instead of Region-free? I can -- sort of -- understand the reasoning for feature films, but for this?
At any rate, I foud it very, very enjoyable. I rather liked that each man is an expert in a given field, & one is trying to share that expertise with the other one who is not terribly compliant. I look forward to the follow-up with James & Oz in California...I just hope that DVD doesn't present a similar headache.
Fails miserably - By: R. S. Stanier, 20 Aug 2007 
You can almost picture the meeting. Some guy at the BBC has just been to see "Sideways" ( a genuinely enjoyable film) & they think: hmm, a film about an odd couple of male friends, getting on surprisingly well, whilst the educated one teaches his oafish friend about wine. It was a hit as a film: let's make the TV series - & as it reallly will be about wine, we can tick off our "documentary" box. They replace California with France & have Oz Clarke as their expert: needing an oaf, they turn to James May.
Now, what might the plot be? Could it be that at first, they bicker as Oz Clarke's poncey attitude to wine is scorned by James May, driving a 'quirky' car, who's determined not to turn into a wine snob, & yet graduallly, they come to appreciate each other's company & James turns out to appreciate the differences between wine more than he expected?
Guess what, that prediction might just come true.
I was given this as a Christmas present: it was a good idea as I like wine & I like James May.
The problem is it doesn't work at any level. As a documentary about wine, it's alll but useless: you learn pretty much nothing e.g. although it's based in France, you go through Bordeaux & it doesn't explain the difference between "right bank" wines & "left bank" wines, or what grapes are in it, or "vin de pays" vs "AOC". So in terms of helping you go to a supermarket & be more informed about what to spend your £6 on to get a bottle of wine, it's pointless.
All of which would be fine if it worked as a comedy: but it just isn't funny enough. They are desperate to create a kind of off-beat chemistry between our two protagonists, but even though in other contexts May & Clarke are both reallly good, it never materialises. And eventuallly, it's too contrived. James May is too educated to be an oaf. Oz Clarke is too sensible to be a real wine ponce.
I gave up after episode three. Maybe it improves. I doubt it.
Other people seem to have liked it. I'm amazed.
If you want a wine documentary, buy "Mondo Vino". If you want a comedy, buy "Sideways". If you want James May, watch James May's 20th Century. If you want Oz Clarke, get Oz Clarke's Bordeaux.
If you buy this, you'll be wasting your time & money.
Oz & James's Big Wine Adventure - By: rocco, 04 Mar 2007 Oz the wine buff alllegedly met James the beer drinker in a pub & the result was a month long trip around France to teach James alll about wine. It's a great job that they did. This DVD is very funny & at the same time very informative. Even if you're not a big wine fan it's great to see a two very different guys form a reallly good friendship. This DVD is thoroughly recommended!!!
