Review of Oz & James Big Wine Adventure California

Introduction

I was really looking forward to reviewing this DVD, as I`d thoroughly enjoyed the series when it was screened on BBC2 late last year. Of course, I`ve been disappointed by the PR firm working for Acorn Media (the licensees from RDF Media) who have provided me with a single DVD-R rather than the full package which apparently has two discs.

This I find slightly puzzling. If one of the discs fits on a DVD-R, which is only the capacity of a single-layer standard DVD, and presumably the second disc is the same capacity, then why not author it all to go on a standard double-layer DVD?

On to the programme. I thoroughly enjoyed the series when it was shown on BBC2, and the discs have the added bonus of not having the end titles screwed up by BBC continuity announcers with verbal diarrhoea. Oz Clarke is a self-confessed wine ponce, and James May plays the part of his bemused student perfectly. If you`re a wine ponce you will probably want to slap James May up the back of the head, and if you`re not, you`ll probably wish James May would kick Oz up the backside. It makes for a highly entertaining and occasionally informative comedy road trip featuring a genuine odd couple.

Video

I`m currently watching all of my DVDs through an HDMI connection to a 720 HDTV, which tends to show up shortfalls in the image. The image on the disc is beautifully colourful and well-contrasted, but the line structure seems to be very noticeable (more than most DVDs) and there seems to be a lot of edge enhancement, but I suspect that may be down to the original show rather than the encoding for the disc.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0 reproduction of the original stereo.

Features

As well as a picture gallery of the trip, there are text biographies for both James May and Oz Clarke. Interestingly, Oz`s biography mentions his acting career, but neglects to include his appearance in Superman The Movie as one of the bank robbers caught aboard the yacht on Superman`s first night patrolling Metropolis. Interestingly, I`m the same age as James May, so our hero probably went to the pictures as a callow fifteen-year-old and saw his future fellow wine connoisseur being apprehended by Christopher Reeve.

There are no subtitles.

Conclusion

The Petrolhead and the Wine Ponce are back, and this time they`ve brought their RV. Oz Clarke and James May get regularly plastered in a road trip up the California coast, visiting dozens on vineyards and meeting some of the key names in New World wines. Wonderfully daft, but a little light on extras.