Fine Living
As a foodie, there is one thing that I miss from the Food Network – the wine! They don’t have any shows dedicated to wine, which I believe can enhance just about any meal. Yes, many of the chefs do prepare cocktails on their shows — Sandra Lee comes to mind — but almost none of them discuss wine. Say what you will about Sandra Lee and her semi-homemade cooking style, but the woman can mix a cocktail! I love watching her make drinks because inevitably she’ll pour an entire bottle of vodka into her cocktail pitcher. One of my favorite moments was when she had a guest on, and Sandra was mixing up the guest’s drink recipe. The guest watched in horror as Sandra poured two to three times as much vodka as the recipe called for. At one point her guest even pointed it out and Sandra just laughed it off, pouring in more booze. Gotta love it, but I digress….
Clearly the Food Network isn’t afraid of booze, so why are they so afraid to discuss wine? My own theory is that they are trying to be more accessible to the non-foodies. Many of the new chefs on the network are not true chefs, but personalities that make simple, easy food. There is a stigma out there that wine is “snobby” and expensive and unapproachable. Being a snob myself, this is probably what drew me to wine in the first place. However, it’s just not true, and I would love to see a show dedicated to wine on the Food Network. They could work to break that stigma and show people who are afraid of wine that there is no reason to be.
I used to get my wine fix over on Fine Living Network, with Pairings with Andrea. It featured Andrea Immer cooking food specifically designed to go with wine. It was great and very educational, and her cooking skills were certainly up to par with any chef on the Food Network. She would focus on specific ingredients and spices that bring out certain flavors in wine. I loved it, but it seems to have disappeared from their lineup, which is too bad. I guess I’m the only one who wants to watch wine on TV.
Am I alone? Anyone have any shows that I may have missed?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Nov 01, 2008 @ 14:00 EST5EDT
I love the TVS clip of Sandra Lee making the beer margarita, pouring in the tequila—“…cup, cup and a half, two cups, depends on how much fun you want to have at your party!”