Jancis Robinson joins The Wine Show on Channel 5

The Wine Show has announced the addition of four new presenters – Jancis Robinson MW, James Purefoy, Stéphane Reynaud and Jaega Wise – as it moves from ITV to a prime-time slot on Channel 5.

L-R (back): Matthew Goode, Stéphane Reynaud, James Purefoy. L-R (front): Joe Fattorini and Jancis Robinson.

The Wine Show, produced by Infinity Creative Media, was first aired last year on both ITV and ITV4. The second series is scheduled for January 2018 with a new peak time slot on Channel 5.

The second series is already available in the US, having launched on 1 December via Hulu.

James Purefoy, known for his roles in Rome, The Following, Altered Carbon and Hap and Leonard, will join fellow actor Matthew Goode to present the series from a base in Provence.

Speaking about his part in the show, Purefoy said: “Matthew Goode introduced me to the first series when we were working together on Roots and I instantly became hideously envious of his and Rhys’s wine adventure, so to be asked to explore the vineyards of the South of France didn’t exactly take much arm-twisting!”

Matthew Rhys also returns for the second series, reporting on the latest wine gadgets from the historic Berry Brothers & Rudd headquarters in London’s St James’s.

As in the first series, but now in France rather than Italy, Goode and Purefoy are asked to find a case of wine. Judging their efforts will be wine writer and critic Jancis Robinson, author of trusted wine tomes including The Oxford Companion to Wine, The World Atlas of Wine and Wine Grapes, and who according to The Wine Show, “is taking no prisoners”.

Commenting on her role in the production, Robinson said: “Filming in a heatwave in Provence with Joe, two good-looking actors, a great chef and some delicious wine – what’s not to like?”

The wines chosen by Goode and Purefoy will be matched with a six-course lunch, cooked by Michelin-starred French chef and author Stéphane Reynaud. Hailing from the Ardèche region of France, Renaud is known for his skilled butchery, having grown up in a family of butchers and pig farmers. He owns Villa 9 Trois in Montreuil, in the eastern suburbs of Paris, and opened his first restaurant in London, Tratra, in April 2017

Joe Fattorini heads up the team of drinks experts and is joined by Amelia Singer and new presenter, Jaega Wise. Wise, a former chemical engineer, gave up her old job to start afresh in beer and is now head brewer of east London microbrewery, Wild Card. She has written for publications including The Independent, The Evening Standard and The Times and recently spoke out against sexism in the beer industry, offering three ways to improve the current state of play.

Series two sees the team travel to the USA, Canada, Georgia, Spain, Japan, Argentina, Bosnia and Germany – learning about saké in Japan, examining the effects of the labour shortage in Mendocino, and finding out how winemaking is helping to heal Bosnia’s war wounds.

The last show in the series will focus on six of the “world’s great sommelier and chef partnerships”. Visiting global culinary hotspots such as London’s Pied de Terre and Bubbledogs, ranked fourth and eighty-ninth respectively by the drinks business’ Wine List Confidential, as well as Single Thread Farm in California, Bel Canto in Lisbon, Lime Wood in Hampshire and the Dairy in Clapham.

Giving his thoughts on the second series, Fattorini commented: “We’ve wine and running, wine and singing, wine and comedy – The Wine Show adventures are never quite what you’d expect! But the best bit is still meeting extraordinary winemakers across the world with the remarkable stories they tell us, and then sharing those back at our villa and with our viewers”.

Executive producer of The Wine Show and founder and director of Infinity Creative Media, Russ Lindsay, added: “We’re delighted that The Wine Show is once again being broadcast around the world, with original partners such as Hulu in the US, and our new UK broadcast partner, Channel 5. The global reaction to the first series was exceptional, captivating viewers with its light-hearted and entertaining approach to wine, and for our new series, it’s great to be joined by James and Jancis, two great additions to the team”.

Melanie Jappy, producer of The Wine Show and director of programmes for Infinity Creative Media, said: “This new series promises to continue to inspire wine-lovers across the world. Whether you are a novice, an enthusiastic wine-lover or a wine expert, there’s something for everyone. Wine is much more than just a drink, it offers a window into the world we live in today. The Wine Show takes us to not only to beautiful places, but helps us understand the human story; and of course, telling that story is a huge amount of fun”.