The wein.plus TV programme for you in May 2024: Our TV tips with all films and series, consumer programmes, documentaries, travel reports and reports on wine, winegrowers and viticulture.
Bavarian Television, 11.10 a.m.
Hike through the vineyards with an alpaca, spend a lonely night in the middle of the forest or take a walk over the treetops: The Steigerwald Nature Park is located in the heart of Franconia between Bamberg and Würzburg. Here in the "border triangle" of the Franconian administrative districts, all the delicacies Franconia has to offer come together: Fish and sausage, wine and beer, cellars and taverns. The landscape is at least as varied as the culinary mix.
Bavarian Television, 3.15 pm
Service tree is in demand for fine furniture or panelling, although it is mainly used as veneer wood due to its high price. In Franconia, it adorns some beautiful wine taverns. Oak wood from the Spessart is ideal for the construction of wooden wine barrels, which are once again in great demand. Now that oak wood is in short supply in France, the barrels are also being delivered there.
3sat, 4.10 pm
The train travels south from Dreiseenland to the idyllic Lavaux, Switzerland's most famous wine region. After the tunnel at Puidoux, train travellers are treated to a magical sight: The Lavaux vineyards in the foreground, Lake Geneva shimmering blue behind them and the snow-covered slopes of the majestic Mont Blanc in the distance. The vineyard terraces of Lavaux have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. Christelle Conne's family has been running a vineyard here for generations and allows the film team a look behind the scenes.
SWR Television, 6.05 pm
The small winegrowing community of Rech near Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler was hit particularly hard by the flood disaster in summer 2021. 13 houses were swept away by the masses of water and one person died. Since then, people have been busy rebuilding. The Recher live from wine and tourism. Holidaymakers come, but only stay for a short time. This is because Rech does not have enough accommodation capacity. A problem that can also be observed elsewhere in the Ahr Valley. But it hits a small community like Rech particularly hard. The wine business has now returned to normal. However, many winegrowers are unhappy with the plans of the state government, which does not want to allow some flat vineyards to be cultivated again. Reconstruction is also faltering elsewhere.
SWR Television, 7.00 pm
Reports from everyday working life: For the Ziereisen family in Efringen-Kirchen, the grape harvest is just around the corner. Everything has to go perfectly, because Hanspeter Ziereisen is an absolute perfectionist. He will not tolerate a single rotten grape in his mash.
ARD-alpha, 8.15 pm
The Canal du Midi, the "Canal of the South" in France, is a masterpiece of engineering with 328 locks, bridges and tunnels. Built over 300 years ago, it connects Toulouse with the Mediterranean, passing medieval towns such as Carcassonne along the way and running through the heart of the Minervois and Corbière wine-growing regions. Once important for transporting wine, it is now France's most popular canal for houseboat holidays.
ARD-alpha, 8.00 a.m.
In the museum, a gravestone tells of the everyday life of a wine merchant who died when Augsburg was still a Roman garrison.
SWR Television, 8.15 pm
A visit to the Würzburg Residence is just as much a part of a weekend trip as an excursion to the surrounding vineyards and delicious Franconian cuisine. A visit to the Franconian city, which is famous for its baroque residence and its wine-growing.
3sat, 3.30 pm
With around 300,000 inhabitants, Ljubljana is not only the capital but also the largest city in Slovenia. Slovenia is a flourishing wine-growing country - and the city also boasts 17 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Bavarian Television, 23.35 hrs
Laura Blau, the daughter of a winegrower, doesn't realise what a special talent she has as a singer and songwriter. Since the death of her mother, there is little time for music anyway: the eldest of three daughters has to help her father, who is overwhelmed with the winery and the inn.
arte, 1.30 pm
Millions of vines grow on the rolling hills of the Argentinian province of Mendoza. Centuries ago, the Incas built irrigation systems here to transport the meltwater from the mountains into the valley. The programme is also available online until 2 August 2024 in the ARD media library.
hr television, 7.50 a.m.
Wedged between the rocks and the sea, the Cinque Terre is one of the wildest and most inaccessible parts of the Ligurian Riviera. For centuries, the five villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso could only be reached on foot or by sea. The inhabitants of the villages were winegrowers from the very beginning. In order to reclaim land for their vines from the steep coastal strip, they built terraced vineyards, which they supported with dry stone walls. These dry stone walls are 11,000 kilometres long - longer than the Great Wall of China. For a long time they have characterised the landscape of the Cinque Terre, but now the walls are crumbling and the vine terraces are slowly being reclaimed by the maquis.
arte, 11.30 a.m.
The south of Emilia-Romagna is characterised by medieval fortresses, chalk cliffs and vineyards. The grapes are not only used to make Lambrusco sparkling and semi-sparkling wine, but also the traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena.
ZDFinfo, 3.15 pm
For many centuries, wine was an indispensable part of a sophisticated table. At Eberbach Monastery in the Rheingau region, Christian Rach learns what it meant to pick the grapes by hand and press them in wooden presses. An effort that was gladly accepted. Because the consumption of wine and beer used to be higher than it is today due to the often poor water quality.
ARD-alpha, 8.15 pm
Cyprus is a small universe: picturesque beaches, modern cities, traditional villages, diverse hiking and cycling opportunities and a great passion for good food and drink. The white grape varieties Chardonnay, Muscat d'Alexandrie, Palomino, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and the red varieties Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache Noir, Mataro and Syrah are cultivated in Cyprus.
arte, 4.00 pm
Baia Abuladze is a winegrower. At the beginning of September, the Georgian awaits the highlight of the year - the grape harvest. Even as a child, the family vineyard was a magical place for her. She now wants to realise her dream here and combine new wine with old traditions as an organic winegrower. Six years ago, she gave up her permanent job in the capital Tbilisi and returned to her roots in her home village of Meore Obcha in western Georgia. Courageous and full of ideas, she began to adapt the traditional crafts and traditions of her elders. She initially finds support from her grandfather. She founds her company "Baia's Wine" and relies on the family. Together they produce 7,000 bottles of wine a year. Now, for the first time, the aim is to produce 10,000 - organically grown and matured in quevris, clay pots sunk into the ground. Entrepreneurs like Baia herald change in Georgia. She looks for bridges between the past and the future and trusts the strengths of others. When things get difficult for Baia, she does it like the flea and the ant in her favourite fairy tale. To get her friend from one shore to the other, the flea mobilises the help of all the animals, big and small. This is how they overcome the obstacle. This poetic film tells the story of whether and how the winegrower succeeds in doing so during the new harvest.
3sat, 8.05 a.m.
The first part of the route leads through vineyards and the wild Pfyn-Finges Nature Park, where organic winegrower Felicitas Mathier runs her vineyard in a natural way.
SWR Television, 9.45 a.m.
Festivals and customs used to be a change from the hard everyday life in the villages of the south-west. They were a rare opportunity to meet up, celebrate together and exchange news - perhaps even to meet the love of your life. When Neustadt-Gimmeldingen in the Palatinate celebrates its almond blossom festival, spring begins with the first wine festival in the Palatinate. Matthias Frey talks about the time when his great-grandfather founded the festival.
WDR Television, 4.15 pm
With around 107,000 inhabitants, Bolzano is the provincial capital of South Tyrol. Surrounded by large wine-growing areas and apple orchards, the impressive Dolomites stand out.
WDR Television, 6.15 pm
Schlutzkrapfen, Terlan wine soup and South Tyrolean bacon are just a few of the region's classics. In his culinary travelogue "grenzenlos köstlich", Björn Freitag gets to know South Tyrolean cuisine, which is characterised by fresh and regional products in an Alpine-Mediterranean style. Typical: the delicious South Tyrolean apples, chestnuts and, of course, white wine. The Isarco Valley is the northernmost Italian white wine region.
ARD-alpha, 7.30 a.m.
Reporter Willi is on the trail of exciting stories from everyday life. How is wine actually made from grapes? Willi wants to know and follows the grapes from the harvest to the bottle. Of course, Willi helps with the harvest and learns from Kitzingen winegrower Otto that there are two different ways to pick the grapes. Either laboriously by hand or fully automatically with a machine. Willi also takes a very close look at the next steps in the process: The grapes are collected in a vat, weighed and transported to the pressing hall. And then comes the big moment - the pressing of the grapes. The resulting juice is filtered, transferred to large tanks and filled into large barrels for fermentation. Now the wine is finally born! But how does it get into the bottle? It is transported to a factory. Here Willi also sees a piece of cork oak from which the cork for the wine bottles is made. And at the last stage of the process, the labelling of the wine bottle, a surprise awaits the reporter: the very special Willi wine bottle!
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3sat, 21.45 hrs
Wine culture, hiking, an exciting history and a lively everyday culture: the Siebengebirge has a lot to offer. The film takes you from Drachenfels to Mannberg. The members of the Belz family have been growing wine as organic winegrowers on the steep slopes of the Mannberg near Unkel am Rhein since the 1990s. The small town also serves as a starting point for hiking tours and is also home to the Willy Brandt Forum. Other stops on the journey through the Siebengebirge include the wine-growing town of Bad Honnef-Rhöndorf, the residence of former Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and a picturesque attraction for day trippers, as well as the Drachenfels.
SWR Television, 9.45 a.m.
Porto is famous for its port wine, but also for its nostalgic trams. The most popular is Line 1, the "Infante", named after the explorer Henry the Navigator. A very special railway line, the "Linha do Douro", also begins in Porto. The line runs along the Douro River in the centre of the UNESCO-listed wine-growing region - the only place where the grapes for port wine are allowed to grow.
MDR Television, 11.45 a.m.
Just outside Rome, the filmmakers visit Viterbo, the city of the popes. The term "conclave" was once coined here. Half an hour's train journey south-east of Rome brings them to Frascati, where the wine that the popes loved to drink grows. This wine was too expensive for mere mortals. Transport by land was simply too expensive in ancient Rome. The Romans got their wine by ship from the colonies, as an exhibition in Rome tells us.
hr television, 4.05 pm
Top chef Ali Güngörmüs is invited to the home of a German-Turkish hobby chef. Saynur Neher actually came to Germany to study. And then married a winegrower from the Rheingau. Today, she cooks German and Turkish dishes with dedication and mixes the influences of both cultures in her cuisine with great imagination. She also serves German wine from her own vineyard.
hr television, 8.15 pm
Hardly any other holiday destination is as popular with Germans as Tuscany. What magic does this region of longing exude? Is it the charm of the gently rolling hills with cypress avenues and olive groves? Is it the cultural sites where you can travel back in time in the alleyways? Or is it the dolce vita with its Mediterranean climate, pasta and excellent wine?
hr television, 9.45 pm
The picturesque wine villages along the South Tyrolean Wine Road to Lake Kaltern are explored by bike. And if you're travelling by bike, you can also sample a good drop or two with a clear conscience.
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3sat, 21.00 hrs
They are a cultural asset of mankind - and at the same time a piece of fascinating wilderness: vineyards. They are often home to a colourful animal world. In the best vineyards in Austria, Germany and France, the irresistible smell of fresh vine leaves lures deer and their fawns out of the forest. First to eat the leaves, then to consume the sweet grapes. Ladybirds protect the vines from aphids, eating up to 50 of these small creatures a day - provided they can resist the ants' attacks. In the universe of the vineyards, hunters and hunted live in close quarters. In spring, young rabbits and foxes play with each other, but in summer the game turns into a merciless hunt. Buzzards eye up hamsters and mice. Which of them will escape? Who will get the best prey?
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TLC, 5.35 a.m.
To celebrate the 90th anniversary of a do-it-yourself winery and to commemorate its founder, Buddy Valastro and his team are asked to bake an unusual cake. As Buddy's grandfather had made wine himself and the "Cake Boss" greatly appreciates this traditional craft, he wants to conjure up something very special for his client Jimmy: a red wine cake with a large bulbous wine balloon on top that links the winery with the founder and the family history. As Buddy thinks about the finishing touches and decorative elements, he gets the idea for a new hobby: he wants to make his own wine from now on.
hr television, 1.40 pm
Angry winegrower Martin Schörger storms into the police station and accuses Kristina Katzer's mother Elli of murder. A short time later, the inspector and her colleague Lukas Hundt are standing in front of Schörger's "murdered" vineyard. All the vines have been cut down. According to Schörger, Elli, also a winegrower, wanted to harm him as a competitor. The detectives find out that everything was quite different from what they thought.
3sat, 3.30 pm
The hinterland of the east coast has a lot to offer. Wine has been growing on the steep slopes of the Priorat for centuries. Winemaker Sara Pérez lets it mature in amphorae.
3sat, 17.00 hrs
Not far from the famous salt flats are the fertile plains of the Rioja region around the river Ebro. This is where the wine of the same name, one of the most important in Europe, comes from.
arte, 18.35 hrs
The "white house" (la Casa Blanca) on the Atlantic coast became Casablanca, one of the largest cities in North Africa, over the course of time. The white facades of its historic centre delight architecture lovers from all over the world. White also symbolises purity and an elegant wine, which is produced on an estate in the Essaouira region using ancient techniques.
ARD-alpha, 8.15 pm
Nowhere is South Tyrol, Italy's northernmost province, as Mediterranean as around Lake Kaltern. It is one of the warmest bathing lakes in the Alps and is surrounded by a large wine-growing area. Wine has made the area prosperous. Numerous estates and castles characterise the landscape. Italian flair can be felt above all in the provincial capital of Bolzano. The film also takes you to the village of Tramin on the wine route, the namesake of the white Gewürztraminer grape variety.
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3sat, 6.10 a.m.
Winemaker Chiara Vigo remembers how, as a child, she had to witness an eruption in the north near Randazzo that destroyed almost all of her family's vineyards. It was a catastrophe, as there is still no insurance against it on Mount Etna. She will never forget that the lava flow left a remnant of their possessions and "miraculously" suddenly changed direction, as Chiara recounts in the film. Together with her husband Gianluca, she now grows Nerello Mascalese, the typical red grape variety on Mount Etna. She appreciates the fact that the volcano not only takes, but also gives. The fertile and mineral-rich volcanic soil makes it possible to grow wine, olives, pistachios and many other things that characterise Sicilian cuisine.
3sat, 12.30 pm
For a long time, the people of the Aeolian Islands lived from fishing and the cultivation of wine, olives and capers.
3sat, 3.25 pm
There are around 17,000 olive trees on the island in Lake Iseo, the northernmost island in Italy. This is due to the particularly mild microclimate of the lake at the foothills of the Alps. It also favours winegrowing on the southern shore. Franciacorta, which was created there in the 1960s, is now coveted worldwide.
3sat, 4.50 pm
The young oenologist Sandra (Henriette Richter-Röhl) searches for a unique red wine for her client's repertoire in Sicily and finds the man of her life along the way.
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arte, 18.35 hrs
Hungary lies in the heart of Europe - a country of surprising diversity, impressive nature and imposing landscapes. And there are people who want to continue Hungary's rich traditions: Winegrowers in the Tokaj region and paprika farmers from Szeged in the south are trying to preserve the way of life of their ancestors.
3sat, 16.20 hrs
Millions of vines grow on the rolling hills of the Argentinian province of Mendoza. Centuries ago, the Incas built irrigation systems here to transport the meltwater from the mountains into the valley.
3sat, 3.55 pm
From Avignon it is only a Katzensprung to the famous wine-growing region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhône valley.
3sat, 12.55 pm
A tour of selected private garden paradises, a botanical garden, kitchen gardens from wine to bananas and the cultural and scenic highlights of the island of the gods.