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Sunday, 1 November

3sat, 5.15 p.m.

Glacier Express
From St. Moritz to the Matterhorn

The journey on the Glacier Express is one of the most famous railway journeys in the world. Eight hours between St. Moritz and Zermatt with almost 300 kilometres of Swiss Alpine scenery. The Valais, Switzerland's sunniest region, shows its most beautiful side here. The steepest section of the Glacier Express begins before Stalden at 125 per mille. A little less per mille is served here in slanted glasses on the train - Heidawein. The wine glasses are slanted so that they stand straight on the table during the steep mountain journey. The wine, by the way, comes from the area. Above the track, at Visperterminen, is the highest vineyard north of the main Alpine ridge at an altitude of 1150 metres. On the last few kilometres before the terminus in Zermatt, a waitress shows circus acrobatics in pouring grappa. She pours the liquid into the shot glass from a distance of about one metre.

Sunday, 1 November

Bavarian Television, 6.45 p.m.

Leisure
Schmidt Max, wine and Friuli

"Orange Wine" is the big topic for wine lovers all over the world right now, a style in which white wine is aged like red wine. The centre for this type of wine-making is very close to Bavaria on the direct route to the Mediterranean, namely in Friuli. To get to the bottom of the secret of "Orange Wine", Schmidt Max got on his Vespa for "freizeit" to catch a glimpse of late autumn and at the same time to explore the region with the best white wines in Italy - Friuli - in more detail. From a winery that has only one wine, to a winemaker dedicated to "orange wines" of the rare Friulian grape variety Ribolla Gialla (Yellow Ribolla), to a winemaker who grows a red grape variety that no one actually knows where it comes from. On the way to the nearby Mediterranean, Max also passed by one of the best hams you can find on the face of the earth. The sky there is not full of violins or grapes, but full of prosciutti.

Monday, 2 November

arte, 15.30

The wonderful world of wines
Japan - Koshu, Pearl of the Rain

In Japan, barely two hours by car from Tokyo, a worldwide unique grape variety is cultivated: the Koshu. Despite changeable weather, excellent wines are produced here. Just under two hours' drive southwest of Tokyo, Mount Fuji rises from a mountain range known here as the "Japanese Alps". The mountains cover about 70 percent of Yamanashi Prefecture and seem to protect one of the country's best-kept secrets from foreign eyes: viticulture. For the majority of Japanese wine is produced in this valley. According to legend, the grape arrived on the Japanese peninsula in the 18th century in the luggage of a Buddhist monk from China. On huge, two-metre-high pergolas, the wine has shaped the landscape for 1,300 years now. The small town of Katsunuma is considered the centre of Japanese wine production. In the middle of the town, a worldwide unique grape variety thrives: the Koshu. With a particularly firm and resistant skin, this grape is optimally adapted to the difficult weather conditions with two rainy seasons per year. While the Buddhist monks still cultivate the wine like their Chinese ancestors, a young generation educated abroad is inspired by European viticulture to produce novel and even higher quality wines. But after the harvest, young and old come together to thank the gods for the fertile soil at the Shinto shrine at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Tuesday, 3 November

arte, 11.45 a.m.

The wonderful world of wines
Italy: Prosecco and the Veneto way of life

The vineyards of this world combine the expertise of hard-working winegrowers with the mysterious forces of nature. Whether situated by water, sheltered by high mountains or on the edge of a desert, wineries illustrate the diversity of this special kind of agriculture. North of Venice, in the first foothills of the Dolomites, lies the home of Prosecco. The sparkling white wine was first produced around 1870 and is the region's flagship. Primo Franco did pioneering work by being the first to offer a wine in America that no one there had known before. 80 kilometres north of Venice, between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in the first foothills of the Dolomites, lies the home of Prosecco. The bubbly white wine, first produced around 1870, is the flagship of a region that has been proudly called "Marca Gioiosa" ("happy region") by its inhabitants for centuries. A name that perhaps also has to do with the wine-growing tradition. Venice was an important trading port at the time, shipping goods to Central Europe, Bordeaux and England. Venetian merchant families who had become wealthy from the wine trade built magnificent country villas in the hinterland and took up viticulture themselves. Primo Franco and his wife Anna-Lisa bought such a villa to cultivate the surrounding vineyards. Primo calls himself the "Marco Polo of Prosecco". In fact, he did pioneering work by being the first to cross the Atlantic in the 1980s and offer a wine in America that no one there knew until then.

Oenologist Carlo Favero in the vineyards of the Scalzi Church in Venice

Grand Angle Productions

Wednesday, 4 November

SWR Television, 9.00 p.m.

Creatively out of the crisis
How restaurateurs fight for survival

SWR reporters accompanied restaurateurs in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate for several months. They were able to observe how the Corona crisis has changed gastronomy in the state. Winemaker Alexander Bauer is very worried about his family business. The graduate winemaker took over the winery from his parents in 2015. Just a year ago, the 39-year-old set a sign for the future and opened a modern guesthouse. An investment of millions. Only a few months later came the lockdown. Around one thousand guests cancelled and the "Besenwirtschaft" had to be closed for the time being. In the emergency, Alexander Bauer set up a "summer broom" on the former car park of his winery with the permission of the city. At the moment, things are going well because the weather is good and many people are on holiday in the area because of Corona, but a second lockdown would be hard to bear.

Thursday, 5 November

arte, 11.50 a.m.

The wonderful world of wine
New Zealand - Fine Wines from the End of the World

The first people came to New Zealand about a thousand years ago. But it wasn't until 1840, when New Zealand became a British crown colony, that people began to clear and cultivate the landscape. Almost a century later, the island nation lives from exports. 40 years ago, pioneers in the Marlborough District on the South Island dared to experiment and planted vines. Today, the area under cultivation is 17,000 hectares, and Marlborough is New Zealand's most important wine-growing region. A primeval landscape shaken by earthquakes has become a world-class wine-growing region. Between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the island state of New Zealand is completely isolated geographically. 40 years ago, the new settlers succeeded in planting vines in Marlborough on the South Island. If you want to grow wine in New Zealand, you have to be prepared for wilderness, unpredictable climatic conditions such as frost and the risk of earthquakes. The Wairau Valley and its vineyards lie on a fault line that runs north-south across the entire island. It is divided into sections such as the Wairau Fault, Awatere Fault or Alpine Fault and is responsible for the approximately 20,000 earth tremors per year. No matter in which region, in New Zealand nature clearly shows who is the strongest. Despite the danger of earthquakes, New Zealand's vast areas are extensively used for winegrowing. Initially, intensive sheep farming was practised, for a long time the island's main source of income. But gradually the sheep were displaced by the vines. Peter Yealands is one of the country's most important winegrowers - having transformed 2,000 hectares of inhospitable terrain into vineyards through tenacious work. New Zealand wine has become a success story in which the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand, have also played their part. James Wheeler is committed to preserving their culture and has launched New Zealand's first Maori wine: Tohu. The Tohu winery has firmly established itself in the New Zealand wine world and the spirit of Maori culture also permeates the country's wine culture. The winemakers have succeeded in combining the pioneering spirit of their European ancestors with the Maori's great respect for nature.

Aerial view of the vines in the Marlborough Valley, New Zealand. Wine has only been grown here on a large scale since the 1970s.

Grand Angle Productions

Thursday, 5 November

3sat, 2.40 p.m.

Grand Tour of Switzerland
From the Jura to the Valais

The journey leads to Lake Geneva in the wine-growing region of Lavaux. It is famous for its Chasselas wine. New grape varieties are being developed to adapt to climate change and changing tastes. From there we go to La Tour-de-Peilz, where comic artist Derib draws his works. His "Yakari" is famous beyond the borders.

Friday, 6 November

arte, 3.30 p.m.

The wonderful world of wine
South Africa - The Wine of Good Hope

In the South African province of Western Cape lies the largest wine-growing region on the entire African continent. With the help of traditional cultivation methods, winegrowing is mastered here despite high summer temperatures. But the wine industry is on the verge of upheaval because it is historically based on the systematic oppression of the indigenous population during colonial times - and its consequences are still being felt. In the far south of Africa, where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, the Cape of Good Hope rises from the foaming surf. The huge land behind it was occupied by colonial masters for 400 years and shaped according to their ideas - so wine was also planted. The great wines are said to have delighted even Napoleon, and in the meantime South Africa has become a veritable Eldorado of viticulture. But when people talk about the terroir of a winery in South Africa, they are not only referring to the geographical location as elsewhere, but also to the respective history: for the land that today allows the wine to mature was taken away from the original population during the colonial era, and the wineries were built up with slave labour. Even twenty years after the end of apartheid, the ownership situation has not changed much, and 93 percent of the total land area belongs to the white minority. There is still only hot discussion about agrarian reform and an accompanying appropriate redistribution. In the wine world, Sheila Hlanjwa is therefore an absolute exception: she comes from Langa, the oldest township in Cape Town, and is the first black woman to graduate in oenology. Sheila dreams of one day running her own wine estate in the middle of her neighbourhood and passing on her knowledge. The entire wine industry in South Africa is facing great challenges. But restructuring will only succeed if more social and fairer conditions are created.

Saturday, 7 November

arte, 5.20 a.m.

The wonderful world of wine
New Zealand - Fine Wines from the End of the World

The first people came to New Zealand about a thousand years ago. But it wasn't until 1840, when New Zealand became a British crown colony, that people began to clear and cultivate the landscape. Almost a century later, the island nation lives from exports. 40 years ago, pioneers in the Marlborough District on the South Island dared to experiment and planted vines. Today, the area under cultivation is 17,000 hectares, and Marlborough is New Zealand's most important wine-growing region. A primeval landscape shaken by earthquakes has become a world-class wine-growing region. Between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the island state of New Zealand is completely isolated geographically. 40 years ago, the new settlers succeeded in planting vines in Marlborough on the South Island. If you want to grow wine in New Zealand, you have to be prepared for wilderness, unpredictable climatic conditions such as frost and the risk of earthquakes. The Wairau Valley and its vineyards lie on a fault line that runs north-south across the entire island. It is divided into sections such as the Wairau Fault, Awatere Fault or Alpine Fault and is responsible for the approximately 20,000 earth tremors per year. No matter in which region, in New Zealand nature clearly shows who is the strongest. Despite the danger of earthquakes, New Zealand's vast areas are extensively used for winegrowing. Initially, intensive sheep farming was practised, for a long time the island's main source of income. But gradually the sheep were displaced by the vines. Peter Yealands is one of the country's most important winegrowers - having transformed 2,000 hectares of inhospitable terrain into vineyards through tenacious work. New Zealand wine has become a success story in which the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand, have also played their part. James Wheeler is committed to preserving their culture and has launched New Zealand's first Maori wine: Tohu. The Tohu winery has firmly established itself in the New Zealand wine world and the spirit of Maori culture also permeates the country's wine culture. The winemakers have succeeded in combining the pioneering spirit of their European ancestors with the Maori's great respect for nature.

Saturday, 7 November

SWR Television, 11.45 a.m.

The Winegrower King
Violent turbulence

The big wine festival in Rust is just around the corner. Georg Plattner, the head of the winegrowers' cooperative, has organised it and, as if by chance, overlooked Thomas Stickler. Thomas sees this as a clearly planned act of malice against him and his business. So he prepares to take countermeasures and organises his own wine tasting with a tombola and other events.

Saturday, 7 November

NDR Television, 1.15 p.m.

Bordeaux and France's Southwest

There have long been rumours in France that Bordeaux is a serious rival to Paris. Bordeaux has philosophers, wonderful architecture and Bordeaux is the world capital of wine. A visit to the wine museum "Cité du Vin" is a must. Just like the Cap Ferret peninsula with its colourful settlements of oyster farmers. Christine Seemann turns her back on the coast and drives eastwards into the heart of the Bordelais to Saint Émilion. The gently rolling wine-growing region was the first to be put on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Bordeaux produced the philosophers Michel de Montaigne and Baron de Montesquieu, the city's architecture is a prime example of classicism. And Bordeaux is the world capital of wine. A visit to the Cité du Vin wine museum is therefore a must. Film author Christine Seemann explores the city the French way in a restored 2CV (duck) with a Charleston look. Its owner Martine Marcheras charmingly guides us through the city on the Garonne. Only an hour's drive away, always heading southwest, is the Cap Ferret peninsula with its colourful settlements of oyster farmers. If you like to slurp oysters, this is the place to be. And only here is paté served with them. Cap Ferret has something magical about it. Once you get to know the narrow strip of sand, you will want to return again and again to this unobtrusive and at the same time striking spot of the earth between the rough Atlantic and the quiet bay. Christine Seemann turns her back on the coast and drives eastwards into the heart of the Bordelais to Saint Émilion. The gently rolling wine-growing region was the first to be placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Because Saint Émilion is a synthesis of the arts, it blends picturesquely into the landscape, is full of enchanted corners and architectural treasures. And wine is the elixir of life around which everything revolves. In September, the Jurade, the wine brotherhood, gives permission for the grape harvest, a reason to celebrate not only for wine lovers.

Sunday, 8 November

arte, 13.25

The wonderful world of wines
Italy: Prosecco and the Veneto way of life

The vineyards of this world combine the expertise of hard-working winegrowers with the mysterious forces of nature. Whether situated by water, sheltered by high mountains or on the edge of a desert, wineries illustrate the diversity of this special kind of agriculture. North of Venice, in the first foothills of the Dolomites, lies the home of Prosecco. The sparkling white wine was first produced around 1870 and is the region's flagship. Primo Franco did pioneering work by being the first to offer a wine in America that no one there had known before. 80 kilometres north of Venice, between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in the first foothills of the Dolomites, lies the home of Prosecco. The bubbly white wine, first produced around 1870, is the flagship of a region that has been proudly called "Marca Gioiosa" ("happy region") by its inhabitants for centuries. A name that perhaps also has to do with the wine-growing tradition. Venice was an important trading port at the time, shipping goods to Central Europe, Bordeaux and England. Venetian merchant families who had become wealthy from the wine trade built magnificent country villas in the hinterland and took up viticulture themselves. Primo Franco and his wife Anna-Lisa bought such a villa to cultivate the surrounding vineyards. Primo calls himself the "Marco Polo of Prosecco". In fact, he did pioneering work by being the first to cross the Atlantic in the 1980s and offer a wine in America that no one there knew until then.

Tuesday, 10 November

arte, 11.45 a.m.

The wonderful world of wine
Argentina: An Oasis at the Foot of the Cordillera

The vineyards of this world combine the expertise of hard-working winegrowers with the mysterious forces of nature. Whether located by water, sheltered by high mountains or on the edge of a desert, wineries illustrate the diversity of this special kind of agriculture. In the east of Argentina, at the foot of the highest Andean peak Aconcagua, where once there was only desert, vineyards now stretch to the horizon. The winegrowers of Mendoza have created a unique irrigation system there, for which they drew inspiration from ancient traditions. In the east of Argentina, at the foot of the highest Andean peak, Aconcagua, lies the largest artificial oasis on the American continent. Where once there was only desert, vineyards now stretch to the horizon. The winegrowers of Mendoza have created a unique irrigation system for which they drew inspiration from ancient traditions. The Huarpes, who settled in the region from the 5th century onwards, had already found methods to cultivate the dry soils. Even today, the so-called tomeros have the task of distributing the water from the 4,000-kilometre-long canal system to the individual plantations. Rodrigo works as a tomero in Lulunta, a suburb of Mendoza. Only he is allowed to open the sluices to irrigate the individual vineyards. Climate change poses dangers for the winegrowers because the Andean glaciers are getting smaller and smaller and less and less water is available from the melting snow. Young winemakers Ramiro and Alfredo have developed an inventive new system to turn the glacier water into wine!

Grape harvest in the fields of the young winemakers Ramiro and Alfredo in the Uco Valley, where the most famous vineyards of the Mendoza region are located.

Grand Angle Productions

Wednesday, 11 November

arte, 11.45 a.m.

The wonderful world of wine
USA: How wine is conquering the West

California embodies the American dream like hardly any other state in the USA. In the days of the gold rush, only very few fortune seekers actually found gold. Most of them turned to agriculture and soon the first vines were planted. The documentary takes us to Napa Valley, the centre of American viticulture. A 93,000-hectare paradise that is one of the world's most renowned wine-growing regions. California has always stood for the American dream. During the gold rush, around 300,000 American and foreign gold miners came to San Francisco and the surrounding area to seek their fortune. Only a few became rich, many eventually turned to agriculture or viticulture. Within a few years, Napa Valley, about an hour's drive from San Francisco, developed into the centre of American wine production and one of the most renowned wine-growing regions in the world. The history of the Buena Vista winery, which has existed since 1857, is a prime example of the American Dream. The founder of the estate, a Hungarian emigrant named Agoston Haraszthy, is considered the father of Californian viticulture. 150 years later, it is again a European, this time a Frenchman, who manages the estate and thus keeps the spirit of the founder alive: Jean-Charles Boisset loves his lands and his most important grape variety, the Primitivo, which is called "Zinfandel" in the USA.

Thursday, 12 November

arte, 11.50 a.m.

The wonderful world of wines
Greece: The ancient wine of Santorini

On the Greek island of Santorini, vines are woven into small baskets ("koulouras") near the ground to provide additional protection for the precious grapes. Oenologist Ioanna and her agronomist prune the vines according to ancient techniques and propagate them by mossing to preserve their precious genetic material. The Santorini archipelago was formed by a volcanic eruption about 3,500 years ago and was named after Saint Irene by the Venetians in the 12th century. Since grapevines are among the few plants that thrive on the dry ash soil and withstand the fierce sea winds, wine became the island's most important export product early on. The vines there are not staked high, but woven into small baskets ("koulouras") near the ground to provide additional protection for the precious grapes. The winery of oenologist Ioanna and her agronomist is one of the oldest in the world. There, the wine is still made according to ancient methods! The vines are pruned according to ancient techniques and propagated by mossing in order to preserve their valuable genetic material. Wines from Santorini are considered sons of fire and water, because the vine growth is also influenced by the tides. Yiannis Paraskevopoulos is trying a daring experiment there: his white wine made from the native Assyrtiko grapes ferments for years in bottles, 20 metres below the surface of the water.

Thursday, 12 November

arte, 3.30 p.m.

The wonderful world of wines
Lanzarote: Wine from volcanic ash

In the vineyards of this world, the expertise of hard-working winegrowers combines with the mysterious forces of nature. Whether situated by water, sheltered by high mountains or on the edge of a desert, wineries illustrate the diversity of this special kind of agriculture. The wine-growing area on Lanzarote consists of hundreds of thousands of small craters in black sand, each containing a vine. Wine lovers have the ingenuity of the island's inhabitants, whose climate is characterised by dryness and wind, to thank for this wonderful drop. The Spanish island of Lanzarote off the west coast of Africa was certainly not predestined for viticulture. Several volcanic eruptions in the 18th and 19th centuries buried fertile farmland under a layer of lava and ash. But the inhabitants of the dry, windswept island made a virtue of the supposed hardship and gave their homeland a new face, which is now known to wine lovers from all over the world. The wine-growing area on Lanzarote consists of hundreds of thousands of small craters in black sand, in each of which one vine grows. The only source of water here is the humidity in the air, which is created by evaporation over the sea and carried inland by the trade winds. The dew collects on the walls of the hollows with the vines and is absorbed by the volcanic ash. "Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes" - hardly any saying fits better to the wine production on Lanzarote. Thanks to the resourceful islanders, a wonderful drop with a note of wind, water, fire and black sand is produced there today.

With a few bottles of wine from his own production, winegrower Tomas (centre) toasts with the two heirs of the oldest winery on the island.

Grand Angle Productions

Friday, 13 November

arte, 15.30

The wonderful world of wine
Canada: The Wine of the Great Lakes

The vineyards of the world combine the expertise of hard-working winemakers with the mysterious forces of nature. Whether situated on the water, sheltered by high mountains or on the edge of a desert, wineries illustrate the diversity of this special kind of agriculture. Vancouver on Canada's west coast is the gateway to British Columbia, the country's third largest province, which impresses with fascinating landscapes. 400 kilometres from the Pacific coast, behind snow-capped peaks and deep gorges, lies the Okanagan Valley. Its special ecosystem makes it predestined for winegrowing. It is not so long ago that the first vines were planted here. In the far west of Canada, 400 kilometres from the Pacific coast, the Okanagan Valley stretches behind snow-capped peaks and deep gorges. The contrasting landscape is characterised by fertile valleys and a whole series of lakes. The largest is Okanagan Lake with an area of over 300 square kilometres. The region is characterised by a great variety of soil types and a climate with incredible temperature fluctuations from 45 degrees Celsius in summer to minus 35 degrees Celsius in winter. The south of the valley is one of the driest areas in Canada. Here, the vineyards of Covert Farms cover 260 hectares. Gene Covert, the owner of the domain, is continuing the work of his ancestors in the fourth generation. North of Osoyoos, temperatures are particularly low, ideal for growing grape varieties that cope well with cold - Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, for example. And this region is made for a speciality: ice wine. This highly aromatic sweet wine is made from frozen grapes - a method that vintners from the Rhine-Hessian town of Dromersheim near Bingen discovered rather by accident in 1830. Eric von Krosigk devotes himself enthusiastically to this coveted rarity. In the southern Okanagan Valley, temperatures can rise to 45 degrees Celsius. Here, in a 400-hectare desert-like area that was considered sacred to their ancestors, Indians have managed to cultivate vines. Justin Hall is chief oenologist and runs the first Native-run winery in North America. The Nk'Mip is a winery whose production and management is entirely in the hands of an Indian tribe. Thanks to the fertile soils and nearby Lake Osoyoos, the Osoyoos Indians have been able to realise many projects without destroying their ancestral land.

Saturday, 14 November

rbb television, 9.00 a.m.

Bader Winery
The Inheritance

TV film, Germany 2018 A heavy blow for passionate winemaker Anne: her lifelong dream of following in her father Albert's footsteps at the Wader vineyard is threatened with collapse. When the patriarch dies unexpectedly, a serious omission is avenged. The signature is missing from the will that is supposed to seamlessly transfer the traditional family business into Anne's hands!

Saturday, 14 November

rbb Television, 10.30 a.m.

Bader Winery
The family secret

TV film, Germany 2018 Winemaker Anne makes a fresh start as caretaker at the neighbouring Roscher wine estate. Of course, she still cares about the family farm, which is now run by her mother Käthe. Unfortunately, Käthe does not have a good hand in one important personnel matter: since Rolf Scherer has been running the business, wine stocks have been disappearing from the cellar.

Sunday, 15 November

rbb Television, 9.00 a.m.

Bader Winery
Only together are we strong

TV film, Germany 2019 For Anne, a winegrower from the Palatinate, things are tough right from the start as the new boss of the Wader winery. First, she barely manages to save her vines during a frosty spell, then the supervisory authority shuts her business down harshly on suspicion of fraud.

Sunday, 15 November

rbb television, 10.30 a.m.

Bader Winery
New Ways

TV film, Germany 2019 Anne is determined to convert the traditional family farm completely to organic viticulture. Her new methods - and above all the renunciation of toxic pesticides - meet with fierce resistance from her neighbours. The winegrowers fear not only a pest infestation for their neighbouring vines, but also a loss of image for the tradition-rich winegrowing region.

Sunday, 15 November

SWR Television, 4.30 p.m.

From and to delicious
Irmgard Baroness of Canal

In this episode, the noble ladies travel to the Moselle. Irmgard von Canal and her husband Andreas are delighted to show the five guests around the 15th century vineyard.

Monday, 16 November

ARD-alpha, 4.00 p.m.

Through Land and Time
Fiesta in the wine village

Tuesday, 17 November

arte, 11.45 a.m.

The wonderful world of wine
Portugal: Porto, the wine of the Douro

In the northwest of Portugal, along the Douro River, vines grow from which a velvety, dark sweet wine is pressed that is considered Portugal's trademark: port wine. As early as 2,000 years ago, people began to turn the steep slopes in the best locations into vineyards. The slate soils are ideal for vine cultivation. It took Portuguese winegrowers a lot of sweat and effort to shape the stony, desert-like terrain to their liking. The winegrowers of the Douro Valley are architects of a very special cultural landscape. Only they know the secret of port wine, one of Portugal's trademarks. Not far from the famous pilgrimage church of Lamego lies the Quinta do Bom Retiro, one of Portugal's oldest wineries. The vines on the stone-walled terraces and rocky outcrops are a living example of the history of the Douro Valley. Winemaker João de Almeida, whose ancestors, originally from Porto, have been working in viticulture for generations, knows a lot about the special features of the region and the secrets of fortified wine. His great-granduncle Adriano Ramos Pinto was the architect of these "hanging gardens". As early as 2,000 years ago, people began to cultivate wine on the steep and inhospitable slate slopes of the Douro River. In the process, the Portuguese winegrowers learned to cope with this stony and almost desert-like area and, over time, transformed the bare slopes into extensive vineyards. Today, modern agricultural machinery facilitates the creation of new terraces and their planting. Nevertheless, wine growing in the Douro Valley remains a permanent challenge. Not least because of the climatic conditions and because planting new vines is real back-breaking work. The documentary also takes us to Porto. Portugal's second largest city lies directly on the Atlantic and plays an important role in the success story of port wine. It was here in 1756 that the Marquês de Pombal laid down the first quality criteria for port wine. It may only be grown on plots that meet certain requirements in terms of climate, soil composition and altitude. A century before Bordeaux, he introduced a kind of protected designation of origin.

Wednesday, 18 November

arte, 2.20 a.m.

The wonderful world of wines
France: Bordeaux, vineyards on the waterfront

The wine-growing region of Bordeaux, with its vineyards drawn as if with a ruler, produces the most famous and expensive wines in the world. Thousands of vineyards, here called châteaux, with their stately estates form an elegant backdrop for the grand crus that established Bordeaux's fame 300 years ago. Bordeaux is a wine-growing region of superlatives - something it was not necessarily destined to be. Because the conditions are actually anything but ideal: the humid climate and the abundance of water tend to argue against vine cultures. But over the course of time, people have gained experience that enables them to cope with the geographical and climatic vagaries of nature. The Cruse family, originally from Denmark, settled at Château Laujac two centuries ago. Vanessa and René-Philippe Duboscq are the sixth generation to run the estate in the Médoc. In order to be able to grow vines, the soil of the estate first had to be drained by means of drainage systems. The estate is located in the north of the Médoc, only five kilometres from the estuary delta and the Atlantic Ocean. The word Médoc comes from Latin and means "land surrounded by water". Its family history began in Bordeaux, where merchants from northern Europe settled to ship their wines abroad in Europe's largest Atlantic port. The city, now a World Heritage Site, owes its architectural wealth to the flourishing wine trade. The river is not only indispensable as a transport route for the distribution of wines abroad. 30 kilometres south of Bordeaux, on the banks of the Ciron River, lies the picturesque village of Cérons. Here, for 30 years, Xavier Perromat has been producing, with inexhaustible patience, an exquisite fortified wine to which the mists rising from the riverbank lend its unmistakable aroma.

Thursday, 19 November

arte, 11.50 a.m.

The wonderful world of wines
Champagne: Treasures from chalk caves

Once occupied by Romans and Huns, torn apart by wars, Champagne is now home to a sparkling wine synonymous with absolute luxury. The vineyards of France's northernmost wine-growing region enjoy world renown and provide the grapes for the famous Champagne. They grow in the Marne Valley, on the flanks of the Montagne de Reims, on the Côte des Blancs or in Les Riceys. For centuries, farmers have used the best land for growing grapes. Champagne, today the epitome of luxury, was first produced in eastern France over 200 years ago. The grapes for the sparkling wine, which according to tradition was invented by the monk Dom Pérignon, grow in the gentle hills of Champagne in the Marne Valley, on the slopes around Reims, on the Côte des Blancs or even in Riceys. Seen from the air, the area looks like a peaceful sea of vines - but its true secret is hidden underground: Reims is undercut by a 300-kilometre-long labyrinth of tunnels. Originally it was used to mine chalk rock, a sought-after building material. Then the tunnels were misused as cellars by the big champagne houses. Over a billion bottles are stored in the dim vaults. In the village of Vandières, about 30 kilometres southwest of Reims, the Legrand family is the fourth generation to grow wine. Thibault Legrand recently took over the business from his father Patrice, a passionate winemaker who is also enthusiastic about the geological history of Champagne's development. Continuing an old tradition, he is expanding the underground galleries piece by piece, some of which date back to Roman times and the Middle Ages. The documentary takes a journey through time into the history of Champagne and explains what makes the still wine so fine bubbles.

Friday, 20 November

SWR Television, 8.15 p.m.

Take a drive
Behind the Scenes - On the Road at the Terrassenmosel

It is one of the most spectacular river landscapes in Europe: the Terrace Moselle. The steepest vineyards in the world line the almost 100-kilometre stretch from Pünderich in the south to Koblenz in the north, where the Moselle flows into the Rhine. A multifaceted landscape with narrow river valleys, romantic villages and, of course, vineyards that demand a lot from the people who cultivate them. A picture-postcard landscape that attracts millions of tourists every year.

Sunday, 22 November

3sat, 1.05 pm

The Rediscovery of the Kellerstöckl

Kellerstöckl are small wine cellars that were built directly on the edge of the vineyards, especially in southern Burgenland, between the Eisenberg in the north and as far as Heiligenbrunn. At that time, the grapes were processed there directly and the wine was stored in the cellar. Modern cellar technology, but above all the ever decreasing number of small winegrowers, caused the Kellerstöckl to fall into oblivion for a long time. Today the Kellerstöckl are considered a cultural treasure and a unique selling point in southern Burgenland tourism. Their preservation is promoted, and new ones are even being built here and there.

Sunday, 22 November

hr television, 2.45 p.m.

Adventure Burgenland
Puszta, wine and lake romance

Isabella Stirm from Burgenland has paprika in her blood and guides viewers through her Austrian homeland with charm and a twinkle in her eye. Sometimes she goes on safari through the Pannonian flat Seewinkel, sometimes she follows in the footsteps of winegrowers through the hilly and green southern Burgenland. Along the way, she meets food pioneers, winemakers, rangers and many other locals who tell of their passion for Austria's sunniest region. She visits cities like Eisenstadt, the smallest provincial capital of Austria, or the free city of Rust on the beautiful Neusiedlersee, known for good wines and cosy Heurige.

Tuesday, 24 November

arte, 7.40 p.m.

Winegrowers without wineries
Agriculture to join in

Jan Philipp Bleeke, a winegrower on the Moselle, has no vineyard and no fortune. With his project, which turns wine lovers into fellow winegrowers, he defies the rules of the market economy. It's not easy for anyone who wants to make their consumption sustainable. So Jan-Philipp Bleeke's promise sounds almost too good to be true: Drink wine and make the world a better place? The young winegrower from the Moselle region practices biodynamic viticulture, wants to produce fairly and still make a wine that everyone can afford. His solidarity-based wine economy involves consumers in the production process. "Re:" accompanies the members of Germany's first solidarity wine economy in its first year and asks whether such a model can work.

Wednesday, 25 November

arte, 11.45 a.m.

Like the land, like the man
Spain - Lanzarote

In the valley of La Geria, farmers have reclaimed the soil covered by black ash and grow wine in hundreds of small craters. Lorenzo Viñoly also cultivates vines in this way on the mountain slopes. He has been working here since he was nine years old. On more than ten hectares of land, he has planted 17,000 vines and built just as many walls around them.

Friday, 27 November

arte, 4.55 p.m.

Wine without chemicals?
Cultivation methods put to the test

In viticulture nothing works without chemicals. Up to twelve times a year they are sprayed. Even in organic farming, pesticides are used. Synthetic products are not used, but mineral products such as copper or sulphur are. Why are there no methods that make chemical aids unnecessary? Powdery mildew is a major problem for growers. The plant disease came to Europe from North America in the 19th century with new grape varieties and has spread explosively. The Swiss vine breeder and winegrower Valentin Blattner is looking for solutions. He crosses a fungus-resistant North American vine with a local, susceptible vine. The result is so-called PIWI wines: Wines made from fungus-resistant grape varieties. The brothers Jérémy and Jonathan Ducourt are testing the method in practice. On their vineyard in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, they rely on fungus-resistant vines. The "Xenius" presenters Emilie Langlade and Adrian Pflug plant new vines and try to find out whether PIWI wines have a future in commercial viticulture.

Blind tasting: Together with Jérémy Ducourt (mi.), the "Xenius" presenters Adrian Pflug (r.) and Emilie Langlade (l.) taste wine from fungus-resistant vines and from conventional cultivation.

Janett Kartelmeyer/AVE

Saturday, 28 November

SWR Television, 11.45 a.m.

The winegrower king
The Crisis

Television film, Germany 2010 Thomas Stickler left his Burgenland hometown of Rust at an early age and made a career abroad. For years he has been working as a production director in a Frankfurt high-tech company. When it is decided at a meeting to outsource the company's production facilities to Hungary, he clashes with the management and quits his job. Thomas comes home earlier than usual that day: he promptly catches his wife Johanna in flagrante delicto with his friend and colleague Thorsten Schmidt. Thomas has had enough: he sees the need to rethink his life and his future and returns to his birthplace Rust and his childhood home, the Stickler Inn. The joy of reuniting with his parents Edi and Hermine, his sister Andrea and her husband Georg, as well as with Claudia, his former lover, is abruptly shattered by the sudden death of his father. Edi is laid to rest in the presence of the whole village and Thomas' family.

Monday, 30 November

arte, 3.30 p.m.

Like the land, like the man
Spain - Lanzarote

In the valley of La Geria, farmers have reclaimed the soil covered in black ash and grow wine in hundreds of small craters. Lorenzo Viñoly also cultivates vines in this way on the mountain slopes. He has been working here since he was nine years old. On more than ten hectares of land, he has planted 17,000 vines and built just as many walls around them.

Programme changes at short notice are possible.

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