
Quick vote: raise your hand if you ever circled through all the UHF stations over and over again hoping to extend your viewing beyond the regular four or five standard broadcast stations. Here's a detailed examination of a single half hour episode of a mostly forgotten show that illustrates my point.īack in the 80s, there were a few syndicated TV shows that would air at odd times on those UHF channels. If anything it's closer to the solid American tradition of small farms and backbreaking labor rather than the vast mechanized grain farms of the midwest, yet is still perceived as some elitist pursuit. In reality it involves tractors and hoses and tanks and spreading manure and chasing wild pigs out of the vines.

Occasionally there's a quick burst of energy where they pick all the grapes in one day so that the rest of the year can be spent in leisure. Ask most people to describe the working life of a vineyard and they'll imagine scenic vistas with people lounging around with lutes, reciting poetry. While I agree with the idea that sacred cows make the best hamburgers, I do think this attitude stunted American attitudes towards wine for a long time. For so long, wine was merely a prop to signify an expensive restaurant, a special occasion, a rich person, or to engage in satire about those targets.


On Facebook I love to post screencaps of old TV shows and movies that feature wine scenes, particularly with comedies.
