New Reality Show, The WineMakers, Premiere at CIC

On Thursday, October 8th, South Carolina ETV premiered their newest Presentation, The WINEMAKERS, at the CIC amphitheater at Palmer Campus.
Pictured above are at top: Emily Bane, CWE, Field Sales Manager-Charleston, of Ben Arnold-Sunbelt, demonstrating CrushPad's blending kits and showing off the winning wine.
Second Row: Intro to Wine student Othel Plowden taking notes and Hospitality Department Head Patricia Agnew sitting with Ben Arnold's John Julius.
Third Row: (l) Cheesemaker Farrah Hoffmire (Giddy Goat), whose goat cheese lollipops also made their premiere at the event, and (r) Charleston Restaurant Association President Steve Kish (82 Queen), sitting next to SCETV President David Couch.

Slated to begin airing on Public Television September 2009, The Winemakers joins twelve men and women as they compete for a chance to create and launch their own wine label nationwide. Produced in a reality television series format, this first season of six 30-minute episodes follows a passionate and diverse group of contestants from the vineyard to the boardroom as they struggle to make their wildest dream come true. The winner of season I of The Winemakers will launch their own 15,000-case brand nationwide in September during the series’ debut. The winner’s wine was produced at Crushpad, an urban crush facility located in the heart of San Francisco. Season II of The Winemakers began shooting in Arroyo Grande on California’s central coast in August 2009. Only the survivors of this first challenge will continue on to France’s Rhone Valley where the competition will kick into high gear.
The Judges: Leslie Sbrocco, well-known wine writer, author and host of Public Television’s "Check Please;" Mark Oldman, author of the bestselling "Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine," and Los Angeles-based wine writer Corie Brown. A host of guest judges also include Food & Wine magazine writer Lettie Teague and Doug Frost, who holds the distinction of being only one of three people worldwide to hold both a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier title.

A presentation of South Carolina ETV, the series is a production of Doc City Productions, whose founder Kevin Whelan has developed several wine programs, including WINE 101 with David Hyde Pierce, Tales From the Vineyard and Uncorked: Wine Made Simple with Ted Allen. Clips from the show can be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/winemakerstv and on the series’ website http://www.thewinemakers.tv/.

The WineMakers will run the week of Oct. 26 - 30
10/26 7:00pm WineMakers 101 10/26 7:30pm WineMakers 102
10/27 7:00pm WineMakers 103 10/28 7:00pm WineMakers 104
10/29 7:00pm WineMakers 105 10/30 7:00pm WineMakers 106
On Saturday, October 31, the program will run straight through, beginning at 12:00 noon to 3:00pm.
The City Paper had a few words: http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/a-reality-show-for-winos-plus-thoughts-on-top-chef/Content?oid=1429047