Wine & Coffee-Modern Marvels

The Histroy Channel (Times are EST)

Modern Marvels : Wine. Airs on Wednesday November 29 08:00 PM

A glass a day is said to keep the doctor away. A defeated Napoleon drowned his sorrows in it; Thomas Jefferson became obsessed with it. Wine is an integral part of our culture and more wine is consumed today than ever before. Supermarket shelves that once carried only box wine and jugs are now lined with wines from Australia, Chile, and South Africa. Aerial imaging and infrared photography once used by NASA to map the moon is now employed by wineries to analyze soil, vine vigor, and even disease. Paying tribute to wine's unique history we will travel the world over to explore wineries, the worlds' most historic wine cellar and a legendary Paris restaurant.

Modern Marvels : Coffee. Airs on Wednesday November 29 09:00 PM

Traces the origins of this tasty drink from Ethiopia over 1,000 years ago to the espresso-fueled explosion of specialty coffee stores like Starbucks today. Along the way, we'll see how American companies like Hills Brothers, Maxwell House, Folgers, and MJB grew to be giants. Discover how billions of coffee beans make their journey from coffee farms and plantations, and are processed in gigantic roasting and packaging plants before showing up in coffee cups all over the world. Details the invention and production of instant coffee, decaffeinated coffee, freeze-dried coffee, and the espresso machine. Also, we explain how coffee made shift work in factories possible, while coffeehouses provided a creative cauldron that brewed political and artistic progress in the 18th and 19th centuries. And, we also provide tips on how to make a better cup at home!

Bruce wrote:The Histroy Channel (Times are EST)

Modern Marvels : Wine. Airs on Wednesday November 29 08:00 PM

Supermarket shelves that once carried only box wine and jugs are now lined with wines from Australia, Chile, and South Africa.

I'm sorry I don't have cable TV, as these sound worthwhile. However, I had to smile at the one error in the blurb. Perhaps one might say that supermarket shelves were once lined with novelty wines, such as Akadama and Spinada, or maybe bad and worse wines, but they weren't lined with box wine UNTIL Australian wines began to arrive, because boxed wine was invented in Australia -- and they're rather proud of that.