James Purefoy and his celeb pals return for ‘The Wine Show’

It wasn’t hard for James Purefoy to convince his co-star and best friend, Dominic West, to join him in coming to Portugal for “The Wine Show”.

“I asked him if he could do it because we had a schedule conflict with [series regular] Matthew Goode,” Purefoy, 57, told The Post. “I left him a voice message: ‘Okay, this could be the best job offer you’ll ever get. You arrive at the truly beautiful, splendid place up the Douro River to be picked up by a vintage Porsche and delivered an incredible volume [rural historic manor] and will spend three days drinking. How does that sound?’

“He called me back and said, ‘Jimmy, this is the best job offer I’ve ever had in my life.’

Purefoy, Goode, Emmy Award-winner Matthew Rhys (“The American,” “Perry Mason”) and now West return for Season 3 of “The Wine Show,” which premieres in the US on Thursday, May 29. 7, on Sundance Now, Acorn TV.

This season of the travel series featuring Purefoy and Goode (“Watchmen”, “Downton Abbey”, “The Crown”) travels around Portugal, armed with exercises from series wine expert Joe Fattorini – including a study of Portuguese wine in relation to space travel it’s connected to India’s Vindaloo curry and its role in the country’s cod industry (you’ll be surprised) about all three values).

Fattorini also went to New York (pre-COVID) to dine with Rhys at several New York restaurants and of course, drink and discuss different wines. Other adventures this season feature sommelier Charlotte Wilde and wine expert Amelia Singer.

Purefoy talks about his adventures in Portugal with Goode. (West and Purefoy tastings at Quinta do Noval in the Douro Valley.) “Portugal’s wine industry is complex and they are very competitive. You have to be careful not to step on any toes and be very sensitive. Once they let you in, they will be extremely welcoming. “

Purefoy, along with Rhys and Goode, has been on all three seasons of “The Wine Show” but said he still has a lot to learn – and it’s tough.

“I really enjoy drinking wine, so that’s helpful and I’m very interested in wine,” he said. “There was a small moment at the beginning of the third season where [he and Goode] talk about Socratic dialogue – the more you know about something, the more you realize that you don’t know anything. I’m sad to say that’s absolutely true…and to be honest I think I know less now than when we started. “

Purefoy and West also experienced tastings of “some of the rarest Ports imaginable” at Quinto do Noval. These wines are preceded by destruction some 20 years ago to vineyards across Europe (including Italy, Portugal, France and Spain) by Phylloxera, an insect that spreads a deadly fungus. roots.

“This little bug just gobbles up and burrows through all the roots,” says Purefoy. “These Gates are extremely hard to get hold of and almost impossible to buy. They come from the rows of small vines before Phylloxera. “

Season 3 took about a month to shoot and included the show’s trademark “Tasting Week,” in which Purefoy et al. start early in the day, sometimes at 7am, then taste 16 wines in the morning, 16 in the afternoon, and many more at night.

“That can get a little messy, as you can imagine,” he said. “In terms of television, it’s not attractive to spit [out the wine] so we sip. I learned my lesson last season; I’m pretty drunk… so now I just take the tiniest sips of each wine. We don’t pride ourselves on being drunk. Unfortunately, that’s part of the job, and our producers are good at it. They always give us a couple of breaks at lunchtime to wake up and get some sleep before we start again.

“One of the things about this show is that it’s not a male performance at all,” he said. “It looks like [car series] ‘Top Gear’ for wine. I like to think that we put our arms around each other and our audience, bringing them close and giving them a tight hug. “