Press
MOJO on INHD Adds a Partner Series to Its Popular Three Sheets
NEW YORK - February 27, 2007- Choosing the right wine doesn't have to be a harrowing experience. Uncorked with Billy Merritt, featuring comedian Billy Merritt on MOJO on INHD, humorously demystifies the myths and fallacies that have traditionally made wine selection an inscrutable dilemma for many. The new Hi-Def series, Uncorked with Billy Merritt, premieres Wednesday, March 14 at 9:30 ET/PT. Merritt, a man with ordinary beer tastes, realizes he may be missing something and seeks to raise his sophistication level by setting out on an odyssey to learn all about wine. He looks for the best food/wine pairings; wine regions and production; the etiquette of restaurant ordering and how to pick out the right wine from a liquor store.
Merritt visits vineyards, converses with winemakers and head chefs who explain wine and cuisine; attends several wine and food festivals; and discovers wine lovers are real people too. Be it Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Merlot, wine is Billy's new passion. By the end of the series he and MOJO viewers will know it all.
Billy Merritt, who has been performing for over 15 years, is best known as founding member of the critically acclaimed improv group, "The Swarm," he is a teacher and director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB), he is a regular on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and has been seen in many TV and film roles including on Comedy Central, MTV and VH1.
Episodes in Uncorked with Billy Merritt include:
Wine and Food: The Hamptons - The ever curious Billy Merritt travels to beautiful Eastern Long Island wine country to attend the Hampton's Food and Wine Festival. He investigates how and why wine and food go together. He finds out that you can have a quarter pounder with a zinfandel.
Wine Basics: Napa Valley - Billy wants to find out how wine is made and what makes each different. Traveling to America's wine capitals, the lush Napa and Sonoma Valleys of California, he checks out different grapes and stomps on a few. He takes a wine tour and gets to compare jelly beans to the flavors of popular wines.
French Wine: France - Billy's mission is to learn about French wine- he heads to Paris and then the world-renowned Champagne region to sample. He learns the difference between Bordeaux, Burgundy and Chardonnays and how all those tiny bubbles get into those great big Champagne bottles. Later, he's the toast of "Paree" at the Moulin Rouge.
Northern Exposure: Whistler - Billy visits the 10th annual Whistler Cornucopia Wine and Food Festival where he gets to sample Canadian wines made from two major local vineyard areas. He meets women body-painted with various wine labels and gets great cooking tips after talking to pigs and chickens on a nearby farm.
Restaurant Wine: Las Vegas - Billy wants to discern how to order wine in a restaurant from a Master Sommelier in Las Vegas. He learns about wine lists and "swirling." He even waits on a table and repels down the restaurant's four floor wine tower to get the wine of choice.
Wine Buying: New York - Billy needs to buy his first bottle of wine and he takes to Manhattan to navigate what technically is a wine store. He also learns to buy wine online and throws a dinner party for four friends from UCB, his improvisational theater group. Boy are they surprised.
"Uncorked is for the man who has everything, except for any knowledge about wine," said host Billy Merritt. "It's the "guy's guy guide" to wine. If you watch it, women will be stunned by your knowledge."
Uncorked with Billy Merritt is produced by Helican Media. Executive Producer is Sandy Green. For INHD/MOJO, Executive Producer is Emilio Nunez, Supervising Producer is Siobhan Graham.
What is MOJO?
Uncorked with Billy Merritt is part of INHD's new prime time programming called MOJO, with all new original high-def productions made exclusively for the HD audience. MOJO's inherent intelligence, wit and flair for style can be found in shows on cuisine and spirits, high tech, finance, comedy and adventurous travel. MOJO can be seen Sundays and Wednesdays (9 PM to 12 midnight ET/PT), repeating during other select dayparts.
INHD/MOJO is a pioneer in the field of hi-def television and is among the most widely distributed HD networks on cable. Launched when the HD market was in its infancy, it has consistently earned high marks from HD viewers for presenting programming with the pristine quality of a 1080i picture and Dolby 5.1 sound and already ranks among HD viewers' favorite hi-def networks. Besides the MOJO prime time, other programming on INHD includes high profile professional and college sports, movies, music and big events. INHD and is available as part of the hi-definition offerings from such cable operators as Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox Communications, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Mediacom and Patriot. INHD is owned by iN DEMAND Networks, whose shareholders are Comcast iN DEMAND Holdings, Inc., Cox Communications Holdings, Inc., and Time Warner Entertainment - Advance/Newhouse Partnership.
For more information, please write to pressoffice@indemand.com or call 646.638.8206.
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