LAKEPORT >> You’ve probably seen several eateries and bars featured on The Food Network or Netflix, but can you say you saw Lake County’s wineries on the screen? Over 50 residents had the chance to experience that just before Thanksgiving, thanks to an emerging television series: “Booze Clues.”
The episode, which aired at the Soper Reese Theatre, is known as a pilot — a standalone episode of a television series shown to a network in hopes of selling the show. As in its title, the show pours up all-things booze, but with a mix of history.
To clarify, the show’s creators suggest, “Don’t just drink your booze, drink your history. Find out more about your favorite booze and the history of the place that birthed them.”
With that foundation laid out, creators Blaine Adams and Miguel Amodio decided an excellent starting point would be in Lake County.
“When people think of wine, they think of Napa. But people have found the better soil in Lake County; it’s the beating heart of the wine industry,” Adams said.
Part of what drew them to the county was Amodio’s familiarity with Lake County, where he grew up. Now in Los Angeles, his film experience as a producer, cinematographer, and film editor has landed him with companies like Inner Image Media and most recently, the film editor for “Booze Clues.”
As for Adams, he grew up on the east coast as a lover of history, binging on shows like the “Antiques Roadshow.” Today, Adams is the host of the show, a writer, entertainer, and Bar Program Director at Barrel & Ashes in Studio City, California — recognized as one of L.A.’s best cocktail bars.
After meeting in L.A., both young men merged talents to bring a new spin on drinks on television. That’s when the idea of the show was born — think Guy Fieri meets the History Channel, but with lots of booze.
The episode racked up a total of four hours and 30 minutes worth of footage around the county, with video of Adams’ first time riding a horse at the Hawk and Horse Vineyards to his fall off a rubber doughnut in Clear Lake. Thanks to editing from the team, including sound editor Noah Fink, the pilot episode was compressed to a total of 22 minutes.
“It was hard not to include every place we went to, but that’s part of the editing and television process,” Adams said. Nonetheless, the episode had just enough time to dig deep into the history of Lake County and wine, while including the industry’s rise after Prohibition in Napa Valley. And of course, featuring local wineries’ products and their stories. Those showcased were Rosa d’Oro Vineyards in Kelseyville and Hawk and Horse Vineyards in Lower Lake, plus the opening where Adams received an introduction to all the local wines at Upper Lake’s Lake County Wine Studio. Then at the end of the episode, Adams is filmed at Barrel & Ashes, preparing a cocktail using wine from Lake County.
In fact, two cocktails (Turn of the Century and View from a Hill) that were inspired by their trip to Lake sold out almost immediately at the Studio City bar. And attendees had a chance to try some of the drinks prepared by Adams that evening.
Audience members whistled and applauded as the credits rolled. One audience member even commented that with “Adams’ charisma, it’s hard not to picture the show on television.”
Besides these “two scrappy kids from Hollywood trying to chase their dreams,” as Adams phrased it, they found a county rich in history and its people, and wine. From the start, they knew they wanted millennials to be the show’s target audience.
“There’s something about millennials always wanting to try something new, or something not popularly known,” Amodio said. “By doing this pilot episode set in Lake County, we are hoping to not only benefit the wineries we feature but help bring attention to the county in general.”
Adams agreed that by covering a couple of wineries, people would want to visit and discover the rest of what the county has to offer.
“Booze Clues” is currently in the pitching stages in Hollywood, to which Adams and Amodio said they have a good feeling.
To find out more, visit the Booze Clues TV Facebook page.
