We each have our own individualized ways of action and activity which help us power through less-than-pleasant times. It isn’t always just one activity. One day you might curl up next to a good book, another day you might garden and on another day you might cook a comforting meal. Then there might be those other days, those days where a TV binge (or a few) come into play, particularly reality TV. A guilty pleasure.

Whether it serves a purpose as uncomplicated background noise or nail-biting indulgence for you, I think we can agree that there seems to be a never ending production of them! And the more iterations of a show I see in my suggested viewing queue, the more I actually think about how, like these seemingly infinite TV options, the abundance of wine and their respective wine regions are acknowledged.

Below are three cool regions for you to welcome in the upcoming weekend, summarized in terms of TV binge watching:

Home & Interior TV: Finger Lakes

Domestic wine outside of California, Washington or Oregon seem to still be getting side-eye looks despite years of growing selections from other regions. The Finger Lakes rep in particular reminds me of that couple you semi sneer at on HGTV. The one with fresh perspective, such youth, and an assumed granola budget yet somehow they have 2 million big ones to spend. There have been massive strides in quality here that people seem to overlook especially in terms of Riesling offerings, some of which could go toe-to-toe with some German picks. Not to mention, New York State as a whole is one of the most robustly diverse regions we have!

 

Survival TV: Valdeorras

A fascinating DO (Denominación de Origen) of Galicia, Spain, Valdeorras reminds me of full on survival-mode tactics, and not just for surviving phylloxera back in the day. Talk about a survivor! Abandoned for over 200 years, this is a place where the “old meets new” saying is given a substantial toughness to it, with producers who have put their mark reviving native grapes including Godello and Mencía. Not bad for a name which loosely translates to the “Valley of Gold”, huh? The Atlantic meets Continental climate face-off in Valdeorras is truly special, too. It’s not something that can be forced or forged, much like one’s ability to survive the wild. While you probably can’t drop me in an isolated location to fend for food, fire and shelter for a month, you can drop me where the Valdeorras wine is. 

 

Love/Dating Spectrum TV: Alto Adige

Oh, love. Or the aura of perceived love. Can’t get enough! The storyline need not be complicated, I eat it up regardless. From newly-invited chaos like Love Is Blind to the many replications of 90 Day Fiancé spinoffs, I’m there. Within the plethora of simplistic premises, there are a handful who find not just lust or even hate, but unmatched affection, despite the built-in mess of reality TV. This reminds me of how Alto Adige is one of Italy’s smallest wine-growing regions, yet so binge worthy and seductive. With historic ties to both Austria and Italy, the overall culture and the wine styles which dominate are essentially products of the marriage of the two. Pinot Bianco and Schiava are huge players here, but there’s much more beyond that to love. Love is a magical thing!