Young, exuberant and full of character, Eddie McDougall has a lot in common with the "new, new world" wines he explores in his television series .
But the award-winning Australian winemaker has studied, grafted, tasted and blended his way up the oenological ladder, earning his moniker because of his habit of jetting from vineyard to competition to television studio.
He's about to share his lively brand of entertaining education on wine in Asia in his new series on TLC, which starts on September 15.
The young McDougall had very little experience in wine when he took a waiting job to help pay the bills while studying international business in Brisbane. After one particularly gruelling evening of difficult customers, sketchy kitchen service and paltry tips, he was ready to throw in the towel.
After work, his boss sat him down with a glass of wine from a bottle left by a customer. "I took a sip, swallowed, my eyes bounced open, and I said, "Holy hell, I've got to learn how to make this."
McDougall, who is part Chinese, enrolled in a wine technology and viticulture course at the University of Melbourne. This time his part-time job was at the prestigious boutique winery Shadowfax.
