Drinking Wine with William Shatner

Even at 84 years old William Shatner is still looking hopefully toward the future—and toward the next great glass of wine. His Web show, Brown Bag Wine Tasting, which enters its second season on Ora TV on May 20, was created out of Shatner’s love of wine and conversation. Past Brown Bag Wine Tasting episodes have included Alton Brown, Misha Collins, Adam Carolla, and some of Shatner’s non-celebrity friends; a butcher, a marijuana dealer, a plastic surgeon, a horse trainer, a clown, a personal trainer, and a cheesemonger. Season 2’s guests will include Matt Walsh from Veep and Wil Wheaton from Star Trek.

Shatner as interviewer plays himself, a friend and a psychoanalyst of sorts with a bottle of wine that serves as his co-host to pacify the conversation. When he interviews LeVar Burton, he begins by asking the former Enterprise crew member about his need for a father figure, and then goes straight into Burton’s upbringing: “I don’t know if we should begin by talking about wine or your childhood.” Shortly into the segment, Burton says that if Shatner is going to delve into his childhood, wine has got to be involved. This is the format of Brown Bag Wine Tasting, and if you are a fan of wine, William Shatner, and conversation, you’ll be amused. Many of the episodes are shot in Shatner’s own Studio City home, a natural setting to get a little boozy and open up.


more on vanityfair.com