There is a version of a great evening that does not require a restaurant reservation, a designated driver, or a reason to get dressed. It requires a couch, a good screen, and something worth drinking. CrushBrew has spent considerable time in exactly this configuration. This guide is the result: the streaming shows worth watching if you love wine, beer, and spirits, and the pairing guide for what to pour based on what you are watching. Consider it the most useful thing we have published for a Friday night.
◆Somm (2013) remains the single best introduction to wine culture ever put on screen. Four candidates preparing for the Master Sommelier exam. The most demanding blind tasting test in the world. Made wine culture compelling to people who had never thought twice about what was in their glass. If you have not seen it, watch it tonight with a bottle of something you already love and a notebook for what you want to try next.
◆Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy is the most enjoyable wine education available on any streaming platform. Every episode is a masterclass in Italian regional food and wine culture, delivered by a man who loves both without pretension. The Tuscany, Sicily, and Piedmont episodes are essential viewing for any wine drinker. The show pairs perfectly with a bottle from whatever region Stanley happens to be visiting.
◆The pairing principle is simple: match the mood of the drink to the mood of the show. A Manhattan belongs with a noir thriller. A cold craft lager belongs with a comedy. Champagne belongs with a season finale. A peated Scotch belongs with a slow-burn British drama. None of these are rules. All of them make the evening better.
◆The late-night wind-down drink is the most important pour of the evening. When the house is quiet and the last episode has ended, the drink you choose matters more than any pairing. Japanese whisky or Irish whiskey, neat, in a good glass, with nothing demanding your attention. Hibiki Harmony or Redbreast 12. That is the drink the evening was building toward.
◆Somebody Feed Phil may be the most underrated food and drink show on Netflix. Phil Rosenthal travels the world eating, drinking, and being genuinely delighted by everything he encounters. Every episode features local wine, beer, and spirits in authentic context. It is the anti-pretentious food travel show that CrushBrew would make if CrushBrew made television.
Shows About Wine: What to Watch and What to Pour
The wine documentary has had a remarkable decade on screen. What was once a niche category for enthusiasts has produced some of the most compelling and accessible film and television of the past ten years. The best of these shows did something genuinely difficult: they made wine interesting to people who had never cared about it before.
Wine Shows Worth Your Evening
Somm (2013, available on various platforms) The one that started the conversation. Four candidates preparing for the Master Sommelier exam, one of the most demanding professional tests in the world. The blind tasting sequences alone are worth the viewing. Accessible, tense, and genuinely moving in ways a film about wine has no right to be. Pair with: whatever you love most. Watch it as an education in why wine matters.
Somm 3 (2018, available on various platforms) The third entry in the series (Somm: Into the Bottle was the second) focuses on the world’s greatest wine regions and the people who make them. Broader in scope than the original, more travel-focused, and a genuinely satisfying follow-up. Pair with: a wine from one of the regions featured. Let the show tell you what to open.
Uncorked (2020, Netflix) A fictional film about a young man torn between his family’s Memphis BBQ restaurant and his dream of becoming a master sommelier. Warm, accessible, and genuinely good storytelling that uses wine as a vehicle for a story about family, identity, and ambition. Not a wine education film, a film that happens to love wine. Pair with: a Burgundy Pinot Noir. The film has a Burgundy soul.
Drops of God (2023, Apple TV Plus) Based on the beloved Japanese manga series about a young woman who inherits her legendary wine critic father’s estate on the condition that she can identify a specific wine in a blind tasting. The series is visually beautiful, wine-obsessed in the best possible way, and the tasting sequences make the viewer feel the wine through the screen. One of the most distinctive wine-focused shows ever produced. Pair with: something from the region being discussed in the episode. Keep a pen handy.
Wine First (various platforms) Short-form wine education content that demystifies regions, grapes, and producers without condescension. The format rewards casual viewing with genuine knowledge accumulation. Pair with: whatever you are curious about. Use the show as the excuse to open something new.
A note on Drops of God specifically: the Apple TV Plus adaptation of the Japanese manga brought wine storytelling to a global audience that had never encountered the source material. The show treats wine the way the best wine writing does, as a language for memory, emotion, and identity rather than a status symbol. If you watch one wine show from this list, make it Somm for the education and Drops of God for the experience.
Shows About Beer: The Craft Beer Screen Guide
The craft beer documentary has not produced its Somm yet, the definitive film that crosses over into mainstream audiences and makes craft beer culture as compelling on screen as wine. But several strong options exist for the serious craft beer drinker, and the travel format in particular suits beer culture well.
Beer Shows Worth Your Evening
Brew Dogs (BrewDog TV and various platforms) James Watt and Martin Dickie of BrewDog travel America discovering craft beer culture, visiting breweries, and attempting to brew local collaboration beers in each city. Part road trip, part beer education, part comedy. The format is loose and occasionally chaotic, which suits the craft beer world perfectly. Pair with: whatever IPA your local brewery has on tap right now.
Beer Here (various platforms) A travel documentary series exploring craft beer culture around the world. Less well-known than Brew Dogs but arguably more substantive in its coverage of the global craft beer movement. Worth seeking out for any drinker who wants to understand how the craft beer revolution exported itself beyond America. Pair with: a beer from whichever country is being featured.
How Beer Saved the World (Discovery Plus) A tongue-in-cheek documentary arguing that beer was central to the development of human civilization, from the agricultural revolution to ancient Egypt to the founding of America. More entertainment than education, but genuinely fun and built around a thesis that is more defensible than it sounds. Pair with: something historical. A German Märzen or a Belgian Trappist ale. Something with centuries of tradition behind it.
Shows About Spirits and Cocktails
The cocktail and spirits world has found its screen footing through competition formats and travel documentaries, and several strong options now exist for the drinker who wants to go deeper into whiskey, cocktail culture, or the craft spirits movement.
Spirits and Cocktail Shows Worth Your Evening
Drink Masters (Netflix, 2022) A competition series featuring twelve of America’s top bartenders and mixologists competing in cocktail challenges judged by industry luminaries. More entertainment than education, but a genuine window into the creativity and technical skill of the modern craft cocktail world. The elimination format creates real tension and the cocktail creativity is legitimately impressive. Pair with: make yourself a cocktail before you start. A Manhattan or an Old Fashioned. Something classic that the competitors will inevitably reference.
Whisky: A Scottish Love Story (various platforms) A documentary exploring the history, culture, and craft of Scotch whisky from the distilleries of Scotland. The landscape photography alone justifies the viewing. For any Scotch drinker who has ever wondered about the people and places behind what is in their glass, this is the essential watch. Pair with: The Macallan, Glenmorangie, or whatever Scotch is currently in your rotation. Open it before the film starts and let it breathe.
Kentucky Bourbon Tales (PBS and various platforms) A documentary series exploring the history and culture of Kentucky bourbon from the distilleries, families, and landscapes that define the American whiskey tradition. Essential viewing for any bourbon drinker who wants to understand what they are drinking and where it comes from. Pair with: Blanton’s, Elijah Craig, or whatever is in your bourbon rotation. This is the show that makes you want to visit Kentucky.
Abstract: The Art of Design, Season 1 Episode 6 (Netflix) The episode profiling illustrator Christoph Niemann is nominally about graphic design but spends significant time on wine label design and the relationship between visual identity and the wine drinking experience. A surprisingly compelling window into how wine communicates before the first sip. Pair with: a bottle with a label you have always found beautiful. Let the episode change how you look at it.
Food and Travel Shows Worth Drinking With
The best food and travel shows are also, inevitably, about wine, beer, and spirits, because the best food culture and the best drink culture are inseparable. These shows are not specifically about what is in the glass, but they make what is in the glass taste better.
Food and Travel Shows Worth Your Evening
Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy (CNN/Max) The gold standard of the genre. Stanley Tucci travels Italy by region, eating, drinking, and talking to the people who make the food and wine that define each place. Every episode is a masterclass in Italian regional culture. The Tuscany episode for Chianti and Brunello. Sicily for the Nero d’Avola and Etna reds. Piedmont for Barolo and Barbaresco. Pair with: a wine from whatever region Stanley is visiting. Let his enthusiasm be your education.
Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix) Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, travels the world eating, drinking, and being genuinely delighted by everything he encounters. Every episode features local wine, beer, and spirits in authentic, non-pretentious context. Rosenthal’s genuine enthusiasm and complete lack of food snobbery makes this the most CrushBrew-compatible food travel show on any platform. Pair with: whatever Phil is drinking in the episode. The show makes you want to replicate the experience.
Chef’s Table (Netflix) The cinematically beautiful documentary series profiling the world’s most innovative chefs. Several episodes feature wine-focused chefs and restaurant concepts where the wine program is as central as the food. Slower and more meditative than most food television. Pair with: something with age and complexity. A serious red wine or a dram of whisky. This is not a cold beer show.
From Scratch (Netflix, 2022) A romantic drama set partly in Sicily, based on a true story, with beautiful Italian food and wine culture woven throughout. Not a food show but a love story that happens to make Sicily, its food, and its wine feel like characters in their own right. Pair with: a Sicilian red. Nero d’Avola or an Etna Rosso. Let the landscape do the rest.
The White Lotus Season 2 (HBO/Max) Set in Sicily, saturated with Italian beauty, food, and wine culture. Not a food show at all, but every scene set at a dinner table or hotel bar makes you want to open a bottle of Sicilian wine immediately. The show is tense, darkly funny, and visually stunning. Pair with: a Nero d’Avola or a Planeta Santa Cecilia. Something Sicilian, something with character.
The CrushBrew Pairing Guide: What to Pour by Show Type
The principle behind drink and show pairing is the same as the principle behind food and wine pairing: match the mood. A drink that fights the tone of what you are watching creates friction. A drink that complements the mood creates an evening you remember. None of these are rules. All of them are suggestions from a publication that has spent considerable time testing the theory.
The CrushBrew Streaming Pairing Guide
Noir Thriller or Crime Drama
Ozark, True Detective, Mare of Easttown, The Wire, Mindhunter
Manhattan or Old Fashioned. Bourbon or rye, serious glass, no distraction. The drink should be as focused as the show.
Italian Drama or Anything Set in Italy
White Lotus Sicily, Searching for Italy, From Scratch, My Brilliant Friend
Brunello, Barolo, Nero d’Avola, or a good Chianti Classico. If the show is set in a specific Italian region, drink a wine from that region. Let the screen be the sommelier.
Heist Film or Caper
Ocean’s Eleven, The Italian Job, Lupin, Now You See Me
West Coast IPA or a crisp gin martini. Something that keeps you alert. The heist requires your attention and the drink should complement that energy rather than fight it.
Slow-Burn British Drama
Succession, The Crown, Slow Horses, Shetland, Broadchurch
Peated Scotch or a Rob Roy. Something that rewards patience. The drink should be as layered as the writing. Glenmorangie for restraint. Laphroaig if the episode is going somewhere dark.
Comedy
Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso, Abbott Elementary, What We Do in the Shadows
Whatever makes you happy. Probably a cold craft lager or a glass of something easy and delicious. This is not the evening for overthinking the pour.
Season Finale of Anything
Any show you have followed for multiple episodes or seasons
Champagne or a good sparkling wine. The occasion demands it. You have earned this. Cava if you want value without compromise. Champagne if the show was worth it.
Documentary
Ken Burns anything, nature documentaries, history series, Chef’s Table
Red wine with age and complexity. A Cabernet, a Burgundy, or a Rhone blend. Something that rewards the same kind of slow attention the documentary is asking of you.
Romantic Drama or Foreign Film
Normal People, Call Me By Your Name, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rosé or a Pinot Noir. Something light enough to not compete with the subtitles. The drink should be beautiful and slightly melancholy. This is not an accidental pairing.
Action Film
Mission Impossible, John Wick, Top Gun, anything with a high explosion count
Craft IPA or a cold beer. Nothing that requires attention between explosions. This is not a contemplative evening and the drink should know that.
Late Night Wind-Down
Anything quiet and slow, or nothing at all
Japanese whisky or Irish whiskey, neat, in a good glass, with nothing demanding your attention. Hibiki Harmony or Redbreast 12. The drink you save for when the house is quiet and the evening has earned a proper ending.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best show to watch if I want to learn more about wine?
Start with Somm (2013). It remains the single most accessible and compelling introduction to wine culture ever put on screen. The blind tasting sequences will make you look at every glass differently. If you want something more travel-focused after that, Somm 3 expands into the world’s great wine regions. For Italian wine specifically, Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy delivers more wine education per episode than almost anything formally produced for that purpose. For something cinematic and story-driven, Drops of God on Apple TV Plus is unlike anything else in the category.
Is there a good whiskey or spirits documentary on streaming?
Kentucky Bourbon Tales on PBS is the essential bourbon documentary, covering the history, families, and distilleries that define the American whiskey tradition. For Scotch, Whisky: A Scottish Love Story covers the history and craft of Scotch whisky with beautiful landscape photography. For cocktail culture, Drink Masters on Netflix takes the competition format approach and delivers genuine insight into the creativity of the modern craft cocktail world alongside the entertainment.
What should I drink while watching a wine documentary?
The most satisfying approach is to drink something from whatever region is being featured. If the documentary covers Burgundy, open a Pinot Noir. If it covers Napa, open a Cabernet. If it covers Champagne, open a bottle of sparkling wine and let the show explain what you are drinking. The educational experience is genuinely different when you have the wine in your glass while the screen explains where it came from.
What is Drops of God and where can I watch it?
Drops of God is a 2023 Apple TV Plus series based on the beloved Japanese manga about a young woman who must identify a specific wine in a blind tasting to inherit her legendary wine critic father’s estate. The show is visually beautiful, wine-obsessed in the best possible way, and treats wine as a language for memory, emotion, and identity rather than a status symbol. It is available on Apple TV Plus and is worth a subscription if you do not already have one.
Does the drink really make a difference to how a show feels?
In our experience, yes, in the same way that the right wine makes a meal feel more complete. The drink is part of the evening’s atmosphere rather than an afterthought to it. A thoughtfully chosen glass of something appropriate to the mood of what you are watching creates a coherence to the evening that is greater than the sum of its parts. Whether it is a Manhattan with a noir thriller or champagne with a season finale, the deliberate choice makes both the drink and the show taste better.
What is the most underrated food and drink show on streaming right now?
Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. Phil Rosenthal travels the world eating and drinking with a genuine enthusiasm and complete absence of food snobbery that makes the show as accessible as it is informative. Every episode features local wine, beer, and spirits in authentic context, and Rosenthal’s delight in what he finds, whether it is street food in Bangkok or a three-star restaurant in Paris, is completely contagious. It is the most anti-pretentious food travel show on any platform and the one most aligned with the CrushBrew philosophy.
