NEW YORK — Independent Dutch production company Appelbaum has signed Natalie Oliveros — best known as Vivid Entertainment adult movie star Savanna Samson — to host “The Lady in Red,” an international travel series about wine.
NYC-based Oliveros has studied wine since 1999 and currently co-owns the La Fiorita vineyard in Montalcino, Italy with wine maker Roberto Cipresso.
Appelbaum and Oliveros are shooting a pilot in Italy this week.
“We were looking for ways to extend our knowledge about how to make a popular show about wine and trying to take it international. When we found Natalie, we knew she would be great for hosting our show,” Applebaum Creative Director Jan Kooyman said. “We are thrilled she wants to work with us, and we are very positive this show will be interesting for a lot of channels. With so many wine afficionados around the globe, this will be a show that can air in a lot of countries.”
Before becoming a vintner, Oliveros enjoyed celebrity as Savanna Samson, a contract star with Vivid Entertainment. According to a release, she loved performing for Vivid, "but there was always a passion for wine."
When she was a child, she helped her family make wine in their basement. In 2005, she asked Cipresso to help find a blend of grapes local to Tuscany that would produce her ideal flavor. Together they produced a red wine that she named Sogno Uno, meaning "dream one." Since 2011, Oliveros has been a partner and owner of Cipresso's La Fiorita in Montalcino.
“The Lady in Red” will follow Oliveros as she travels the world and explores the ins and outs of some of the greatest wine regions and varieties — from full-bodied reds to Champagne.
“When Appelbaum reached out to me, asking if I would like to host an international wine show, I was thrilled by the idea,” Oliveros said. “Wine is big passion of mine, and there are so many great stories to tell. After several discussions, I discovered that I really liked their views on direction for the series. At this moment we are shooting in Italy and it all feels very natural. It's a wine show with a company called Appelbaum. This has to be a fruitful joint venture.”
Appelbaum and Oliveros are speaking with several distribution companies and networks in the U.S. and abroad. “We really want to work with a party that believes in a long term relationship, as we have ideas to make multiple series about this great subject of wine,” said Appelbaum CEO Roland Duong.
Further news will be announced in April.
Applebaum is an Amsterdam-based production company that specializes in docu-style TV programs about nature, culture, international affairs and politics. The company aims to combine craftsmanship with critical views and creativity.
Jan Kooyman can be reached at jan@appelbaum.nl or +31 6 22802596.
