Gary Barlow goes on a wine exploration with ITV

ITV is to air five episodes with the Take That lead singer to explore another passion of his… discovering new food and wine…

Gary begins his adventure in the Western Cape of South Africa, delving into the vineyards to study the diverse grape varieties, their sustainable practices, and the ideal food pairings for each. His journey is punctuated by stunning landscapes. Alongside friends, he ventures North for a once-in-a-lifetime safari and immerses himself in the vibrant energy of Johannesburg, uncovering an emerging wine revolution.

Why ITV and a travelog?

I’ve not really done anything like this on TV before, so in terms of where the idea came from, I wanted it to be something new. I was fortunately already travelling around the world a bit for my own wine business and getting to see these amazing estates, and just having these brand new experiences I felt people should know about all this and the process too!

So I had a call with ITV and suggested this very simple idea of me travelling with friends, wine, food, and having good times and they were like, ‘We love it!’ and before I knew it we got together with the production company and came up with the ideas about what the series could be.

Why South Africa?

I suggested South Africa because I had recently been there and said, ‘If there’s a place to start that has the ‘wow’ factor, South Africa is it’… It just looks incredible, it’s such an interesting place. I feel like I see a lot of shows about Italy for example, so this felt like a really good choice.

The series also inspired me to write some original pieces of music to accompany it too! They are very hidden in there as it’s not a show about music, but that’s not to say I’ve slipped a few of our classics in there as well.

Take That 90s megastars: Gary Barlow – Jason Orange – Robbie Williams – Howard Donald – Mark Owen

It looks like you had the best adventure, what were your most favourite moments? 

Honestly? The whole trip from start to finish! I mean you can have a rough plan of what you’re going to do, but until you’re there things can and often did change. I already said to the team that I didn’t want to come across as any kind of wine expert, because I’m not.

I just wanted to approach this as someone who is trying to learn about it all and hopefully show the audience that they don’t need to feel too daunted by wine or knowing what to choose when they next order in a restaurant. I didn’t want it to be too ‘snooty’ because sometimes wine can have that reputation and I feel that’s what we have done. I got really into it, it was a lot of fun. 

You met up with a host of friends during your travels, how did you choose who to take? 

For this it was a case of who was around during that time, who wasn’t on tour or away doing things and I had been looking for something to do with my good friend Ben [Shephard] for ages so I was thrilled he could make this work. I had recently done some music things with the wonderful Mica [Paris] so that was an easy one, and lovely Jane [McDonald] came to see Take That whilst we were on tour so we sorted that then, and my songwriting friend Eliot [Kennedy] was the one who first go me into wine, so it all just naturally came together.

The only one we didn’t have until very late – and only because I never realised she actually lived there – was Michaela [Strachan]. It was brilliant to be reunited with her because she fronted the very first TV show that Take That ever performed on called The Hitman and Her back in 1991 so with that incredible history we shared, it all just felt perfect.

Did Ben Shephard give any hosting or presenting tips?

It was funny because the first few days when I had my friend Eliot [Kennedy] with me, who obviously isn’t a host – he does what I do – so when Ben arrived I was thinking ‘Ah, a real host!’ and it meant I didn’t have to try so hard! It was really nice to have him there and help me hold it all together!

Did you discover something surprising or learn something new whilst you were in South Africa? Any firsts for you?

I think most things we all got up to were ‘firsts’ for me because, although I have been in the region and country before, when you’re touring or doing flying visits for business, you don’t tend to actually see much of the countries during a visit like that. You go from an airport, go down a road, get to where you’re going to, see a hotel, and go off again… So, this felt like the first time in ages that I’d actually been somewhere that wasn’t home, if that makes sense?

I could stop and spend time talking to people and learn about their lives and get a real feel for somewhere. It was just wonderful. 

What will you take away with you from the trip?

The first thing I would say is you can often judge a country by the people and the whole community in South Africa, I found to be so warm and lovely. It’s also a country that’s been a complicated country over the years but it’s a country really moving forward.

They welcome tourism and tourists with open arms – if it wasn’t a wonderful place to visit, I wouldn’t be on TV saying it! It really is a superb place, and despite this series having five episodes, we’ve only scratched the surface really of somewhere that’s incredibly diverse. It’s a big continent, you could easily be there for months! Would I go back again? Without a doubt. It’s somewhere I’ve been to a lot over the years, I love South Africa, it’s such a wonderful place. It has the best sunsets, the best star-filled skies… There are a lot of things that I will always remember it for.

Gary Barlow performs at the Royal Gala / ITV/Carlton

You’re a singer, songwriter, record producer, wine entrepreneur, you have an OBE, you do podcasts, you’ve been hosting shows down under, you’re still touring, getting number one records… Do you still have any other burning ambitions? 

I think music is still always at the heart of everything I do. I’m definitely not a budding host but, if I’m interested in something I like to see what I can add to that and share it with an audience maybe. My job on this particular show, it’s not about me being a host, it’s about spending time with people that I know very well in a slightly alien but brilliant environment and sharing the wonders of what we experience. I definitely don’t read off an autocue, it’s all very natural and non-scripted in a ‘come on this journey with me and let’s experience it together’ way.

Where has been the strangest place you’ve been recognised?

You know what, there was this little place we went to in this series, literally in the middle of nowhere, between Steinbach and Franschhoek, and there was this little cafe. It was a tiny little place that made coffee and chicken pies, and these people in there wanted their photos taken with me – it was crazy but brilliant! I don’t mind it at all.

Do you still enjoy everything you do? Any regrets?

I love everything I do and I try to never have regrets. It’s funny because, if someone said to me a few years ago that I’d be doing a travel show, I would’ve been like, ‘Why do I wanna do that?’ but I’ve absolutely loved it and I’ve literally been pushing everything else aside to try and do more. I’ve really really enjoyed it and I just hope people enjoy watching it too!

Gary Barlow’s Wine Tour: South Africa airs Monday 11th – Friday 15th November at 2pm on ITV1, STV, STV Player and ITVX