Peter Falk has stated that this episode is his personal favorite. He said that this was the first episode in which Columbo developed a sincere fondness for the murderer. Speaking of Columbo and the Donald Pleasence character, he said that "the two men shared something in common: an admiration for excellence." This was discussed in a 10-minute interview by Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)" three days before the original broadcast of the episode, in which Falk praised the skills and performance of Pleasence.
The only (or one of the very few) episodes where the inside of Columbo's office, which looks more old school Private Eye than the more modern-day, busy police station, is seen.
The main character feared that his beautiful winery would be purchased and ruined. In real life, the Mirassou Winery, where filming took place, was bought by Gallo and torn down. Nothing remains, and a housing development occupies the land now.
The script announces numerous times Carsini Vineyards produces only superior wine in limited quantities. However, during Columbo's tour of the vineyard's bottling, the bottles have a screw-top threading, and the machine that attaches the screw tops can be seen with the screw top cap feeder on top. Contemporarily, and moreso in the 1970s, oenophiles disdain screw top caps. This remains so, despite the proven superiority of "breathable" screw top caps.
This is the first show where Columbo performs the song "This Old Man". It would go on to be as much a part of Columbo as the cigar, the trench coat, the car, the dog, and the wife.
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