Vintage: a new documentary that goes behind the scenes of a wine harvest

Vintage is the most action-packed time of year for winemakers, viticulturists and grape growers. Now, you can take a look inside the excitement and hard work of a wine harvest in a new documentary set in beautiful New Zealand.

Villa Maria winery, which sources grapes from all over New Zealand and sells its wines in more than 60 countries around the globe, has teamed up with American filmmaker Colin West to capture what happens behind the scenes from vineyard to winery during harvest. Hint: it involves a lot of coffee.

Titled Vintage, the story follows winemaker Nick Picone, viticulturists Stu Dudley and Ollie Powrie, and newbie Jess Marston as they navigate the long days – sometimes working 24-hours straight – and unexpected challenges this time of year brings.

“It’s a peek behind the curtain of the all-consuming harvest period that we live and breathe,” winemaker Nick says. “Vintage is chaotic – from sleepless nights and time away from our families through to the responsibility of making big decisions in a short window of time.”

Vintage premiered in Australia in mid-February and is screening in cities around the world. Curious wine lovers can stream the film for free on Google Play, iTunes and Vimeo On Demand now.

Watch the trailer.

For more on vintage, follow @winecompanion and #v20halliday, and keep an eye out for the next issue of Halliday magazine.