Winemakers reality tv show set for return

A US reality show that pits would-be winemakers against each other as they attempt to create their own wine brand is set to film a third series.

Filming is planned to go ahead in spite of delays to airing series two of The Winemakers show.

PBS, America’s public broadcaster that is 100% sponsor-funded, is expected to show both series two and three. Episodes are also to be broadcast online with extra footage, from early 2016.

In the show, 12 contestants from ‘all walks of life’ must compete against each other to produce and market their own wine brand.

• See also: Film lifts lid on Master Sommeliers

Online episodes from series two will concentrate on winemaking in the Rhone Valley – with a final episode in California still to be filmed – while series three is expected to be shot in both Napa and China.

Virtual casting calls are planned in Hong Kong, China and the UK to reflect the ‘global nature of the wine industry’, producer Kevin Whelan told Decanter.com.

Five years since series one

It’s five years since the first series aired and Whelan said the interim period has been a useful lesson.

‘It’s been quite a journey getting a reality show about wine on American TV – and we had to remember that we’re not in the wine business, we’re in the reality TV business.’

Scenes for series three are to be shot in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as the US, and producers are looking for Chinese sponsors and broadcast partners.

Rival show

A rival reality show, named Best Bottle, is also due to be filmed and will set existing winemakers from different regions against each other, initially those from Oregon and California, according to the Oregon Wine Press.