US reality show The Winemakers is set to film a third series set in China, despite lengthy delays in series two making it to PBS, America’s 100% sponsor-funded public broadcaster.
The third series is expected to see winners create and launch their own wine labels not only in the United States, but also among the ‘wine drinking consumers among China’s growing middle class’, said the producer.
The second series of the competitive reality show about aspiring winemakers will be shown both on PBS and through an accompanying online platform, with release date slated for early 2016.
The planned series three of the show, on the other hand, is expected to be shot in both Napa and China. The production team is due to hold virtual casting calls in Hong Kong, China and the UK to reflect the ‘global nature of the wine industry,’ producer Kevin Whelan told decanter.com, adding that he hoped the novelty of the show and the increased interest in wine would attract interest in China. Scenes for series three are due to be shot in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as the Unite States, and the producers are looking for Chinese sponsors, investors and television production partners.
In the upcoming series two, the 12 contestants will still follow a series of challenges and potential eliminations while looking to create and launch their own wine label but production levels of the final wine will be set at just 250 cases, unlike 6,000 cases in series one.
Online episodes from series two will include content from the TV series, plus behind the scenes material and tips on wine appreciation from the shows’ judges. It will concentrate on winemaking in the Rhone Valley (with a final episode in California still to be filmed).
Whelan said that the delays in getting series two to the screen – five years after the first series was run in 2009 and 2010 – have been a useful lesson in what to focus on for audiences. ‘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.’
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