I was surprised to discover that the full history of American wine—its grit, defiance, and reinvention—had never been told on screen. While wine today is a global powerhouse, its journey in America is uniquely its own—a battle against nature, failure, and doubt, fought by cowboys and pioneers, the John Waynes of wine, who faced impossible odds and refused to back down. When the world told them wine couldn’t be made here, their answer was the same as Ethan Edwards in The Searchers: “That’ll be the day.” Too often, wine shows feel exclusive, catering to connoisseurs while leaving everyday people behind. But wine belongs to everyone. As a veteran sommelier at Seattle’s Fairmont Olympic Hotel, I’ve seen firsthand how wine brings people together, no matter their background. This series makes wine history accessible, engaging, and deeply American—a story of determination, resilience, and craftsmanship. For centuries, American winemaking seemed doomed to fail—harsh climates proved unforgiving, European vines withered, disease wiped out entire regions, and every attempt collapsed. Yet relentless pioneers refused to quit, forging a legacy that redefined the world’s expectations. Just fifty years ago, fine wine in America was nearly unheard of, dismissed as cheap table wine or an afterthought to Europe. But the shift that made wine an American thriving industry wasn’t just a business evolution—it was a battle fought by visionaries, risk-takers, and dreamers who overcame pestilence, sun, rain, and snow, prohibition, shifting tastes, and even Europe’s determination—especially France’s—to keep America from becoming a winemaking powerhouse. We’ve completed the pilot episode and outlined the five-episode series, bringing these stories to life with expert storytelling, cinematic reenactments, and striking hand-drawn animation that ignites the imagination often with a sense of whimsy. It’s The Searchers meets Somm—an epic journey through 400 years of American winemaking, blending the grit of frontier pioneers with the obsession, dedication, and craftsmanship behind American wine. – Gary Robins

Striking visual storytelling paired with comedic timing balances grit and the spirit of adventure with moments of humor that often break the fourth wall—a combination never seen in highfalutin wine documentaries.

Animated sequences weave throughout the narrative, often combining with live action, adding a touch of whimsey to convey as sense of history, the passage of time, and the internal mental states of the characters.

Historic footage and photographs solidify time and place, and mark the advancement of time and technology to modern-day winemaking.