Wine Documentary Goes Inside the Cellars of Winemaking Legends

WineMasters TV is a cinematically stunning wine documentary series made for true wine lovers. The web series takes you behind the scenes of the best wineries in the world. So far, the series has explored famous wine regions of France and Italy. A season on Spain will be released next. Every episode goes inside the cellars and vineyards of leading wine families in each respective country.

The series offers the invaluable opportunity to learn the decisions, philosophies, and methodologies behind the biggest names in wine. Additionally, Masters of Wine and influential wine critics narrate each season, providing further priceless knowledge. Wine Masters TV is a must watch for any wine lover. Plus, the series is very helpful if you are studying for CMS, WSET, or CWS exams.

In addition to the education factor, every episode vividly illustrates that winemaking is an art as much as a science. Masterful cinematography beautifully captures nature’s starring role in the wine world and offers the most spectacular vineyard views imaginable. This wine documentary series will leave you forever inspired by the passion, pride, connection to the land, and forward-thinking vision that elevated each winery to success.

WineMasters TV Italy - A Must Watch Wine Documentary Series

The team at WineMasters TV generously gave me temporary free access to view WineMasters Italy. They must know how much I adore Italian wines! The series explores the country’s top wine regions, including Piedmont, Tuscany, Campania, Sicily, and the Veneto. Masters of Wine Sarah Heller and Richard Hemming, along with leading Italian wine expert Burton Anderson, narrate the season. They each provide critical insights into what makes every region, wine, and producer so special. In short, this wine documentary series was so good that I watched every episode twice.

Gaja – Piedmont, Italy

Lovers of Barolo and Barbaresco are definitely familiar with Gaja, a name synonymous with the top wines of Piedmont, Italy. The wine documentary episode on Gaja covers the family’s storied history through interviews with former proprietor Angelo Gaja and his children, who are now running the family business. Angelo’s energy is contagious. Throughout the episode, it becomes clear that he passed on his relentless determination to strive for greatness to his children. Discover why Nebbiolo grows best in Piemonte, how Gaja made history with Barolo and Barbaresco, and why this family remains a top producer with WineMasters TV.

Mastroberardino – Campania, Italy

Located in Southern Italy, the ancient Romans considered Campania the ultimate terroir for viticulture. This is the wine region where the Mastroberardino family calls home. They built a legacy in Campania around the native varieties of their region. No stranger to hardship, Antonio Mastroberardino rebuilt his family’s entire estate from ruins following WWII. While others in the region were focusing on international varieties, Mastroberardino honored the indigenous varieties of Campania. The winery replanted and completely revitalized Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico. By elevating their native varieties, Mastroberardino forever forged their position among the great producers of Italy.

Antinori – Tuscany, Italy

Alessia Antinori is currently the 26^th generation at the helm of Marchesi Antinori. This winery is one of the oldest family businesses in the world. Antinori is often credited with starting an Italian wine renaissance via the Sangiovese variety in Tuscany. Notably, Piero Antinori, Alessia’s father, gifted the world with Super Tuscans. Piero was also a pioneer in making the first high quality Chianti Classico. Antinori’s monumental winery and impressive estate will have you curious to soak up the knowledge of these Tuscan wine masters.

Masi – The Veneto

The wine documentary episode on the Veneto takes us into the cellars and vineyards of Masi with the Boscaini family. Here, we learn about some of Italy’s most interesting winemaking techniques. In Valpolicella, the appassimento method is used to produce Amarone della Valpolicella. This technique involves drying out grapes (Corvina, Molinara, Rondinella) on bamboo racks after harvest for three to four months. The process further concentrates sugars and flavors prior to fermentation. Thus, resulting in more opulent full-bodied red wines.

The Boscaini family took the process a step further. They invented the ripasso method. This technique involves adding newly fermented Valpolicella wine to the pomace of Amarone. Subsequently, the wine sits in contact with the pomace for a few weeks,. This process allows for greater extraction of color, tannin, flavor, and structure. The result is called a Valpolicella Ripasso and Masi’s Campo Fiorin was the first. Explore the indigenous winemaking methods, how Valpolicella’s native varieties work together, and Masi’s passion for making wine in the Veneto with WineMasters TV.

Tasca d’Almerita – Sicily, Italy

WineMasters TV also transports us to Sicily where we meet the celebrated Tasca d’Almerita Sicilian wine family at their historic Tenuta Regaleali. The estate was purchased by two Tasca brothers in 1830. Regaleali is a green oasis in the desert of central Sicily, which encompasses 600 hectares, twelve different soil types, and hills ranging from 450 to 850 meters above sea level. Alberto Tasca serves as the current “landkeeper” for Regaleali. His grandfather, Giuseppe Tasco d’Almerita, laid the groundwork for Sicily’s first single-vineyard wine. Giuseppe planted Perricone and Nero d’Avola, which launched under the Riserva del Conte label in 1970. Lucio, Alberto’s father, also left his mark on Sicilian wine history. He secretly planted international varieties at Regaleali. As a result, the winery could compete with some of the largest wineries in the world.

What I Learned from WineMasters TV - Italy

This wine documentary series made me fall even more in love with my favorite country in the world. With every episode, I became more deeply enchanted with my chosen professional industry, too. My biggest takeaway from WineMasters Italy is that anyone with the courage, confidence, and conviction to go their own way is capable of achieving true and lasting greatness.

This philosophy rang true for each of the Italian wine masters. Gaja dreamed of elevating Barbaresco to the acclaimed status of Barolo, an unimaginable feat at the time. Mastroberardino focused on elevating Campania’s indigenous varieties when no one else was doing so. Antinori invented Super Tuscans and Masi create the ripasso winemaking method. While Tasca d’Almerita produced Sicily’s first single-vineyard wine. Tasca also put Sicilian wines on the world stage when they started working with international varieties. 

Each episode will leave you more inspired and determined than ever before to make your dreams a reality. WineMasters TV is a must watch for all wine lovers, from novices to connoisseurs. In addition to seasons on Italy, France, and Spain, there are also 48 episodes of Wine Master Class. Each class is led by Masters of Wine and a Champion Sommelier. You’ll learn about the wines, varieties, and regions of the world and further understand blind tastings.

WineMasters Pricing

WineMasters offers access to ALL content for only $49.99/year. This is definitely the best deal. Alternatively, you can purchase a single episode of Wine Masters TV for $9.99 or rent a single episode for 48 hours for $5.99. To rent one season (France, Italy or Spain) of Wine Masters TV for one-month costs $24.99 and to purchase a single season costs $39.99.

Individual WineMasters Classes can be purchased for $8.99 or rented for 48 hours for $4.99. Access to the classes is included for the previously mentioned $49.99 annual membership.

If you’d like to watch WineMasters TV or try their classes, you can use this link to purchase.

Personally, I can’t wait to watch WineMasters TV France.

Disclosure: Note that I am an affiliate of Wine Masters TV and my affiliate links are included in this blog post. I occasionally promote things for a commission, but only things I actually enjoy and think you would, too. I will earn a commission if you make a purchase using these links.