In the beautiful Loire Valley, known as the ‘Garden of France’, lies the birthplace of Sauvignon Blanc: Sancerre. In this 45-minute documentary, the wine-producing Bourgeois family shows their deep-rooted passion for the area, terroir, grape and wines. Making wines for 10 generations the family knows that Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc at its best but that it’s also still developing.

"I think that is a good definition of what makes a great wine; wines made with love."
-Tim Atkin

For 13 generations, back in 1626, the Trimbach family is dedicated to producing Alsace wines. In this cinematic documentary, the family members share their personal drive, family history and the stories of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. Winemaker Pierre Trimbach is reputed as a Grand Vigneron by all the top journalists and Alsace wine lovers by producing the most age-worthy white wine: Riesling.

"The Alsace is undervalued and underappreciated."
-Tim Atkin

Campania was called ‘Campania Felix’ by the Romans, meaning ‘Happy land’. The Romans considered it the best place to grow wines. Mastroberardino was the only one that kept faith in the native Aglianico grapes from Taurasi. Some say these are archeological wines, others say it’s the Barolo of the South.

"Barolo should be called the Aglianico of the North because it’s longer around."
-Burton Anderson

Amarone della Valpolicella was invented by mistake. The ‘Appassimento’ method is a fascinating process, the concentrated wines are made by grapes that are dried on bamboo racks for months.

"My grandfather had Valpolicella as a bottle of everyday wine and Amarone for Christmas and was in need of a wine for the Sundays. So he invented the Ripasso."
-Raffaele Boscaini

Climate change and recuperating ancestral grape varieties are the two main topics of the Penedès episode.

The Torres family is at the forefront of preparations for climate change, it needs serious adaptations in viticulture. For example by placing vineyards on higher altitudes for cooler temperatures.

The family also invested many years in bringing back over 50 ancestral varieties which were found all over Catalonia.

“Spain has to be on every wine list in the world, always.”

-Miguel A. Torres

Sherry is made in Jerez and is probably the most well-known wine style from Spain, but it fell victim to its own success with the export of sweet sherries.

The old Hidalgo family produced sherry from the start and has always focused on dry types of sherry, especially Manzanilla, the driest wine in the world, because "the flor of the wine eats up all the sugar".

These wines are very popular in the sommelier scene.

"Sherry is everything. It can be an aperitif and it can finish a meal and do everything in between. But above all, it is a wine."

-Christy Canterbury

In Rías Baixas everyone has a small vegetable garden and vines in their backyard, especially Albariño. The Mareque - Bueno family who runs Pazo Señorans, was a pioneer of Rías Baixas and issued its own appellation. Albariño is now being embraced as Spain's best white wine.

When you say Mosel, you say Riesling. Wines from this noble grape variety grown in the beautiful Mosel valley in southeastern Germany can age for many decades. Riesling covers the entire spectrum of white wine: from the honey sweet Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) to the super dry Grosses Gewächs (GG) and everything in between.

The Loosen family has been growing Riesling in the Mosel valley for over 200 years. Ernst “Erni” Loosen greatly improved the quality and recovered the international reputation of the Mosel region, and Riesling in general. Today, Erni is one of the most iconic and influential winemakers in the world.