Documentary On Latinos' Role In Napa Winemaking Airing On PBS

NAPA VALLEY, CA -- A new documentary about Mexican Americans' and Latinos' involvement in the production of wine in the Napa and Sonoma Valley regions is now airing on PBS stations around the country.

The 80-minute documentary Harvest Season, which first aired May 13 and will continue to do so for the next few weeks, probes the lives of the multigenerational Latinos, temporary laborers, and permanent residents intimately connected to the production of premium wines in the midst of one of the most dramatic grape harvests in recent memory.

Harvest Season follows the stories of people who are essential to the wine industry yet are rarely recognized for their contributions, including a veteran winemaker, a Mexican migrant worker, and a Latino wine entrepreneur, Vanessa Robledo, whose family has worked in the region for generations, and many other stories that unfold against the complex backdrop of reality in California’s Wine Country — a region of immense wealth that was accountable for $1.53 billion in export revenue in 2018.

A story usually hidden behind a more glamorous front, the documentary is an eye-opening reminder that every bottle of wine is filled with the blood, sweat, and tears of those who sacrifice to make it.

Harvest Season is airing on PBS this month as part of the station's "Independent Lens" program, which spotlights documentaries by independent filmmakers. Check your local PBS station for air times. The one hour, 20-minute documentary can also be streamed online at pbs.org through June 12.