'Big Brother' of wine to air next month

Reality television and the world of wine collide for the first time in a new US series which gives 12 men and women the chance to launch their own wine brand.

The six-part series of 'The Winemakers' airs on the US public broadcast network PBS next month, replete with the usual reality mix of tears, tantrums, melodrama ?and eliminations.

The wine-based 'Big Brother' sees a cast of six men and six women ?lawyers, teachers, engineers and wine retailers ?endure a series of challenges depicting wine life from the grape to the bottle. 
 
They spend an exhausting 48 hours working the harvest in Paso Robles, California, work shifts at a wine tasting bar and put their wine knowledge to the test in a Q&A with the panel of judges.

The winner gets the chance to create and launch their own wine brand across the US.

'This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a dedicated wine enthusiast to become a winemaker, own their own wine label and have their wines distributed nationwide,' said series producer Kevin Whelan.

'The competition will be formidable, but the prize will truly be a wine lover's dream come true.'

Programme maker Doc City Productions is already casting for the second series of 'The Winemakers', to be filmed in September in France's Rhône Valley.

The final casting session was held in New York yesterday (10 August) to find 15 new contestants. A 16th place on the new series is reserved for the person creating the 'most innovative and talked-about' online social networking campaign.

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