A Bermuda-made TV series going behind the scenes of one of the world’s biggest wine industries is set to air across the US in January.

Creators Peter Backeberg and Antoine Hunt say their labour of love offers a unique window into the wine harvest, and the people dedicated to the business, by letting the spectacle speak for itself.

“You have a glass or a bottle of wine, but you don’t think about the production behind it,” Mr Hunt told The Royal Gazette.

Dubbed “Vintage: Napa Valley 2102”, the six-part series developed from a realisation that the scale and scope of the work in the valley “could make great TV”, Mr Backeberg said.

“This is the nitty-gritty of making fine wine — it’s hard work, long hours and it’s very intense.”

It’s also a lot of grapes: for a bigger winery, around 2,400 tons of grapes were processed in last year’s harvest.

The duo thanked local distributors for providing the contacts that allowed them to get inside top wineries Rutherford Hill, Chimney Rock and Markham Vineyards.

“We had incredible support locally that opened doors for us,” Mr Backeberg said. “There’s a lot of Bermudian talent involved, both locally and overseas.”

The series, put together by a US crew, became a collaborative effort with Bermudian artists as well: the series is narrated by actor Will Kempe, who recorded in Bermuda’s own Just Platinum Studios.

Music came courtesy of Taylor Rankin, with graphics animation by Ian Tucker.

An added bonus was that 2012 turned out to be a particularly good year for wine.

“The Napa Valley had a fantastic year, and what made it outstanding was the really good quality,” said Mr Backeberg. “You don’t usually get those hand in hand.”

The close-knit teams behind the harvest function “like families”, he added.

“We experienced the culture of winemaking. A lot of people are of Mexican descent who’ve worked their way up.

“Many of them have worked the same wineries for decades. They have a fantastic relationship, and that comes across on camera.”

The series will be carried by American Public Television. Although a local channel for Bermudian audiences has yet to be settled upon, the series won the endorsement of Chicago’s WTTW station.

“We’ve already received commitments from 70 percent of the market in the US,” Mr Hunt said.

All the production and editing has been completed at their local offices, Shooter and Scribe Productions. A trailer for the show is now online at www.vintagetvseries.com.

The two also thanked TeleBermuda International for assistance in sending 30-gigabyte digital files to the US.

“That help has saved us days of work,” Mr Backeberg said. “It’s a great example of people in Bermuda pulling together.”