PBS film tackles Mexican Americans’ role in winemaking

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A new PBS documentary is examining at the contributions of Mexican Americans in the wine industry of California’s Napa Valley.

“Harvest Season,” scheduled to begin airing Monday on most PBS stations as part of the Independent Lens series, shows how the Mexican Americans have shaped the industry as farmworkers and later vineyard owners in one of the richest wine regions in the world.

The film follows winemaker Gustavo Brambila, Mexican migrant worker Rene Reyes and wine entrepreneur Vanessa Robledo as they battle weather, climate change and wildfires.

Director Bernardo Ruiz said he wanted his project to show that people of Mexican descent have been a part of the U.S. history since its founding and winemaker is just one industry where this is evident.

Russell Contreras, The Associated Press