The Vintner’s Luck is a story of love, wine and angels; recounting the life of Sobran Jodeau, a peasant winemaker and his life-long ambition to produce a great wine - a wine that has never before been tasted. Set in Burgundy in the years spanning 1810 - 1837 the film was shot on locations in France and New Zealand.
Caro has brought together an outstanding young international cast for the film. Belgian actor Jeremie Renier plays Sobran Jodeau, with New Zealander Keisha Castle-Hughes as his beautiful but troubled wife, Celeste. French Actor Gaspard Ulliel is Xas, an angel who seems more human than divine. American actress Vera Farmiga is baroness Aurora de Valday, an aristocrat who encourages Sobran in his winemaking ambitions, and becomes romantically involved with the peasant vintner.
The Vintner’s Luck reunites Caro with Keisha Castle-Hughes, the young star of Whale Rider, who received international acclaim, and an Academy nomination, for this role. Behind the scenes creative talent includes Academy award winning production designer Grant Major, (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) director of photography Denis Lenoir (Angel, Carrington), costume designer Beatrix Pasztor (Vanity Fair, The Fisher King), and editor David Coulson (Whale Rider, North Country). Mechanical special effects are designed by Harry Harrison, and the choreography is by Guiliano Peparini and the aerial choreographic team for Cirque du Soleil.
The Vintner’s Luck is produced by Robin Laing, Laurie Parker, Niki Caro for Ascension Film and Pascal Judelewicz and Ludi Boeken for Acajou Films. A New Zealand-France co-production, The Vintner’s Luck is backed by the New Zealand Film Production Fund, the New Zealand Film Commission, Motion Investment Group (Belgium), OLC/Rights Entertainment (Japan) and New Zealand on Air in association with Ascension Film, Acajou Films, Kortex, Birka Film Production and Les Films 2 Cinema.
