Exploring the Vine is a reality television series set in the Cape winelands, home to winemaking for over 350 years. This 13-part show chronicles the winemaking adventures of three up-and-coming local winemakers, Stuart Botha, Howard Booysen and James Corder, over a 12-month period.

Produced in 2009 by South African film production company, Cooked in Africa Films, the series follows the daily antics of this unlikely trio of 'wine boffins' as they work long and hard to make a name for themselves in a notoriously competitive industry.

Says founder of Cooked in Africa Films and executive producer, Justin Bonello, "Filmed in and around Stellenbosch, Constantia and Elgin, the Series provides a unique and entertaining showcase of what makes South African wines among some of the best in the world. Stuart, Howard and James represent a new generation of local winemakers who have each proven that the opposite is true when it comes to wine production: youth is not a handicap when it comes to making an excellent wine."

In 2010, Cooked in Africa Films sold the global satellite rights to the series to National Geographic, succeeding in exposing the virtues of South African wine to an international audience.

"Exploring the Vine has been screened worldwide through the National Geographic Channel, establishing a global fan base for our three young winemakers and delivering tremendous value to the South African wine industry in the form of rich content and high entertainment appeal," Bonello comments.