SHERPA loves wine, and we were privileged to create a 7-part film series that brought the 2019 Halliday Wine Companion Awards to life. Within the wine industry, the Halliday Awards are regarded as one of the most prestigious honours a winemaker can win.
The journey took us from a surprising winery in Tasmania to the major wine region of Margaret River in WA and quite a few in between. Our Director/Director of Photography was Josh Van Cuylenburg who immediately put his stamp on the series. One of the key tenets of each spot was the winemaker recounting their reaction to being told by James Halliday they had won. Those simple but sincere moments captured by Josh are a great illustration of his ability to draw natural unforced moments from a key character. Considering he is the DOP as well, it’s a rare skill.
From a visual perspective everything was shot with wide angle lenses that made the landscape an integral part of the story. But Josh also viewed the winemaker as an artist who crafted his wines. So he gave each interview a special monochrome grade that elevated the subject with a sense of craftsmanship and classical status. Oh, did we mention that Josh shot the still that graced the cover of the Halliday magazine? Yes, he is talented!
So if you want to know the best wine and wineries of 2019, take a look at our highlights reel of Halliday Wine – The Winemakers below. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as the SHERPA team did making it.
Andrew Coyle, managing director, SHERPA