Michael Seresin – from film noir to pinot noir

Michael Seresin claims, rather modestly, to ‘have no palate’, choosing instead to describe wine with light, colour and form. These are not your typical winemaker’s terms, but they make perfect sense given his unusual back story.
Born and raised in New Zealand, Seresin emigrated to Europe in 1966 to pursue a career in cinematography. Movie buffs will know what happened next — Seresin, in his own words, ‘did really well, really quickly’, making a name for himself with a series of Alan Parker flicks: Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Fame. It was during this period that he leased a house in Italy — still his ‘favourite country in the world’ — and fell in love with wine.

‘We were surrounded by winemaking families, many of whom had been there for generations — I really loved the cultural life round there. That’s what made me think there was something magical about growing grapes.’ Many of Seresin’s neighbouring vintners were also skilled musicians and painters and, inspired by the seamless blend of winemaking and the arts, he briefly considered setting up stall in Italy.