But now Decanter reports the world of reality television and wine are about to collide for the first time in a new US series which gives 12 men and women the chance to launch their own wine brand.

Decanter says the six-part series of 'The Winemakers' airs on the US public broadcast network PBS next month, replete with the usual reality mix of tears, tantrums, melodrama – and eliminations.

The wine-based 'Big Brother' sees a cast of six men and six women – lawyers, teachers, engineers and wine retailers – endure a series of challenges depicting wine life from the grape to the bottle.

They spend an exhausting 48 hours working the harvest in Paso Robles, California, work shifts at a wine tasting bar and put their wine knowledge to the test in a Q&A with the panel of judges – hopefully with wine bottles still unopened!

The winner gets the chance to create and launch their own wine brand across the US.