A Delightfully Dry Comedy With a Fruity Finish
If your TV watchlist could use a palate cleanser—something crisp, clever, and light—then Under the Vines might just be your perfect pour. This sun-kissed New Zealand-set comedy drama is light on angst and heavy on charm, offering a vintage-worthy blend of dry wit, heartfelt moments, and stunning scenery that’s as easy to enjoy as a chilled (yet genrously poured) glass of Sauvignon Blanc on a summer evening.
The series uncorks with Daisy Munroe (Rebecca Gibney), a glamorous Sydney socialite with more style than stamina, and Louis Oakley (Charles Edwards), a disgraced British lawyer whose stiff upper lip is in desperate need of some softening. Thrown together by inheritance—neither of them knowing the other even existed—they become reluctant co-owners of a rundown vineyard in the picturesque (and fictional) town of Peak View.
Naturally, neither Daisy nor Louis knows the first thing about winemaking, let alone how to run a vineyard. She’s more used to cocktail parties than compost; he’s better at cross-examinations than cross-pollination. But as they stumble their way through grape-stomping, local politics, and the occasional goat emergency, their prickly partnership begins to ripen into something a little sweeter.
Rebecca Gibney and Charles Edwards are a fizzy delight together, with comedic chemistry that bubbles from the first pour. Gibney brings a breezy warmth to Daisy, while Edwards is masterfully deadpan as the perpetually exasperated Louis. Watching their city-slicker ways clash with rural life is half the fun—watching them evolve is the other half.
On a side note, it’s great to see Edwards get a front and centre role in something other than Amazon’s frustratingly titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. I shudder to think how many executive meetings at Amazon were had about what to call their new show. It might just be me, but the double ‘the rings” in the title just feels lazy, and like the opening line of an off-broadway musical written by someone that half watched the movies, but felt like they “got it” enough to have a go at writing a musical. I’ll stop there as once untethered, my capacity to needlessly rant increases.
Under the Vines ensemble cast is a rich vintage in its own right, featuring a wealth of New Zealand and UK talent, including Dean O’Gorman, Sara Wiseman, and John Bach. And the vineyard setting, with its rolling hills and golden-hour glow, is enough to make you start Googling wine tours in Otago.
While the stakes remain refreshingly low compared to most prestige dramas, Under the Vines never feels aimless. Beneath the screwball antics and small-town feuds are sincere themes of starting over, finding unexpected community, and learning to let life breathe a little.
In a television landscape full of heavy hitters and high-concept chaos, swift cancellations, Under the Vines is a welcome sip of something simpler. Uplifting without being saccharine, and funny without ever trying too hard, it’s a series best enjoyed with your feet up and a glass of something refreshing.
So raise a toast to this charming, character-driven comedy—because even if you don’t know your Pinot from your Pét-Nat, Under the Vines is a vintage worth savoring.
Under the Vines Series 1 is available now on DVD and digital courtesy of Acorn Media International, plus for you chance to win a copy, click here for details of our Under the Vines competition.
