February 2001 – March 2008
LOCATION
Golden State – Seasons of the Vine’s theater was tucked into a stone building in the land’s “Golden Vine Winery” section. Visitors walking through Golden State found the entrance by the vineyards on the hill, facing Bountiful Valley Farm. Today, this building is largely empty, used mostly for the annual Food and Wine festival.
BACKGROUND
Originally, California Adventure’s target audience was clearly adults over kids. Seasons of the Vine was a classic example of an attraction solely for older visitors. The show, staffed by Robert Mondavi-trained wine ambassadors, was all about introducing guests to the story behind their wine. Ultimately, Disney hoped to convert visitors into wine enthusiasts, and keep them entertained in the tasting areas of Golden Vine Winery.
EXPERIENCE
Visitors began their tour of the winery in the Barrel Room, designed to look like a rustic wine aging room straight out of Napa valley. Guests took seats on the benches in the theater, and viewed a 10 minute presentation narrated by Jeremy Irons. After the show, the walkway led out to a tasting patio, where visitors could sample the wines they had just watched come to life.
CLOSURE
The Seasons of the Vine film looked great – narrated by a pro, showing gorgeous scenery, and giving all kinds of detail about the process of growing wine.
And the film was a complete and utter failure.
Visitors to California Adventure didn’t want to watch an educational video. They wanted immersive, magical experiences. Fan consensus was consistent: it was boring, especially for little ones. The attraction often played to audiences of less than 10 visitors, at times going hours in a day without a visitor. The attraction never ran a full operation schedule, and it finally closed its doors for good in 2008.
TRIVIA
Imagineers used real handcrafted oak barrels to decorate the screening room.
The entryway to the Barrel Room featured a shortened quote from Robert Louis Stevenson: “Wine of California is Bottled Poetry”.
Mondavi stopped sponsoring the attraction in November 2001, writing off a “$12-$13 million loss”.
Seasons of the Vine plays in Epcot’s annual Food and Wine Festival, a tradition started in 2009.
School is Bountiful Valley Farm
?
oo I’d love a glass of wine from there!