Michael Seresin spent 18 months filming his latest epic cinematic work - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And yet almost everyday, despite his frenetic movie-making schedule, he would take a quick break from the set to call his New Zealand-based winery half a world away for an update from his winemaker and marketing staff. Now that's commitment.

For a man who has already left his mark on the world's film industry by working with the likes of Al Pacino and Kevin Spacey in some classic films, Seresin is surprisingly devoted to the task of taking his Kiwi wines to the next level of international recognition.

"It's a different pressure from film," he says. "In film we're part of this lumbering machine. But in a vineyard you're dealing with nature and what is completely unpredictable."

One gets the sense Seresin thrives on such unpredictability. The 66-year-old, who spends the best part of the year based in London, has the appearance of a much younger man, and certainly possesses a youthful energy. His vineyard has been producing some of New Zealand's finest wines since 1992 on the Wairau River terraces in Marlborough, and he claims to produce wine of true passion, grace, and spirit. His wine labels feature an image of his handprint on every bottle - a signature sign which is being exported to North America, six European nations, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bermuda and Japan.

Michael Seresin is clearly passionate about linking his wines with both good food and lifestyle. Each February, to coincide with the 'Wine Marlborough Festival', he invites a chef of international standing to host a series of dinners at his uniquely located 'boatshed' restaurant in Waterfall Bay.

Guests arrive by water taxi from nearby Picton, and meander through native bush to the historic timber boatshed - a former rowing clubroom sympathetically restored by Seresin in 1999.

The guest chef prepares a five-course meal complemented by Seresin Estate wines. In recent years, internationally-renowned Kiwi chef Peter Gordon, Geoff Lindsay from Pearl Restaurant in Melbourne, Guillaume Brahimi of Guillaume in Bennelong, and Anna Hansen of 'Public' in New York and have been guest chefs. Located alongside the 'boatshed' is Seresin's residence - an architectural masterpiece itself and his private hideaway for a few weeks a year.

"It's phenomenal. They're pretty funky surroundings and the chefs we invite here prepare the food and deliver service that's unpretentious. The quality is as good as anywhere but the service is informal. And this is one of the most beautiful waterways in the world.

"It's also an ethical consideration to leave a light footprint and honour the clean and green image here. It's important to do it with more than just a slogan. You need some depth." It's no surprise then that Seresin's wines are organically grown, hand-tended, and fermented with wild yeasts. The company claims the grapes are "raised on a cornerstone of working in harmony with nature" and that there is a passion to elicit "complex flavours and palate texture in both our wines and our extra virgin olive oil."

Born in Wellington, Seresin's cinema career began with John O'Shea at Pacific Films, one of the only private film companies in New Zealand. In the late 1960s when he was in his early 20s, Seresin made what was then a bold move to Rome for a year and then to Britian where he met Alan Parker who was then writing commercials. Seresin and Parker would work together on numerous advertisements and short films which led to a phenomenal partnership in cinema. With Parker in the director's chair and Seresin in charge of cinematography - the duo found critical acclaim with feature films Bugsy Malone (1976), Midnight Express (1978), Shoot The Moon (1981), Birdy (1984), Angel Heart (1987), Come See The Paradise (1990), Angela's Ashes (1999), and The Life of David Gale (2002). He says his favourite actors are the great method actors, particularly Al Pacino who he worked with in City Hall. He claims his best work to be Midnight Express, a classic film which was shot in just 53 days. Seresin is also a music fan and likes a range of 'world music', particularly traditional Portuguese artists. His musical tastes range from jazz classics such as Miles Davis, to 1930s and 40s chamber music. You'll also find a healthy dose of classic rock'n'roll in his CD collection - and boasts that he assisted with the filming for The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour movie from 1968. He has five children aged 5 to 39, and six grandchildren.

This year will be the 10th vintage for Seresin Estate - a tribute to Brian Bicknell, a New Zealand winemaker who has made all the wines from 1995 to the present. The extra virgin olive oil is made by Maurizio Castelli, a Tuscan based winemaker and olive oil consultant of 35 years experience.

The company claims that its two terraces provide distinct climates and soil types: on the lower terrace, silty loam over free-draining river gravel lends elegance to the white wines, while Pinot Noir thrives on the upper level tongue of clay. "We can't compete with the Old World," says Seresin. "What we have to do is take advantage of the natural environment here."