stˈiːvən hˈoʊldən, ɪn ɛksˈɜːpts ɹˌiːpˈʌblɪʃt ˈæftɚ ðə fˈɪlmz nˈuː jˈɔːɹk sˈɪɾi ˈoʊpənɪŋ bˌʌt ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli ɹˈɪʔn̩ ˈæftɚ ðə fˈɪlmz ɐpˈɪɹəns æz pˈɑːɹt ʌvðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti ˈeɪt nˈuː jˈɔːɹk fˈɪlm fˈɛstɪvəl, kˈɔːld ðə fˈɪlm "æz sʌblˈaɪmli wˈɔːɹmɪŋ ɐn ɛkspˈiəɹɪəns æz ðɪ ˈɔːɾʌm sˈʌn ðæt ʃˈaɪnz bənˈɛvələntli ɔnðə vˈɪnjɚd ˈoʊnd baɪ ðə fˈɪlmz sˈɛntɹəl kˈæɹɪktɚ, mæɡˈɑːli bˈiətɹɪs ɹˈoʊmænd"; ɔːlðˈoʊ ðə fˈɪlm hɐz ɪts "lˈeɪbɚd mˈoʊmənts" ænd "ɛksˈɛpt fɚɹə twˈɪst hˈɪɹ ɐnd ðˈɛɹ, juː nˈoʊ wˌɛɹ ðə stˈoːɹi ɪz ɡˌoʊɪŋ tə ɡˈoʊ", ðə fˈɪlm nˌɛvɚðəlˈɛs "ɪvˈoʊks sˈʌtʃ ɐ sˈɛnsjuːəs ˈætməsfˌɪɹ — bˈɜːd sˈɔŋ, wˈɪnd ænd lˈaɪt ænd ʃˈædoʊ ðæt dᵻlˈɪniːˌeɪt ðə sˈiːzən ænd tˈaɪm ʌv dˈeɪ wɪð ɐn ɐstˈɑːnɪʃɪŋ pɹɪsˈɪʒən — ðæt juː ɑːɹ ˈɔːl bˌʌt tɹænspˈoːɹɾᵻd ˌɪntʊ mæɡˈɑːliz fˈiːldz, wˌɛɹ ðɪs jˈɪɹz ɡɹˈeɪps pɹˈɑːmɪs tə jˈiːld ɐn ɪspˈɛʃəli fˈaɪn vˈɪntɪdʒ.
Stephen Holden, in excerpts re-published after the film's New York City opening but originally written after the film's appearance as part of the 1998 New York Film Festival, called the film "as sublimely warming an experience as the autumn sun that shines benevolently on the vineyard owned by the film's central character, Magali (Beatrice Romand)"; although the film has its "labored moments" and "except for a twist here and there, you know where the story is going to go", the film nevertheless "evokes such a sensuous atmosphere — bird song, wind and light and shadow that delineate the season and time of day with an astonishing precision — that you are all but transported into Magali's fields, where this year's grapes promise to yield an especially fine vintage.