Wine Cellars itself is a Spanish-French co-production. He shot the film in the Paris studios and also in Spain, Andalusia and Seville. According to the critics, his story of love, honour, revenge, bulls and vineyards masterfully captures the spirit of this region, the sun beating down on the parched earth, life on the farms and vineyards and the celebrations coloured by the famous flamenco dance. Wine Cellars was originally a silent film and its soundtrack was only added later.

Marquis Sévéro, a rich, lazy Parisian, wants to divorce his wife so that he can marry his own goddaughter Denise. But Denise herself loves André Berval, an engineer employed by the marquis. Filled with jealousy, the marquis sends André to the Antilles, to prospect some land he has just acquired. He promises André that he can marry Denise if he is successful in the tropics, but he then writes to Alvarez, his manager at the site, asking him to prevent André from ever returning to France. The brutal Alvarez forms an instant hatred for André when the engineer breaks up Alvarez's attempt to rape Papitou, a beautiful native girl. Papitou becomes devoted to André, and protects him against Alvarez's schemes. But she faces a crisis herself when she learns that André plans to marry Denise.