Montmartre was originally the 'mount of the martyrs' and the site of the martyrdom of the patron saint of France, St. Denis. Historically, there have always been vines on the hill of Montmartre, planted by the abbesses connected to the abbey of St.Denis.

Later, wine imported from other regions of France caused the vineyards of Montmartre to die out and the poor, cleared from Napoleon III's architect Haussmann's redesigned Paris, settled in Montmartre where they built shanty towns on the deserted slopes. The area was known as Le Maquis.

In the year 1860, Montmartre was incorporated into the City of Paris and house building spread rapidly. In the late 1920's, a group of artists lead by Francis Poulbot occupied the last remaining remnant of Le Maquis in order  to save it from the building development. The site was saved by the municipality of Paris, planted with vines and the first vintage was in 1934.

Today, Le Clos Montmartre is a designated historic monument. The money raised from the sale of the wine is given exclusively to charities based in the 18th arrondissement, of which Montmartre is the centre.

This film documents a year in the life of Le Clos Montmartre.