Great Family Wine Estates of France

An intimate visual journey inspired by the internationally renowned photographer Solvi dos Santos, this book allows the reader unparalleled access to the private homes at the heart of the revered French wine industry. Throughout France, each major wine business is rooted in an estate that has been occupied for generations. Until now, though, we have had little idea of the lives and sumptuous lifestyles behind some of the world’s best-known wine labels. These photographs, taken with grace and sensitivity, reveal both grand formality and the distinctive domesticity of the time-honoured estates of the families to whom we owe the finest wine traditions on the planet. This magnificent volume encompasses all the wine-producing regions of France, from the Taittinger champagne cellars housed in 4th-century Roman chalk caves in Reims, to Château de Pennautier, the ‘Versailles of Languedoc’. The wide variety of grapes means an extensive range of wine is produced, from champagne in the north to the highly prized and complex reds of Bordeaux. Wine expert Florence Brutton brings the unique character of each estate to life, explaining the idea of terroir (the idiosyncratic growing conditions that define and distinguish each area of cultivation) and the importance of local wine-related customs. Her informed texts offer us personal insights and anecdotes from the wine makers themselves. With details on the wines produced by each estate and information for the would-be visitor, this book will appeal to wine lovers, Francophiles, travellers and anyone in search of a wide range of interiors, sanctified by lifestyles that have passed the test of time.