Apart from the red carpet, there is another place where celebrities can be found. For several years now, more and more of them have been coming to invest in French vineyards. The latest is Georges Clooney, who in May became the owner of the Domaine du Canadel, a rural and isolated property in the middle of the Provencal countryside.
Stars conquer Provence
George Clooney is not the only celebrity to have acquired an estate in Provence. Long before him, since 2012, his friends Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had already taken the plunge and bought themselves a property in Miraval and then joined forces with the famous Perrin family to manage and run the vineyard. “He is very curious and very attentive,” says Charles Perrin. “And all decisions are taken together”. The actor intends to invest as much as possible in the running of his estate, for example by creating the design of the bottles or the sketches of the cellar, the place where the vinification takes place. Brad Pitt‘s wine is a regular partner at film festivals and art exhibitions.
George Lucas, the father of the Star Wars saga, has also succumbed to the charm of Provence. He owns three vineyards in total, and has undertaken extensive work to improve the quality of his wines in all three colours. Chateau Margüi is his main property, acquired in 2017.
The British director Ridley Scott also owns his Provençal estate. At Mas des Infermières, the director has been painting since 1992. The vines on his estate do produce wine, but primarily for his own consumption. A shop that brings together the director’s two passions, wine and cinema, opened in July, in order to start offering the product of his land to visitors. The vineyard itself will normally be open to visitors from next year.
The Champagne region is not to be outdone
Brad Pitt also owns plots of land in Champagne, under the name Fleur de Miraval, in partnership with the Péters family, who have been established in Mesnil-sur-Oger for six generations. This is a unique combination of three quarters mature Chardonnay wines and one quarter young Pinot Noir wines. The resulting champagne is aged on the lees for three years, while the bottle is lacquered to avoid the taste of light. The first edition of this Fleur de Miraval was launched at the end of 2020, after five years of testing. A niche wine that targets fine dining and clubs.
The American rapper Jay-Z also has his own estate in Champagne. His vineyards in Chigny-Les-Roses produce an entire range called Armand de Brignac or “Ace of Spades” , which includes a rosé, a demi-sec, a blanc de blancs and a blanc de noirs. The rapper’s bubbles are flowing in nightclubs, with over 500,000 bottles sold worldwide in 2019.
Read also > A BRIEF HISTORY OF LUXURY: HOW DID CHAMPAGNE BECOME THE DRINK OF CELEBRATION?
Featured photo : © Abaca
