The Château des Baumelles of Provence

My book The Complete Bordeaux, which has been revised every five years, is soon to be published in its fourth edition. This may seem like excessive haste, given the scope of the book, but it is astonishing how rapidly changes can take place in the region. Burgundy, in contrast, is relatively stable, since most properties are family-owned and tend to stay that way. But not so in Bordeaux, where there are ample opportunities for newcomers to acquire established properties, as they have been doing ...

According to lifestyle and happiness guru Gretchen Rubin, you ‘bring your own weather to a picnic’. Ms Rubin, I’d suggest, has never shivered under a tree watching raindrops turn her fish-paste sandwich to mush because the weather forecast was wrong. There are, it’s safe to say, picnics and Picnics. It’s a term that takes in everything from a rubber baguette in a French ‘Aire’ off the Autoroute du Soleil to a four-course spread while listening to opera at Glyndebourne. What’s definitely true is ...

Fleur de Miraval will be poured at the Dolby Theatre during the Oscars (27 March), as well as during the Governors Ball – the Academy’s official afterparty – and at other Oscars-related events in Los Angeles, New York City, and London, including the Oscars Nominees Luncheon on 7 March. Serving Fleur de Miraval Rosé Champagne, best known for its association with Pitt, was a ‘natural choice’, the champagne brand said in a statement announcing the news. ‘Fleur de Miraval will now ...