Awards

• Winner of Named one of the Best Wine Books of 2023 2023

Overview

Named one of the New York Times Best Wine Books of 2023 Named one of the Washington Post's Best Wine Books of 2023 This is a unique tale about the first non-Frenchman to ever own one of the Montrachet Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy, France. Weaved throughout entertaining stories that celebrate the history of this world renowned region, is the chronicle of an American breaking through cultural barriers to find adventure and success. After a rather conventional start, Alex Gambal left his family’s real estate and parking business to follow his passion for wine and winemaking. In 1993, he moved to Beaune, France with his wife and two children. For three years he worked with an exporter, to market and sell some of the oldest French family-owned domains in the world. He and his family were welcomed into a community of distinguished winemakers. In 1997, Alex launched a boutique winery—initially buying grapes and eventually owning 30 acres of vineyards that included the storied Grand Cru Batard Montrachet. Part memoir and part an account of practical business sense, this book is a unique personal story about how an American became a participant in the fabric of this exclusive community and in return gained a profound respect for Burgundy, its unique winemakers, and the romance of its vineyards.

Full Product Details

9781538196151

Table of Contents

Reviews

This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wanted to chuck the office for a vineyard, especially if that dream involves moving to France. * The Washington Post * Alex Gambal was leading a successful family business in the Washington, D.C., area in the late 1980s when he became smitten by wine. So ensued an early midlife crisis that resulted in Mr. Gambal, his wife and children moving to Burgundy to experience life in France, first as a wine broker’s intern, then as a wine student. He subsequently built the wine estate of his dreams, but practically exhausted himself trying to make it work. This book documents that experience. It’s an engrossing story that, unlike similar books, focuses not on the romance of vineyards and winemaking, but on the gears and grease of creating and maintaining a business without a vast reserve of wealth in perhaps the world’s most storied wine region. * The New York Times * Written in a very engaging style, Alex Gambal tells the story of how he moved to France and built a highly successful wine business. A compelling read, where you will learn about the challenges, for him and his family, of working in France and discovering the complex eco-system of Burgundy. -- Jamie Ritchie, former Chairman, Wine & Spirits, Sotheby’s Alex Gambal has written a wonderfully engaging book on Burgundy from an insider’s perspective packed with details ranging from making wine in Burgundy and keenly-observed nuggets of life in France to his roots in Washington D.C. and his early years working with Becky Wassermann. Weaving together the deeply-understood strands of French culture, winemaking, and entrepreneurship with the absorbing story of his loves, his triumphs, and his losses, Alex has crafted a work that will have something to charm every reader. -- Charles Curtis, Burgundy correspondent / Decanter magazine, Founder, WineAlpha In page-turning detail, Alex Gambal highlights the ups, downs, twists, turns (and weather!) of what so many Burgundy fans only talk about—moving there to make wine. Part adventure, part manifesto, Climbing the Vines in Burgundy shows how Alex became a vinous Indiana Jones—chasing a dream and creating a legacy that reawakens every time one of Alex's wines is uncorked. -- Doug Heye, Political Commentator, CNN

"Alex Gambal has written a wonderfully engaging book on Burgundy from an insider's perspective packed with details ranging from making wine in Burgundy and keenly-observed nuggets of life in France to his roots in Washington D.C. and his early years working with Becky Wassermann. Weaving together the deeply-understood strands of French culture, winemaking, and entrepreneurship with the absorbing story of his loves, his triumphs, and his losses, Alex has crafted a work that will have something to charm every reader. --Charles Curtis, Burgundy correspondent / Decanter magazine, Founder, WineAlpha Alex Gambal was leading a successful family business in the Washington, D.C., area in the late 1980s when he became smitten by wine. So ensued an early midlife crisis that resulted in Mr. Gambal, his wife and children moving to Burgundy to experience life in France, first as a wine broker's intern, then as a wine student. He subsequently built the wine estate of his dreams, but practically exhausted himself trying to make it work. This book documents that experience. It's an engrossing story that, unlike similar books, focuses not on the romance of vineyards and winemaking, but on the gears and grease of creating and maintaining a business without a vast reserve of wealth in perhaps the world's most storied wine region. -- The New York Times For anyone that thinks the wine business is ""living the dream""--all glamor and Michelin-starred dinners--this is a reality check: an insider's 25 years of experience making fine wine. For Burgundy lovers looking for a different take on the region, this is a must-read. --Bruce Sanderson, The Wine Spectator I loved this book for its refreshing honesty. I loved this book because if you're not into wine but have ever been a newcomer into a small, closed, traditional community, the story will resonate with you. It's a book about real emotions, messy relationships, family, the unromantic realities of making/selling/exporting/importing wine, the clash and complexities of French-meeting-American culture, the heady roar and devastating crash of making wine, the grief of loss and goodbyes. It comes with a spadefuls of hard-nosed American business pragmatism and a stewpot-full of Gallic sentiment. It is emotive but not maudlin, honest but not schmaltzy. The author is not self-indulgent. Gambal is a storyteller and a writer. --Tamlyn Currin from Jancis Robinson's Newsletter In page-turning detail, Alex Gambal highlights the ups, downs, twists, turns (and weather!) of what so many Burgundy fans only talk about--moving there to make wine. Part adventure, part manifesto, Climbing the Vines in Burgundy shows how Alex became a vinous Indiana Jones--chasing a dream and creating a legacy that reawakens every time one of Alex's wines is uncorked. --Doug Heye, Political Commentator, CNN The business side of making and selling wines from Burgundy--a region now synonymous with billionaire investors and five-figure wines--is where Gambal's book truly excels. He's happy to share specific numbers. ... Gambal meticulously lists everything that was included in the deal, from wine to houses to leased parcels. ""Perhaps a better way to sum up this kind of transaction, in fact most transactions in Burgundy, is that the seller is trying to sell everything including Granny's house and sometimes even with Granny in it,"" he writes. ... Did Gambal end up with Granny's house? Burgundy fans--indeed, anyone interested in wine or the wine business or both--will want to read the book to find out. --Lettie Teague, The Wall Street Journal This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wanted to chuck the office for a vineyard, especially if that dream involves moving to France. -- The Washington Post , Written in a very engaging style, Alex Gambal tells the story of how he moved to France and built a highly successful wine business. A compelling read, where you will learn about the challenges, for him and his family, of working in France and discovering the complex eco-system of Burgundy. --Jamie Ritchie, former Chairman, Wine & Spirits, Sotheby's"

Author Information

Originally from the Washington, DC area, Alex Gambal moved to France in 1993 and over the course of the next 26 years straddled the Atlantic while creating a boutique winery that included some of Burgundy’s greatest vineyards. A hard-nosed-businessman in a community steeped in tradition, he defeated the odds by buying some of the most coveted French vines and creating a successful brand that was eventually sold to one of the largest wine makers in the region.

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