Climbing the Vines in Burgundy by Alex Gambal

Climbing the Vines in Burgundy by Alex Gambal

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.

Written in a very engaging style, Alex Gamble tells the story of how he moved to France and built a highly successful wine businessA 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

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.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780761873969
ISBN 10	0761873961
Title	Climbing the Vines in Burgundy
Author	Alex Gambal
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	University Press of America
Year published	2023-08-29
Number of pages	272
Prizes	Winner of Named one of the Best Wine Books of 2023 2023
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.