Author Peter Mayle has a thing for southern France, but I can’t say I blame him. Several of his novels are set there, and the place is so gorgeous and full of charm and personality, that I always, always commit to visiting after I finish one of his books. In A Good Year, Max is a trader in London who gets weaseled out of his job just as he inherits a run-down vineyard in Provence. The wine produced at Le Griffon is of a somewhat poor quality (cat piss is mentioned), but Max tries to make some improvements, eventually getting caught up in an elaborate scheme to sell extremely rare wines. The story is fun, the characters endearing, and it shows the tight-assed bunch of us Westerners how we just need to relax and sit in the sun and have some good food and wine once in a while.Of course, National Drink Wine Day is February 18th, and I thought this would be a good time to mention this book. So, you’re welcome. Go read this book and drink some wine. Or drink some wine while reading this book.
How to Commemorate
- Drink wine.
- Drink wine.
- Drink wine.
Works Cited
A Good Year
Amazon Barnes & Noble Public Libraries
