A Vineyard in the Dordogne--How an English Family Made Their Dream of Wine, Good Food and Sunshine Come True by Jeremy Josephs

Author:Jeremy Josephs [Jeremy Josephs]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781843580188
Publisher: John Blake Publishing
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

FOR A PERSON purporting to be on the brink of bankruptcy, Nick Ryman led a very glamorous lifestyle indeed. With the restoration of the château continuing apace, various VIPs and celebrities would look in from time to time at Jaubertie, where, at least once a week, a bottle of champagne would be opened and drunk, not in order to toast or mark a special occasion but simply for the extravagance of the act and the sheer pleasure of its taste. It hardly seemed to be a picture of deprivation and despair.

Driving around his extensive vineyards in a 1923 left-hand-drive Citroën Kegresse half-track, Nick looked and behaved more like the lord of the manor than a person heading for the Tribunal de Commerce, the French equivalent of the feared bankruptcy court in London’s Carey Street. He had acquired this unusual vehicle some years earlier while negotiating the purchase of his last home in England, The Dye House. Having inspected the property, Nick had turned to the owner, a Mr Charrington of the oil firm of that name, and informed him that he had been most impressed, especially by the extensive gardens and grounds then maintained by three full-time gardeners. ‘I have to say, though,’ Nick had added, ‘that the thing which intrigues me most of all is the two old wrecks which you have got outside under a tin shed.’

Charrington wasted no time in disabusing Nick of the notion that the vehicles referred to were fit only for the scrap yard. It was Citroëns such as these, he pointed out, which had earned their colours in a series of expeditions to Peking during the period between the wars. Then, turning to his butler, Charrington said, ‘Bring George round to the front door, because I am sure that Mr Ryman would enjoy a drive in George.’ The other vehicle, he explained, was named Mary. A car enthusiast since his teenage years, Nick later wasted no time in making contact with the estate agents, Knight, Frank and Rutley. ‘I am prepared to proceed with the purchase of The Dye House,’ he wrote, ‘provided it includes both Mary and George.’ This had rather intrigued the negotiator dealing with the sale of the property, and he immediately telephoned the Charringtons in the hope that they might be able to enlighten him.

‘I think the price offered is one you should accept,’ he advised. ‘But Mr Ryman appears to be keen to have George and Mary thrown in. Before we take the matter any further, though, could you please tell me one thing – who on earth are George and Mary?’

Having restored Mary to her former glory and transported the handsome half-track to his château in the Dordogne, Nick would settle himself behind the steering wheel and slip into the role of unofficial guide, pointing out the Cabernet grapes on the left, the Merlot which he had planted on the right, and so on, with more than the odd anecdote thrown in. Cruising slowly around the vineyard at fifteen kilometres per hour, he soon had these excursions down to a fine art.

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