{"product_id":"the-vineyard-venture-nigel-reay-jones-9781036186715","title":"The Vineyard Venture: An English Family's Life in Sauternes","description":"Imagine leaving your comfortable life in middle England for a land of glorious hot summers, romantic scenery and exquisite cuisine, to live off the fruits of your own labour on a vineyard in south-west France. If it sounds too idyllic to be true, it probably is!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn July 1986, Nigel Reay-Jones and his wife Georgea sold their house in the Cotswolds and moved, with their five small children, to Château de Commarque, a dilapidated medieval fortified farm-turned hotel-restaurant in the tiny commune of Sauternes, near Bordeaux, with a small vineyard attached in even worse condition than the house.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Vineyard Venture is the story of the Reay-Joneses' wonderfully bold endeavour to make their dream a reality. From natural disasters and baffling bureaucracy to crumbling medieval walls and hypochondriac chefs, there was plenty sent their way to derail it. But time and again, the Reay-Joneses proved they were made of sterner stuff. This book, a brilliantly entertaining account written after a decade of laughter, adventure and, without hyperbole, momentous struggle, is a tale for winelovers, Francophiles and dreamers. It is the story of a life lived off the beaten path... down a bumpy track and at the end of a narrow lane in one of Bordeaux's smallest and most revered wine-producing areas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Nigel Reay-Jones\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1036186717\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781036186715\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Fonthill Media\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/03\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Nigel Reay-Jones","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48997507039487,"sku":"9781036186715","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-vineyard-venture-nigel-reay-jones-9781036186715","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}