[imagesource: Fox Pictures]

In 2006, Ridley Scott was so taken by the Provençal region that he made the vineyards the subject of his feel-good film, A Good Year.

A still from the film, starring Russell Crowe and  Marion Cotillard, can be seen above.

Then he fell in love with wine so hard that he started to produce his own reds and rosés under the Provençal sky.

His spot in The Luberon – the Mas Des Infirmières, situated in the heart of 30 hectares of Grenache and Syrah vines – allows his two loves to collide.

The ‘Cave’ tasting room evokes his cinematographic universe, complete with movie posters and Hollywood props, while also being a space to create his own wines on-site and sell them.

Image: Vaucluse Dreamer

France Today reported that the Provençal vineyard is open for visitors with three rental cottages available on the property:

“When I lived in my country 25 years ago, the rain was a real problem for me who needs light,” Scott told the French press. “In Provence, the climate is spectacular and I found my happiness there.”

It’s this quest for sunlight that led him to acquire in 1992 the Mas des Infermières (the Provençal word for ‘nurses’), an old property near the village of Oppède which served as a hospital in the 17th century.

In 2009, Scott set out to cultivate the plots himself, with the grapes being vinified by a local co-operative (before he created the ‘Cave’ in order to produce himself):

The success of the roughly 6,000 bottles produced each year ultimately led him to make his own wine. In 2017, he recruited a team of winemaking professionals and began major construction, in particular building a state-of-the-art 2,200m² cellar capable of producing around 30,000 bottles.

Besides the delicious wines available for tasting and purchase, with labels designed by Scott himself, the store itself is captivating with memorabilia from his films.

That incudes the famous spacesuits worn by Matt Damon in the 2015 film, The Martian, according to Vaucluse Dreamer:

Image: Vaucluse Dreamer

On other walls there are posters and images for some of Ridley Scott’s films, including (of course) one for ‘A Good Year’, sitting above tables, reserved for tasting, next to a window that has beautiful views across vines into the valley.

Image: Vaucluse Dreamer

Here was another sign of the very special link to Ridley Scott and his films, with the walls in the process of being studded with individual gold coins, which had been used as props in The Gladiator, and other films.

At 83 years old, Scott is still ever-present in the space, spending six months a year involved in his wine adventures.

While we may be far away from Provençal and Ridley Scott, we do have our own breathtaking vineyards and vintages to relish.

Visiting the likes of Franschhoek’s Anthonij Rupert Wine, it can feel like we’re in a movie of our own:

 

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When it becomes too chilly to enjoy the outdoors, the Terra Del Capo Tasting Room & Antipasti Bar is perfectly cosy, and even allows a bird’s-eye view of the activity in the bottling line through a glass window.

We recommend taking advantage of the space and the season as Anthonij Rupert is offering a delightful truffle-inspired tasting menu.

For the colder months, you can cosy up for one of the hosted dining experiences that will be showcasing the winemakers’ very own Black Perigord truffles alongside their Cape of Good Hope Wines.

If you decide to visit the estate, remember that booking is essential.

Surely, the ideal winter day would be to sip on some red wine while admiring the Franschhoek mountains, before heading home to watch A Good Year.

That sounds about right…

[sources:vauclusedreamer&francetoday]