Grape Expectations: A Family's Vineyard Adventure in France

by Caro Feely

What does it take to follow your dreams?

The wine filled my mouth with plum and blackberry sensations.
‘Delicious.’ I licked my lips. A picture of a vineyard drenched in sunlight formed in my mind. Sean drew me rudely back to our small suburban house.
‘How can they be in liquidation if they make wine this good?’

When Caro and Sean find the perfect vineyard near Bordeaux their dreams of a new life in France are about to come true. They arrive, with a toddler and a newborn, to face a dilapidated farmhouse, and challenges including accidents with agricultural equipment, cultural misunderstandings, and money worries. Undeterred, they embark on the biggest adventure of their lives – learning to make wine from the roots up.

Filled with vivid descriptions of delicious wines, great food, humour, and stunning views, this is a unique insight into the world of the winemaker, and a story of passion, dedication, and love.

Is changing your life and moving country a good idea? Do Caro and Sean succeed in following their dreams?Reviews‘Captivating reading.’ Destination France

‘An inspiring story of how one couple changed their lives.' Jamie Ivey, Author

'A beautifully written tale of passion and guts.' Alice Feiring, Author

‘I was moved and delighted by this book, and what it says about wine and the passion of winemaking, about France and the great adventure of family life, and above all about the challenges that build a marriage. A splendid book.’ Martin Walker, bestselling author of the Bruno, Chief of Police series

‘Bright, passionate, inspiring, informative and absolutely delicious’ Breadcrumb Reads blog

‘Filled with vivid descriptions of delicious wines, great food… a story of passion, dedication, and love’ Bookalicious Travel Addict blog

‘The best – and most realistic – tome coming from the ‘A Year in Provence’ genre.’ Joe Duffy, Irish radio personality

First published in 2012 by Summersdale. Book 1 of the Vineyard Series.

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2023

About the author

Caro Feely is a published author, organic farmer, and yoga teacher. She is an engaging speaker and experienced virtual event facilitator.

Her first four books Grape Expectations, Saving our Skins, Vineyard Confessions (originally titled Glass Half Full), and Wine: the Essential Guide, were published by Summersdale. Find out the latest news on Caro’s books due out this year at Caro Feely Author Website .

Caro and her husband Sean run an organic farm and vineyard in South West France where you can stay in beautiful ecological accommodation and attend wine and yoga classes Chateau Feely . Caro also runs walking tours, wine tours and a certified wine school FrenchWine Adventures .

Caro is passionate about the environment, family dynamics, organic farming, wine, and in more recent years, yoga. These threads, and climate change, feature strongly in her current work.

There are two books next up on Caro’s publication roster, ‘Cultivating Change’, a standalone that can also be considered the 4th in the Vineyard series and ‘Saving Sophia’, a standalone book that can also be considered a prequel to ‘Grape Expectations’.

Caro is a registered Yoga Alliance yoga teacher, a WSET* wine educator and a professional with many years of workshop, presentation, training, and management experience with multinational companies including IBM and Accenture. She has a Master’s degree in economics (cum laude); and a Bachelor’s degree with Honours in commerce and economics.

Visit Caro Feely Author Website for more on how to invite her to your book club meeting or another event.

Reviews

[Margherita Ragg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book and it was a really enjoyable read. Caro is a really gifted writer, with an excellent eye for descriptions and details, and I especially love how she makes places come alive in her prose. When she described mornings in her vineyard or the forests of South Africa, I really felt like I was there. I also loved how Caro manages to weave memoir and ecological reflections together, making her readers think about what we can do to save our planet before it's too late. Really recommended!

[Therese Chatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to stop the housework as you won't want to put it down.
A fascinating story about an amazing adventure giving an insight into how hard a wine-grower works. I had no idea! Before reading this book I thought that you planted grapes and then put them in a vat and voila. How wrong was I!
An amazing story of hope, hard work and survival! well done Caro! I loved it.

[Julia Runnacles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this honest, entertaining and informative account of building a life, business and family home in rural France. It is a must read for anyone who loves wine, or France, or nature, or our planet. Hard to put down.