The Ripening Sun: One Woman and the Creation of a Vineyard

by Patricia Atkinson

For most people giving up the day job and moving to a beautiful area of France and living off the vines is an impossible but delicious dream. In 1990, Patricia Atkinson and her husband decided to sell up in Britain and emigrate to the Dordogne. Their idea was to buy a house with a few vines attached and employ someone to tend to the wine while they earned their living with some financial consultancy work. There followed a series of disasters: the stock market crashed leaving their small holding as their sole source of income; the first red wine harvest turned to vinegar; and Patricia's husband returned to Britain, unable to cope with the stress and never returned. Patricia Atkinson, whose only knowledge of wine up to that moment was 'that it came from a bottle' and who had not a word of French, was left to salvage their life savings form the vineyards. What follows is a remarkable story of struggle and transformation whereby her tiny 4 hectare plot has become a major estate of 21 hectares, where her Clos d'Yvigne wines have won awards and been adopted by wine merchants throughout the world and where she has been hailed as a superstar by UK wine writers.

Genres: France, Travel, Nonfiction, Wine, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2003

Reviews

[Lindsey Paley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-told story of escaping from the rat race to a quieter life in France - but it didn't turn out like that. The author really drew the reader into the community and its people, I could almost taste the wines myself in some parts. What such hard work and determination running a successful vineyard takes! Thoroughly enjoyed it and will look for the next book.

[Lisette Venselaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ga er maar aan staan. Als vrouw alleen een wijnbedrijf runnen in de Dordogne. Klinkt natuurlijk prachtig - een eigen wijngaard - maar het is keihard werken en er komt heel veel bij kijken. Het feit dat Patricia aanvankelijk helemaal geen verstand heeft van wijn en ook de Franse taal niet beheerst, maakt het avontuur extra gecompliceerd. Dit boek is een boeiend verslag van een doortastende tante, die zich niet uit het veld laat slaan. Ze verovert, met vallen en opstaan, een plekje in de wijnwereld en in je hart. Interessant om te lezen, want je bij het verbouwen van wijn allemaal tegen aan loopt. Ik had daar zelf, voor het lezen van dit boek, geen beeld bij. Aanrader voor 'ik vertrek' fans, wijnliefhebbers en Francofielen.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a little difficult at times because it has french language of which I know pretty much nothing of. I gained a lot of insight from this book. There is a lot of technical writing in regard to starting and running an independent vineyard so it does sometimes stretch the mind. What I really enjoyed is the relationships developed and the camaraderie enjoyed by the close knit group of people.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely story! Inspiring, moving and very enjoyable. Lots of detail on winemaking but written in an interesting, involving way that made me picture everything and imagine what it was like to be there.
I don't know how the author found time to write the story!!

[Velvetink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off a bit stiff, but you grow to like Patricia, and learn a hell of a lot about wines and growing vines than you will ever need. Inspirational and also a little sad at the end.

1 of 18 books for $10 today 5.12.2012

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, not great. Note to self: Never buy a vineyard and never marry an Englishman.

[Kadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mõnus ülevaade veinitegemise tagamaadest. Samas on siiski ilukirjanduslik ja pidev armuloo puudumine tegid sellest ühe mõnusa lugemise. Päris tõsiselt elasin peategelasele kaasa :)

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo ujmującą i pachnącą winogronami.

[Angela Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of Patricia's first years in France. this brave woman deals with much change and feeds us with a lot of information about growing and processing as well as the general controls on French wine making and the lands that produce the treasured vintages. Despite setbacks she plummets on and still finds time to record the details for us to savour. I actually read the hardback but couldn't see it on listings, hope the paperback has the fine line drawings and photos (although the images are more personal than for sharing) Also appreciated Edge's poetry, proved to be a kind link to a true friend. This volume is to be forwarded to a friend who has bought a, small, vineyard in Tenerife: let me know if I owe you the cost of another book! Really don't mind.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Not at all what I expected. I thought it would be a fun, light story of moving to France. It was an easy and satisfying read BUT also with major heartbreaks and personal struggles.

Only gripe is that they needed to pay one person a few bucks to read it and fix all the little French snippets of dialogue. Horrifying amount of mistakes, sometimes the same French word would be spelled differently two ways on the same page!

Decided to laugh about it and read and enjoy it anyways. Seriously though, not that hard to find someone who writes correct French...

[Katy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stands out from other 'moving to France' books because of the amazing way Patricia dealt with the challenges put in front of her. She didn't speak French and new nothing about wine but after her husband had to back out of the plan due to illness she took over and learnt it all on the job. Really inspiring and also interesting as I had no idea what went into making wine.

[Olga Lawrence-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this story of a woman buying a vineyard, learning French in the process and battling on her own but being triumphant at the end. There are sad parts and her marriage founders, don't think I am giving anything away there, but overall an entertaining read. I never knew there was so much to producing a good wine.

[Joyce Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchasing a winery in a country where you do not speak the language, nor know a lot about wine making shows the tenacity and adventuresome nature of the author. I found her book about the development of Clos d'Yvigne, intriguing and very interesting. Ms. Atkinson's challenges both personal and professional, as well as the people of Gageac made this story all the more engaging.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the warmth of the people & the feel of the book & the landscape. Got a bit lost with the technical stuff about the wine but still enjoyed it. Sad the people Patricia lost toward the end of the book.

[Laura Bradbury]

This incredible true story of how Patricia
Atkinson built an entirely new life based
around a vineyard she and her husband
bought in Dourgogne (the husband
buggered off because of the stress, never
to return) is awe-inspiring.

[Ruth Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started a little slow and then I couldn't put it down! One woman's epic learning curve running a vineyard and producing world class wines, made all the more challenging by her arriving from England with virtually no French language skills!! A fully engaging memoir!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read - a true life story well told.

[Charlotte Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

A beautiful story which really gives you a nudge to keep fighting however hard things can be. A wonderful expat story

[Tiffany Manning · Rating 1 out of 5]

All in all, the book is really recommended only for those who are truly interested in the daily details of wine cultivation and wine making.

[Pamela Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have just realised that I read the follow up book "Belle Saison" first! I enjoyed this book better but there was too much about wine-making for my liking.

[Norma Guinevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved, loved, loved this book!

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

"One woman and the creation of a vineyard". Oh no, not another book about Brits moving to France to live their dream! But this one really does stand out from the crowd -- unlike the mediocre Virgile's Vineyard, this book is definitely worth reading.

Curiously, I remember seeing Patricia Atkinson in a programme on Channel 4 in about 1993 -- one of the first programmes of that type. She and her husband had moved to Bergerac to live in a beautiful old house and grow vines. But within months the husband contracted a debilitating illness and returned to the UK, leaving Patricia on her own, struggling to cultivate four hectares of vines with no knowledge of French, wine, or how to drive a tractor. She survived, and funnily enough she reappeared on a programme on French television a few months back -- now a respected winemaker who regularly wins prizes and gets her wines into the Guide Hachette.

Not only does she make good wine, she turns out to write quite well too -- recording her fears and insecurities as she struggles along on her own. The winemaking idea had been entirely her husband's, but she is obviously someone who believes that if she has to do something she will do it well, and she discovers talents that might never have been revealed otherwise -- not only learning the numerous skills required to grow grapes and make wine, but developing the physical strength needed to drive tractors, shovel grape debris, prune vines, and heave pipes, pumps and barrels about in the winery. And as if that weren't enough, she turns out to have a remarkably well-developed palate, to the extent that after a few years she is invited to join the official tasting committee for Bergerac AOC wines.

She relates all this with a pleasing humility, and it's clear how her courage, determination and willingness to learn endeared her to her neighbours, who rallied round to help her. By the end of the book she has truly become an integral part of the small community of Gageac. Bravo to her, and eat your heart out, Peter Mayle!

[Daisy Holder · Rating 1 out of 5]

wholesome but slow

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a British woman who, along with her husband, buys a small vineyard in France. She herself has no interest in running the vineyard and doesn't speak French. Her husband does. Then her husband gets a debilitating illness and goes back to Britain. She has to stay on as all their assets are invested in this vineyard. The book was presented to me as a fantasy book -- who hasn't had the move to France fantasy where you totally immerse yourself in French food and culture. But, I felt there was desperation or sadness underneath it, and that killed the fantasy. There is a point where I could tell Atkinson really made the choice to stay because it was what she wanted and from then on, the book was a more pleasant read.

If I see it in the library, I might look into her second book. I suspect she'll be in a happier place.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was extraordinary. The story of anyone who makes a success of a business venture is good material and will usually engage readers. Patricia Atkinson's journey to success is remarkable because she makes a go of a dream which wasn't even hers to begin with; husband James has high hopes of buying a vineyard and making and selling wine. When ill health prevents him from working on the project and forces his return from the Dordogne to London, Patricia steps in and takes over the reins. She speaks little French and has no knowledge of winemaking or grape growing. She writes with fervour and humour about her experiences. The warm friendships she describes and the delight she takes in her village surroundings make this book thoroughly enjoyable and unexpectedly moving.

[Catherine Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read for anyone dreaming of setting up a vineyard and escaping the rat-race![return]Atkinson turned vigneron by chance when financial necessity turned her holiday hideaway into the only way she had of making a living. She takes the reader through the highs and lows of making her enterprise work.[return]A great read for anyone who goes on holiday to this part of France because you can buy her wines (prize-winning) in the local supermarkets and good wineshops

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never before appreciated how much goes into making wine, especially when you grow your own grapes as does Patricia Atkinson. So well written that I felt as though I was working alongside her. Her French neighbors and friends were easy to know and like. The only missing piece was that the reader couldn't know her husband who after all got her into this adventure but since the book is autobiographical, this was obviously to respect his privacy, an admirable act.

[Mary Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never realized how really hard it is to grow and vintage wine! While the book gets a little repetitious towards the end, it is like a travelogue putting you in the French countryside and breathing the air!

[Marge Levy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried very hard to like this book. It is interesting to know how they grow/harvest grapes, but the book was quite dry (no pun intended) and not much emotion in it. Only made it through the first third of the book, then passed it along to a wine connoisseur!

[Amira Norris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating and well written story. The depth of information she provides on wine making is immense. But the story is repetitive lacks human depth and leaves you melancholy at the end. Details of her relationship with her husband it totally absent.