Brad Pitt revels in winemaking ‘farmer’ role

Brad Pitt has opened up about his life as a winemaker and why his “compulsive nature” and experience as an actor has helped he and his wife Angelina Jolie, produce one of the year’s most sought after rosés.

The Hollywood power couple bought the $55 million Miraval Estate winery in Provence in 2008 releasing 6,000 bottles of its Côtes de Provence Rosé Miraval 2012 last year, which sold out online within five hours.

The wine went on to become the first rosé to appear in the Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 list of the most exciting wines of the year, released last November.

Earlier this year the estate’s 2013 vintage hit the market, this time numbering 200,000, a rosé blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Rolle made in collaboration with Marc Perrin, owner of Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône, and is distributed by the Perrin family.

In an interview with Wine Spectator this month, Pitt compared winemaking to shooting a blockbuster while explaining his approach to farming and winemaking.

He said: “For better or worse, given my compulsive nature, if we are going to be in the wine business, let’s make the best wine we can.

“I asked the question, “Why can’t we make world-class wine in Provence?”

“Let’s approach it like a film, and let’s make something we can be proud of and people can enjoy.”

He added: “I’m a farmer now. I love learning about the land and which field is most suitable for which grape, the drama of September and October: Are we picking today? ‘Where are the sugar levels? How is the acidity? Is it going to rain? It’s been a schooling for me. In the off months, I enjoy cleaning the forest and walking the land.”

The couple are known to be planning a Provence red made from Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cabernet Franc in the future, with their first red effort, made predominantly from Syrah, due for release this summer along with a barrel fermented white made from Rolle.